electricalelectrical-panel
I'm trying to find the breaker to switch off a light fixture to install ceiling fan. I've tried all but the ones dedicated to ac, furnace, dryer etc. I decided to switch off the main and encountered this. Is this safe? Can I switch the main safely?
Thanks!
Since it's a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breaker, it's very likely that you have a ground fault.
GFCIs work by detecting an imbalance in current between the ungrounded (hot), and grounded (neutral) conductors. This is why you only see the trip when the circuit is under load. If there is 0 current flow, the current is balanced.
I'd start by inspecting the receptacle. Turn off the breaker, then open up the box where the receptacle is installed. Look for damage to the receptacle itself, or water/moisture in the box.
For outdoor installations you should always have a weatherproof box, and a cover that is weatherproof even when the receptacle is in use.
The MA-FQ4M dimmer doesn't dim its output directly -- it's designed to communicate over the powerline with a compatible canopy module instead, which is why it didn't dim your chandelier. It shouldn't cause your fan to hum when used with the proper canopy module, though -- I'd suspect that your real problem is with the fan itself (perhaps the windings are slightly loose inside the fan motor or something like that).
As to why the fan didn't work with a single pole switch, I suspect it's because the canopy module wasn't seeing the right signals to turn the fan on. Either that, or you simply goofed when you wired the switch.
Best Answer
Yes, that screw needs to be there. No, it won't mess up switching off the main.
Your electrical panel uses a backfed main breaker configuration. This works fine, considering the main breaker is always going to be a regular breaker and thus rated for backfeed (GFCIs and AFCIs have LINE and LOAD terminals as they are not backfeedable). However, this invokes NEC 408.36(D) in order to keep the main breaker from coming out and exposing someone to live mains when they pull the deadfront off:
The screw you see is that "additional fastener" the Code requires. It won't mess up switching off the main breaker, either, as the handle OFF position is a mirror image of the handle ON position, roughly.