I went to replace my circuit breaker for my dryer because the dryer kept
shutting off. I started checking around and discovered when you jiggle the breaker a little
the dryer light flicker. I decided to replace the breaker which is something that I have done before in the past. the problem I am have is the breaker will not pop out as the other breakers do. this is a dual pole 240V breaker. The single pole breakers pop right out but some don't either. hope someone can help.
How to remove a stuck circuit breaker from the panel
circuit breaker
Related Solutions
It sounds like you may be mistaken as to how this is wired, or that perhaps I'm just not understanding your explanation. As others have mentioned, it's not possible to get 240 volts from a single pole in a 120/240V split phase system. Each tandem breaker provides 2 120 V circuits, this is true. However, if you measure between the terminals on a single tandem breaker, you'll get 0 volts. This is because the terminals are both powered from the same leg, and so are at the same voltage potential. If you measure from a terminal on the top tandem breaker to a terminal on the bottom one, then you'll measure 240 volts. This is because each breaker is connected to a different leg, which are each one half of a 240 volt circuit.
With all that said. For this setup to work, one appliance would have to be connected to both breaker. Something like this...
Notice that each appliance circuit has one wire connected to each of the tandem breakers. In this situation, you'd need a device like Speedy Petey shows.
Which ties the breaker handles together, to provide common trip characteristics.
Notice how the inner handles are tied together, and that the outer handles are also tied to each other. This way if either trip (or are turned off by the user), the entire circuit is shut off.
If this is wired the way you've explained, where the dryer is connected to the top tandem and the heater is connected to the bottom. Then there's some magic going on in those breakers.
Did the electrician replaced the Service panel only, or (s)he also worked on other things like adding junction boxes and ran new conduits? The problem of 2 breakers (let's call #1 and #7 connected to the same circuit (lights in this case) might not be at the Service panel, but it could be that he had mistakenly connected wire from #7 to the existing light circuit which already had been connected to #1 prior to this, at the new junction box. You need to trace down where the old lighting circuit connected to those #1 and #7 wires.
Related Topic
- Circuit breaker problems
- Electrical – How to add a secondary circuit breaker, limited to cutting a single appliance
- Electrical – Adding the Sense electricity monitor to the breaker box
- Electrical – Can a single pole (normal/regular) circuit breaker be used in spots designated for tandem
- Electrical – use a two-pole single handle breaker for mwbc
- Electrical – What to do about breaker that triggers main panel, and breaker that’s stuck
- Electrical – Is it safe to use two single-pole breakers for a 240 V circuit
- Help identify this breaker panel config
Best Answer
First item of order is to identify this breaker panel and find out if there is a national recognized fire hazard danger from the make and model breaker panel you have installed.
Square D, Zinsco/Sylvania and Federal Pacific had failure modes where this happens.
Stop, call a qualified electrician and have them inspect the panel. The bus bar contacts are burned and the circuit breaker may have partially welded itself to the contact. At this point, the meter needs to be pulled if you don't have a 200A main breaker that shuts the panel off. Any force trying to remove the breakers that breaks the insulators holding the bus in place will put you in a potentially deadly or high property damage situation if you do not cut the power before proceeding.
In the case of Sylvania/Zinsco, the aluminum bus bar may burn through from the arcing. The only over-current protection you have will be the transformer fuse which will blow only after the bus bar has completely consumed itself in an arc flash fire if it contacts the grounded panel housing.