How to Remove a Circuit Breaker Safely

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 10/12/22
Reviewed by
Larry Campbell
Larry Campbell
Reviewed by Larry Campbell
Larry Campbell is an electrical contractor with 36 years of experience in residential and light commercial electrical wiring. He worked as an electronic technician and later as an engineer for the IBM Corp. He is also a member of The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Fact checked by
Jillian Dara
Jillian Dara
Fact checked by Jillian Dara
Jillian is a freelance journalist with 10 years of editorial experience in the lifestyle genre. She is a writer and fact checker for TripSavvy, as well as a fact-checker for The Spruce.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Circuit breaker being removed by hand

The Spruce

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 9 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Skill Level: Intermediate

Removing a circuit breaker from your home's electrical service panel is an easy job that takes just a few minutes. However, it's not a suitable project for homeowners who are unfamiliar with electrical systems. The service panel is where the utility's power comes into your house, and portions of it carry deadly levels of electricity at all times. Removing the panel cover exposes the live elements, so you must be very careful not to touch them.

What's Inside Your Service Panel

A household service panel has a main breaker, usually located at the top (but sometimes at the bottom or the side), and two columns of branch circuit breakers. Each branch circuit breaker controls a household circuit. The main breaker controls power to all of the branch breakers. It acts as a switch to energize or de-energize the two hot bus bars that the branch breakers clip into to become energized.

The main breaker itself gets power from two hot utility cables that come in from above or below the service panel (there's also a neutral cable that connects to the neutral bus bar). The hot utility cables and the points where they connect to the panel or main breaker are live at all times unless the power company shuts off your service. Never touch these cables or connections, even when the main breaker is off.

Warning

The main circuit breaker does not shut off the power to the utility cables or the points where they connect to the panel. These parts remain live at all times and carry deadly current.

4:02

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What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Cordless drill or screwdriver
  • Non-contact voltage tester

Materials

  • Paper towels or rags to dry the area (if necessary)

Instructions

Materials and tools to remove a circuit breaker

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  1. Turn Off the Main Breaker

    Make sure the ground or floor and the electrical service panel are completely dry. Use paper towels or rags on the area if necessary.

    Open the door to the panel. Stand to the side of the panel, and use one hand to switch the main breaker to the OFF position. This will shut off the power to all of the circuits in your house.

    Main breaker switched off to remove circuit breaker

    The Spruce

    Tip

    Standing to the side of the panel protects you from the rare (but very dangerous) event of an arc flash while turning off the breaker. Using one hand helps limit the potential injury an accidental shock can cause.

  2. Unscrew the Panel Cover

    Use a cordless drill or a screwdriver to remove the screws of the panel's outer cover. Support the cover with your free hand to keep it in place while unscrewing the last couple of screws, so the heavy panel doesn't drop down.

    Tip

    Some service panels have a cover that includes the door. Others have a door that is mounted directly to the panel box and a cover that is set into the box.

    Panel cover for circuit breaker being unscrewed

    The Spruce

  3. Remove the Cover

    Tilt the cover away from the panel using both hands and set it aside. Be careful not to touch anything inside the panel. Because you shut off the main breaker, the individual branch circuit breakers and their wiring will not have power, but the power company cables and their terminals remain live—do not touch them.

    Panel removed from wall to access circuit breaker

    The Spruce

  4. Test for Power

    Use a non-contact voltage tester to confirm the power is off. Identify the breaker you are removing, and touch the tester probe to the wire connected to the breaker. It should not detect voltage.

    Warning

    If the tester detects voltage—and you're sure you turned off the main breaker—carefully replace the panel cover and call an electrician. The panel has serious safety issues.

    Non-contact voltage tester testing circuit breaker to make sure power is off

    The Spruce

  5. Turn Off the Branch Breaker

    Switch the breaker you will remove to the OFF position. This is a redundant step since the breaker is getting no power from the panel. But it's a good idea to make a habit of always turning off circuit breakers so that it becomes a rote procedure.

    Branch breaker switched off

    The Spruce

  6. Rock the Breaker Back

    Unsnap the circuit breaker from the bus bar ​by gently rocking it away from the center of the panel. It should come out easily by hand. Do not use tools.

    Circuit breaker cap rocked out

    The Spruce

  7. Pull the Breaker Out

    Pull the breaker straight out to release it from the bus bar. The breaker body has a tab on its outside corner that fits into a slot on the bus bar. You may have to wiggle the breaker a bit or give it a gentle tug to free the tab.

    Circuit breaker released from the bus bar and held in hand

    The Spruce

  8. Unscrew the Breaker Wire

    Loosen the terminal screw on the back of the circuit breaker, and pull the wire from the breaker. This is the hot wire from the circuit cable. The cable will also have a neutral wire connected to the neutral bus bar and a ground wire connected to the ground bar (some panels have a combined neutral/ground bar). You do not need to disconnect the other wires unless you are removing the cable from the box.

    Breaker wire unscrewed from circuit breaker

    The Spruce

  9. Install a New Breaker or Cap the Wire

    If you are replacing the old breaker with a new one, install the new breaker now. Otherwise, you must cap and secure the hot wire inside the panel so there is no risk of it touching any other breaker wires or terminals. Completely install the new breaker or secure the hot wire before reinstalling the panel cover and turning on the main breaker. Do not leave the panel uncovered if you are not working on it.

    Circuit breaker capped and hot wire secured back in with screwdriver

    The Spruce

FAQ
  • Can I replace a breaker myself?

    With intermediate electrical skills and just a few tools and supplies, it is possible to remove a breaker yourself. But if you have any doubts about your abilities to do the job safely, it’s best to call in a pro.

  • Can you remove a breaker without turning off the main?

    If you’re not a professional electrician, it’s best to shut off the main power supply to prevent any accidents when you’re removing a breaker. 

  • How do I know if a breaker is bad?

    Some signs that a breaker is bad include a burning smell, a hot surface, and frequent tripping. Plus, a breaker that’s at the end of its lifespan of roughly 30 to 40 years might also not be functioning quite right.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Healthy Housing Manual: Chapter 11 Electricity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  2. Healthy Housing Manual: Chapter 11 Electricity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  3. Arc Flash: How to Protect Against Them. OSHA Outreach Courses.