A Foolproof Way to Reset a Circuit Breaker

SAN RAFAEL — A common electrical issue is when the power goes out in a certain area of the home. More often than not, this is due to a tripped circuit breaker, which is something you can easily fix yourself by going out to your breaker box and resetting the breaker in question.

This may sound simple, but in some instances, it can get more complicated than you might expect. Consider the following scenario: You reset the circuit breaker and the power doesn’t come back on, but when an electrician comes out and resets it, the power “magically” returns, leaving you scratching your head. In most cases, the problem is the circuit breakers weren’t labeled properly, which caused you to mistakenly reset the wrong one. It’s an easy mistake to make, but it’s also an expensive one because it results in an unnecessary service fee.

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to avoid this error: reset all of your circuit breakers. After turning them all off, wait until you hear a mechanical click and then turn them back on. By resetting all of your breakers, you rule out the possibility of mistakenly resetting the wrong one. If you still don’t have power after attempting this step, it’s time to call an electrician.