COMMUNITY FORUM

you want to disconnect the wire from that breaker just to verify that you have a short.

throw the main,disconnect the wire,turn the main back on,then see if the breaker will reset.

also(i'm sure you know this)you have to move it back to off before it will reset. i'm sure you know that.

post back.

Unfortunately, when I removed the front panel from my electrical panel there is no Main Breaker. There are 2 sets of double handles switches joined together as you would see normally for the main, but they are located mid-way down the panel, have Thick Blue wires for one set and Thick Red for the other set. When turned off the power to the house remains on. I'm thinking the main is elsewhere, but yet to locate it. (Which I need to do now that it's my house)

I've inspected the wires back at my wall box to ensure no wearing causes wires to touch and short. Do you think have multiple nuts (blue cut wire) is causing too much in the box (more than it's capable of handling)?

I guess I'm needing to call in a professional? I was hoping to avoid the expense, but I'm at wits end over this seemingly simple project.

whatever it is it isn't in that box you were working on.

see if you can find the main shutoff.

another thing before calling electrician would be opening everything that that breaker controls and looking for shorts.

We are experiencing severe thunder storms right now, so I will continue my search for the mains in a little while. I wanted to thank you for what you've helped with. This forum is amazingly helpful and will keep it in mind for future household "frustrations" :-)

I owe you a beer anyway.

Laurie

What is going on in the bottom right of the switch box......

Enlarged and pixilated it looks like the white wire is stripped and attached to the metal box with the green wire and green screw ?

Does the circuit breaker that keeps "tripping" have Test/reset buttons.....

"......measure Once.....cut Twice....

throw that one away and cut a new one...."

The 4 white wires (one into the box and 3 out) are all clean and joined in a proper wire nut. The new green pigtail ground wires were simply attached to the box, with the other end to the new switch - as the string of comments above states.

i am inclined to believe that this is an issue with the breaker just not reseting and not an actual tripping situation.

one way to verify this would be to disconnect the outgoing wire from the breaker.

if it still won't go back with the wire off then that's what it is.

they felt ok with going in the breaker box but i didn't want them to try it without cutting off the main.

just wondering.

Sorry, I wanted to respond as a final follow-up, so thanks for the message. No, they're not working, but the bathroom (where the switches control) is going to be remodeled within the next month I'll wait to have the contractor find the short.

Thanks for all your help.