January 9, 2009, Newsletter Issue #23: How Do I Reset My GE Circuit Breaker?

Tip of the Week

When a GE circuit breaker "trips", it interrupts the flow of electricity to prevent an electrical hazard. There are two types of circuit breakers in your breaker box--the mains, which regulate the electricity to the entire building, and the individual circuit breakers for specific areas of the home such as the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. If your GE circuit breakers trip for a specific area of the home, power will remain on for the rest of the house. If your mains trip, all power is cut off until you can reset your GE circuit breaker.

Resetting the circuit breaker for the "single area" trip is simple; go to the breaker box and look for the circuit breakers labeled for the part of the building without power. You will see the switch for this breaker or set of breakers is in the "off" position, or positioned in the exact opposite of all the other circuit breaker switches. Turn the GE circuit breaker back to the "on" position and you should have power restored. The procedure for resetting the mains is the same, but you will need a flashlight. Do not attempt to reset the mains in the dark without seeing the electrical panel--always use a light so you can see exactly where your hand is going in and around the breaker box.

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