While I see your point -- I would consider it irresponsible to suggest to a
NEWBIE that it would normal for them to replace a bkr in a panel without
throwing the mains off.

I've worked bare-handed on 345kv lines but I sure as h wouldn't recommend it
to the in-experienced.

BTW, I tend to believe in Murphy's law and when I've done work on panels I
shut the main off.


"Toller" wrote in message
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"SMF" wrote in message
news Hi,

I bought a book plus spent a number of hours on the computer to
research and I hope someone can help me with just a few very
basic
questions I still have:

1. I have a 100 amp service. If I turn off the main circuit
breaker
can I change for instance a 20 amp breaker without worry of
shock if
I
don't touch anything else other than the breaker and the wire
that
needs to be unscrewed? (I have a few that don't match my GE
panel
and
I heard that they should)

Most people don't even bother to do that, but yes; the box should
be
dead
if
the main breaker is open. Never touch a potentially live wire
without
testing it first!

You're suggesting that most people replace breakers without turning
off
the main breaker? Not only is that irresponsible to suggest to
the
OP, who clearly identified himself as a novice, but on what basis
do
you even make the claim that most people do it?

English must be a second language for one of us; I don't see where I
recommended that.
I have no hard statistics, but I haven't spoken to anyone who turns
off
the
main breaker so I expect it is the common practice.

Well, now you have. IMO, anyone who fiddles around with circuit
breakers without turning off the main breaker is an idiot. I always
turn it off. And I seriously doubt that most people don't turn off
the main breaker.

That's like opening the breaker before unplugging your iron. But if you
need to do it, there is certainly no harm, other than having to reset
every
electronic device in the house.

It only gets worse. First, you claimed to a newbie concerned about
safety that most people would not turn off the main breaker when
replacing a breaker. I believe that is bogus, as most people, myself
included would. And now you suggesting that replacing breakers
without turning off the power is comparable to unplugging an iron?

Geez, have you ever changed a breaker?
You switch it off, confirm there is no power to the wire, pull it out,
disconnect the wire, connect the wire to the new breaker, make sure the
new breaker is open, shove the new breaker in.
It is a hair more complicated than unplugging an iron, but neither more
dangerous nor more difficult. Even if you forget to switch it off, it
still should be perfectly safe since you don't touch the wire until the
breaker is out of the box; even then it is with a presumably insulated
screwdriver.

You should not come within 3" of a live wire, so where do you have a
problem?
And even if by some bizarre accident, worst came to worst, unless you are
working barefoot standing in salt water...
Do you wear rubber gloves when you do it, just to be sure? Stand on glass
jars? Have one hand behind your back? Maybe pull the meter? Geez.