On Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:41:38 -0600, dpb wrote:

Mark_Galeck wrote:
Hello, I was wiring something and I messed up, as soon as I turned
the heater circuit breaker (to the thing I was wiring) on, there was a
loud bang, smoke and the breaker jumped back to OFF position, that
means, it worked properly, although the part I was wiring, got
damaged. I then disconnected the damaged part.
However, now the circuit breaker appears to "short", that is, even in
the OFF position, some other wires that it controls, are hot!

Can a tripped circuit breaker, get shorted that way in the process, so
that it cannot be turned OFF, and so I should replace the circuit
breaker? Or is something else wrong?

Shouldn't, but as the saying goes "stuff happens".

I'm guessing this maybe was a 240V breaker? The some in "some other
wires" implies one side is shorted, the other not, perhaps, or is that
not a precise description of symptoms.

Replacing certainly sounds in order, check for any signs of collateral
damage from the short at the mounting and neutral bars, etc.

I guess I'll add the obligatory caution -- this wouldn't happen to be an
old FPE (Federal Pacific) breaker/box by any chance?

One way to test the breaker before going out and buying a new one
would be swap wires with another circuit temporally.

I would test a known good circuit to see if the breaker works instead
of testing the bad circuit on a good breaker.


You could have melted some wire insulation when you shorted them
together. (the bang, smoke part)

I would completely unwire what you did and see if the problem clears.