On Sat, 04 Feb 2017 14:20:34 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

Dave Platt wrote:

In article ,
Jon Elson wrote:


Is this a plug-in breaker, or one that's wired in?
It is a GE "snap in" breaker in a GE breaker panel (load center).
The breakers have fingers that grip a bus bar in the panel, and a screw
terminal that holds the wire.

In either case, it seems possible that its connection to the wiring
has deteriorated (oxidized, worked loose, etc.) and it might be
heating up at that point. If your home has any aluminum wiring, I'd
be _very_ concerned about this possibility.

No, NO aluminum wiring! I checked before buying!

I'd recommend a full re-check, with the mains power entirely
disconnected.
The fact that after resetting, the breakers are now running cool tells me
the contacts have been cleaned by cycling them, and should be OK for the
next 10 years or so.

Jon

I think I'd buy a spare breaker. They always fail in the middle of the
night on a weekend. They only cost $5 to $10.

I'd unplug them one at a time, and clean the contacts where they plug
into the bussbar on all of them. Also make sure you dont have some
device such as a refrigerator, sump pump etc, that may be cycling and/or
jammed. Probably would not hurt to remove and inspect every outlet on
that circuit to make sure there are no burnt wires or loose connections.