Partial power loss to your home, affecting a few outlets, the lights in a certain room, or major appliances, indicates a secondary breaker has been switched. However, if the power is out to your entire home, but your neighbors still have power, your main breaker may be tripped. The following steps will assist you in breaker related outages.
Breaker Safety
For your safety, please use the following guidelines while operating the breakers.
- Do not use tools to operate the breaker. The device is designed to be operated safely by hand.
- Avoid contact with standing water when operating breakers.
- Avoid all contact with the meter and its housing.
- Turn off or unplug any appliances or devices that may be affected when the breaker is reset.
Locating Your Breaker
The breaker panel is often placed in a utility/laundry room or garage. The secondary breakers are located inside this box in two columns. The main breaker will either be found inside the breaker panel above the columns of secondary breakers, or outside next to your meter base.
For mobile homes, the main breaker is usually located outside on the pole next to your meter.
Resetting a Single Breaker
For a power outage to an isolated section of your home, open the breaker panel and check to make sure all breaker switches are pointing all the way to the inside edge dividing the two columns of breakers.
A tripped breaker will be shifted outward, but not necessarily all the way off, so it is important to check each breaker position carefully.
To Restore Power
- Turn the switched breaker all the way into the off position along the outer edge of the panel.
- Switch the breaker all the way back into the on position, toward the middle of the panel.
- You may repeat these steps twice.
Resetting the Main Breaker
In the event of a loss of power to your entire house, please check your main breaker before contacting NGEMC to avoid delays in the restoration of your power.
To Restore Power
- Locate the breaker panel inside your home and turn off all secondary breakers one by one.
- Once these breakers are off, locate the main breaker either at the top of the panel or outside next to the meter base.
- Turn the main breaker all the way off and all the way on twice.
- Leave the main breaker in the on position and return to the breaker panel.
- Switch on secondary breakers one at a time.