Vent: A master electrician told me to stop trusting breaker labels

I was working a rewire in an old house near Pittsburgh last month. An older guy I respect said to always verify every breaker with a meter, even if the panel is labeled clear. I figured he was being overly cautious, but I checked it anyway. Good thing I did, because the "furnace" breaker was actually feeding the living room outlets and the real furnace was on an unlabeled 60 amp. Has anyone else found mislabeled panels that caused a close call?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek_ramirez20d ago

Oh man, preach. That old timer saved you a world of hurt. I had a similar thing happen a few years back in a 60s split level. Label said "spare" on a 15 amp breaker, I was gonna use it for a new light circuit. Popped it off to check with my tick tracer and it killed half the kitchen and the garage door opener. Ended up being tied into a junction box hidden behind drywall in a finished basement closet. Absolutely zero documentation anywhere. Now I pretty much test every single outlet and switch before I touch anything in an old house. It's annoying but it beats getting lit up.

benk2620d ago

You ever find a panel where the label was basically just a suggestion? That's rough man. I started carrying a cheap plug tester and a non-contact voltage pen on every job after I found a "bathroom" breaker that actually killed the front porch light and half the basement. Now I just flip stuff off and walk around with a radio plugged in, makes it real quick to see what's still on. Also started labeling everything myself with a label maker after I trace it out, it saves me the headache next time I'm in there.