• Electrical outlet or switch on a circuit that is protected by breakers.electrical box image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
  
  Circuit breakers protect your electrical circuits in your home from shorts, stray voltage and electrical overload that can happen from time to time. When this happens, the circuit breaker trips and stops the flow of electricity to that particular circuit, sometimes damaging the breaker to the point of replacement. Replacing a circuit breaker should be performed carefully as there are some basic rules to follow when performing this function.
  
  

Type of Breaker

• If you are not sure of what kind of wiring you have in your home, it is best to purchase a Al-CU breakers. This rating allows aluminum or copper wiring to be attached to the breakers for a proper electrical connection. The reason for the distinction is that aluminum wiring gets significantly hotter, which copper only breakers are not sensitive enough to to trip and therefore can be a fire hazard.
  
  

Size of Breaker

• Generally, when replacing a breaker, there should be no reason to change the size of the breaker. Purchase a breaker for the particular electrical panel that you own and reinstall the breaker in the slot.
  
  

Installing the Breaker

• Insert the wire of the circuit into the breaker termination slot and tighten the screw down firmly. When installing the new breaker, the outside of the breaker will be inserted first in to the slot. Then push the back of the breaker in securing it to the bus bar which will supply the breaker with electricity. During this process the breaker should be off. Switch it to on to supply the circuit with power.