How to Connect a Ground Fault Breaker in the Panel
- 1
You may need a flashlight after the main power is turned off.yellow flashlight image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
Locate the breaker panel and open the door. Turn the main breaker, which is the largest switch at the top of the panel, to the "Off" position. Turn on a flashlight to assist you, if necessary. - 2). Remove the breaker panel cover by detaching the retaining screws around the outside with a flat-head screwdriver.
- 3
A circuit tester should register zero amps below the main breaker switch.The Readout image by Cinneman from Fotolia.com
Test the breakers below the main switch with a circuit tester to ensure they are off. The wires above the main switch will still be live; do not touch these wires. - 4). Remove the breaker from the panel you wish to change. Pull the side of the breaker nearest the outside of the breaker box up, and slide the front out of its retaining tabs. Remove the black wire from the breaker by turning the compression screw counterclockwise with a flat-head screwdriver.
- 5). Turn the switch on the new GFCI breaker to the "Off" position. Attach the black wire to the terminal marked "LINE" power on the GFCI breaker. Push the wire under the compression screw and turn it clockwise with a flat-head screwdriver.
- 6). Follow the black wire back to its point of entry into the breaker box. Locate the white wire that goes along with it and follow it to its termination point on the neutral bar. Loosen the screw on the neutral bar and remove the wire. Attach the white wire to the terminal marked "LOAD" neutral on the GFCI breaker, as above.
- 7). Unroll the coiled white wire, or pigtail, attached to the GFCI breaker. Insert the bare end into an open slot in the neutral bar. Turn the screw clockwise with a flat-head screwdriver to secure it to the bar.
- 8). Replace the cover on the panel and secure the retaining screws. Turn the main breaker to the "On" position. Turn the GFCI breaker on.
- 9). Test your installation with a GFCI test device. The breaker should trip when the GFCI is shorted.
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