Circuit breaker won't switch back on

December 7, 2015 7:18 AM

I awoke this morning to the power being off and I suspect the construction next door is the reason. Now I've turned the electricity off and can't switch the main switch back to "ON."

(My Spanish is not good enough to ask and no one there speaks English and no one answers the phone at the construction company.) I figured I'd try turning it off and turning it back on again, but after I got the main breaker switch shut off, I can't seem to get it back on again. I've done this before and didn't have an issue, but the main switch now seems extra stuck. Is that a thing that happens? Is there anything I can do short of calling an electrician?

posted by *s to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Can you describe what happens when you try to reset the breaker? Is it impossible to move it at all? Does it move, but immediately snap back into the tripped position?
posted by jon1270 at 7:24 AM on December 7, 2015

...or, perhaps, is it that you've got no power despite the breaker being set to its normal position?

Also, is "next door" a separate structure like a freestanding house, or is it an adjoining apartment?
posted by jon1270 at 7:27 AM on December 7, 2015

I figured I'd try turning it off and turning it back on again, but after I got the main breaker switch shut off, I can't seem to get it back on again. I've done this before and didn't have an issue, but the main switch now seems extra stuck.

If I understand you correctly, the main breaker switch was on, yet there was no power in the house, and this is something you've fixed before by resetting the breaker? You should get an electrician.

Here's a previous AskMe with a breaker that won't reset that might be helpful.
posted by zamboni at 7:28 AM on December 7, 2015

Have you called the electric company? That's often a good place to start.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:29 AM on December 7, 2015