How to Add Circuit Breakers to Electrical Panels

Adding additional lighting, receptacles or small appliances could require adding an additional circuit to your breaker panel. Adding circuit breakers to your electric panel is the least complicated step in adding additional circuits to your home. Make a note of the brand name and model number of your panel when purchasing a new breaker as they are not universal or interchangeable. You can find this information on the door of your breaker panel.

• 1

  Assess your breaker panel box to confirm you have room to add an additional breaker. Blank slots in the face of your panel cover indicate open slots inside the panel for more circuits.

• 2

  Turn the main breaker off to the electrical panel box. The main breaker is located at the top of the panel, normally a 100-amp breaker or larger.

• 3

  Remove the screws holding the cover on the electrical panel box. This exposes the interior of the panel and the wiring.

• 4

  Rotate the dial on an electrical multimeter to "250 AC." This setting measures alternating current. Touch one probe to the terminal screws located at the backs of the breakers while holding the other probe against the metal of the panel box. The needle of the multimeter remains at zero if you have the power disconnected correctly.

• 5

  Run the neutral, or white, wire from the new electrical cable that has been run inside the panel to an open terminal on the neutral bar. Push the white wire into the terminal and tighten the set screw to secure the wire. The neutral bar is a thin, silver colored bar where all white wires attach to the terminals.

• 6

  Run the bare copper ground wire from the electrical cable to ab open terminal on the grounding bar. Push the ground wire into the terminal and tighten the screw. The ground bar is similar to the neutral bar but all bare copper wires and green wires run to it.

• 7

  Slide the rear of the breaker under the tabs located at the rear of all the breakers and the box. Snap the front of the breaker over the bus bar located at the center of the panel. Push the breaker until it sets flush with the remainder of the breakers in the panel box.

• 8

  Slide the black, or hot, wire under the screw located at the back of the breaker and tighten the screw. When installing a double-pole breaker, slide the red wire, or additional hot wire, from your electrical cable under the second screw at the back of the breaker.

• 9

  Make room on the panel cover for your new breaker. Place a screwdriver against the blank you wish to remove and strike the screwdriver with a hammer. Use pliers to twist the blank from the cover.

• 10

  Replace the cover onto the breaker panel and turn the main breaker on.