PSA: Make sure ALL the breakers are off!

[nsula_country]

Done that 2 or 3 times in my career.

I have several wire strippers and linesman pliers that have been arc gapped. Never fails, when using them to cut wire, the wire always falls into the gap!

Sberry, your website in your signature doesn't seem to work. Takes me to Edmunds cars.

CT

 

[memphisnate]

It's actually a good idea for finding breakers. I use my Fluke pen when I've got line of sight or a helper that can tell me when the light goes out. Radio works well if you don't have a helper.

That's just for finding the breaker though. Best to confirm everything is dead with a DMM or trustworthy voltage detector pen.

What potential issues arise if I turn appropriate breakers off?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[MattT]

What potential issues arise if I turn appropriate breakers off?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

There's no guarantee the circuit feeding the receptacle is the only live feed to the box.

 

[memphisnate]

There's no guarantee the circuit feeding the receptacle is the only live feed to the box.

Makes sense!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[6768rogues]

I always test it before I touch it. My son owns a lot of properties, and one had a well pump that needed service. I found a breaker that shut it off, so I turned it off. It still had power though. I found another breaker that also powered it. It was 240V and they used two 120 volt breakers with 10/2 wire with the breakers not side by side/linked together so I had to find the second one.
In another of his houses, I turned off and then on every breaker one at a time and could not power down a circuit. It turned out that the circuit was fed from both ends, someone had added a few plugs on another breaker and ran a wire to an existing plug, so the circuit was fed from two breakers. I eliminated one breaker, pulled the wire out of the box and since it was live from the other breaker, I used it to put a light over the panel.