How to Determine If the Top Terminal of a Circuit Breaker Is Odd or Even

Circuit breakers are essential as they cut electrical power in milliseconds, if a fault occurs. They not only save your electrical equipment from getting damaged, but more importantly, prevent you getting an electric shock. Typical circuit breakers in an electrical panel are either in vertical columns or horizontal rows. Most circuit breakers have either an "odd" or "even" number labeled next to them, helping you identify the circuit it controls. If your breakers don’t have numbers, you can easily determine which are odd and which are even.

Instructions

- 1
  Open the circuit breaker panel door to access the breakers. Determine if the circuit breakers are lined up vertically or horizontally.
- 2
  Look at the top row if the circuit breakers are horizontal. The first circuit breaker on the top-left row is "odd" and is numbered “1.” Moving left to right, the remaining breakers follow the sequential odd-numbered pattern, depending on the number of breakers. Alternatively, look at the left column if the circuit breakers are vertical. The top-left breaker is "odd" and starts at “1.” The breakers down that row are odd numbers.
- 3
  Find the even numbers on a horizontal circuit breaker. Look at the second row. The first breaker on the left is “2.” Moving from left to right, all of the numbers are "even." Alternatively, go to the top-right breaker to find the even-numbered row in a vertical box. That top breaker on the right-side column is “2.” All right-side breakers in descending order are "even."

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