How To Connect Equipment to a Breaker Box

Determine the type and size of breaker you need to protect the wires. This information can be determined by the owner's manual for the device. Or consult the electrical store where you purchased your breaker.

Turn the power off to the entire electrical panel by opening the main breaker. Confirm that the power is off by touching a non-contact voltage detector to the wire's insulation. Double-check that the power is off by making sure no device in the home has power.

Remove the screws that secure the panel's cover and set the cover aside.

Locate a empty location in the panel to install your breaker. Open the breaker's switch so that it is in the "off" position.

Insert the breaker into the center of the panel by tilting it slightly. Then press down on the outside of the breaker until it snaps into place.

Insert the device's wires though an empty slot in the side of the panel. Pull enough wire into the panel to make the connections. Tighten the compression mechanism down to hold the wire in place.

Loosen an empty terminal on the neutral bus bar (white wires). Insert the white wire into this terminal and tighten it down.

Loosen an empty terminal on the ground bus bar (green or bare wires). Insert the green or bare wire into this terminal and tighten it down.

Insert the black wire into the breaker's terminal and tighten it down. If you are wiring a 220-volt circuit, you need to insert the red wire into another terminal on the breaker and tighten it down. The black and red wire should never be in the same terminal.