Though some residential electrical wiring troubleshooting can be done without the potential of shock to the do-it-yourselfer, some cannot. In either case, try to understand your electrical system enough to avoid shocks.

Even when you think you have turned off the right things, treat them, if possible, as if they might still be live. In addition, keep any testers or tools with metal parts from making unintended contact with potentially live or with grounded parts, because burns and explosions are possible.

Also, in reconnecting or in repairing things in your system, the more you attend to proper procedures, the less you risk future disruptions or fire hazards.

Specifically, a circuit breaker provides protection for each of your electrical circuits by stopping the flow of current if an overload or fault occurs.

When an electrical fault occurs or the load on your circuit becomes too great, the breaker on that circuit trips and interrupts the flow of current to that circuit.

Instructions to reset a circuit breaker

A write up in http://www.acmehowto.com noted that before electricity can be restored, the circuit breaker must be reset. However, even before you do that, you must take steps to ensure that it is safe to do so. Turn off or unplug all of the devices that are plugged into the circuit. Make certain no dangerous condition exists before restoring power.

A circuit breaker which has been tripped will either be in the middle or “OFF” position. Locate the tripped circuit breaker and reset it by pushing it all the way to the “OFF” position and then back to the “ON” position.

Often when you can’t cannot reset the circuit breaker, it is because it must be turned all the way to the “Off” position first.

Electricity should now be restored to the circuit. If the circuit breaker trips again before you have turned anything on or plugged anything in, the breaker itself may need to be replaced or a serious wiring fault may exist. Immediately consult a qualified electrician.

If the circuit breaker trips after plugging in or turning on a device, that device may have a short or may be placing too much of a load on the circuit.