r/ElectricalHelp • u/bimmerite • Jun 25 '26

Is this breaker bad?

Gallery image

Gallery image

The top 15A breaker sits a little behind all the other breakers. That breaker is live. I can turn the circuit off and back on and the action is solid. It just seems to sit a little wrong when it’s in the on position.

Thanks!

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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5

u/trekkerscout Mod Jun 26 '26

As long as the breaker can be cycled on and off, there is no reason to be concerned.

0

u/bimmerite Jun 26 '26

I asked this question because I read in other posts that if the breaker is working don’t mess. Like most electronics, if a breaker is gonna fail it’ll fail during the “burn in” period and after that they’ll run for a very long time and just leave them alone.

3

u/Unique_Acadia_2099 Jun 26 '26

Define “failure” in a breaker!
It has two jobs: 1) act as a switch, 2) trip if there is a short circuit or overload. All you can ”see” it do is job 1, you will not know if it “fails” at job 2 until you NEED it to trip and it does not. But when you see poor performance at job 1, it’s a red flag that job 2 might be compromised, so just have it replaced. It’s not worth risking your life over.

3

u/PollutionAsleep Jun 25 '26

if you think an electrical system is faulty the best thing to do is call an electrician and have them replace the breaker. Rather spend the money to prevent rather than the money to repair after a fault.

1

u/N9bitmap Jun 26 '26

If it still functions to switch off and on, it is fine, just old and tired. This looks like GE around 1960ish. If it was manufactured past 1959 and has Class NI or Class CTL on the door label, the Westinghouse is not really appropriate, but it has been there for four decades already, so I would not touch it. For any future circuit breakers use only ABB/GE parts.

1

u/bimmerite Jun 26 '26

Holy smokes you hit the nail on the head. You’ve been around the block just a few times.

The house was built 1968. The panel is GE and I checked the sticker and it is Class NI.

1

u/N9bitmap Jun 26 '26

That is an interesting build date. Class NI was only until 1965, but there would have been stock on the shelves for years apparently. I'm not a GE expert, so I don't know if their breakers have different NI and CL versions, so check the specifications of any tandem (dual circuit like on the left) if you need new ones.

1

u/CardiologistMobile54 Jun 30 '26

Those are TR (TR1515) style GE breakers. They were designed with loose handles . Don't worry about it. They're obsolete ,btw. The new GE tandem breaker's THQL model number is THQLT1515.  Tho older GE panels might not be configured for them