# One circuit, two breakers?



## ponch37300 (Nov 27, 2007)

The panel has two legs of 120 volts in it. When you have a double pole breaker it draws power from both legs which get you 240 volts. The circuit is feed from two breakers that are on the same leg. Since they are on the same leg it will only be 120 vlots. You will need to start taking the outlets and switches apart and try to find where the circuit is feed from, both feeds.


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## billinak (Mar 16, 2005)

I guees I don't completely understand the reply. I've installed double-pole breakers to bring 240v to a dryer before, and the breaker simply snaps into two places on one leg inside the panel, not both legs at one time, and each hot wire on the double pole breaker brings 120v to the outlet to equal 240v. This issue is with two separate, single pole breakers in two separate spots on the same leg inside the panel, that must both be switched off to de-energize the circuit. My experience has been that each circuit is controlled by one breaker (single or double) but that's not the case here.


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## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

This 120V circuit is INCORRECTLY wired if it is controlled by two breakers. What Ponch was saying is you will have to trace each wire as it leaves the panel to determine where the crossover was made.


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

Sound like someone miswired a junction box and fed the circuit from two power sources. Or, it was a multiwre circuit that was wired wrong when a receptacle was replaced. You may have to check each receptacle and light switch to make sure there is only one line wire coming in.


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## goose134 (Nov 4, 2007)

The two breakers are on the same phase and thus only deliver 120 volts. In theory, you could hook up 100 breakers on the same phase to the same outlet and it will only be 120 volts. Find out if she had any work done recently and start there. If was a recent "rehab" it'll take a bit of detective work. There will probably be some 'area of overlap' in the circuiting. That is to say, it picked up the extra feed from a nearby room or perhaps something above or below it. Good Luck!


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## Stubbie (Jan 7, 2007)

> I've installed double-pole breakers to bring 240v to a dryer before, and the breaker simply snaps into two places on one leg inside the panel, not both legs at one time, and each hot wire on the double pole breaker brings 120v to the outlet to equal 240v.


Not true a double pole breaker connects to both legs not one leg otherwise you would not have 240 volts between legs. If it connected to the same leg each wire would have the same voltage wave and would only get 120 volts to the dryer. You must have both legs to equal 240 volts. When you move vertically down a column on a modern panel every other space is the opposite leg. So a double pole breaker connects to both legs. 




> This issue is with two separate, single pole breakers in two separate spots on the same leg inside the panel, that must both be switched off to de-energize the circuit. My experience has been that each circuit is controlled by one breaker (single or double) but that's not the case here.


Have you had the cover off the panel and looked at the wiring connected to these breakers?


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## Yippee (Dec 14, 2007)

Good news - turns out that this was due to both circuits wired to a double switch. Problem solved by wiring each to a single and separate switch. Yippee!


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## billinak (Mar 16, 2005)

Thanks to stubbie for the info on double-pole breakers, I did not know that, now I do. I also see that my friend Yippee seems has solved her problem last night, so that's good. Thanks for all the replies.


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## Andy in ATL (Aug 28, 2007)

Bill, how did you know Yippee was a girl? Do you have special powers?:huh: 


Andy


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## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

Andy in ATL said:


> Bill, how did you know Yippee was a girl? Do you have special powers?:huh:
> 
> 
> Andy


See post #1.:yes:


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## Andy in ATL (Aug 28, 2007)

I'm frequently easily confused. HH, I bet Honk misses ya. Why don't you go on over to the hot tub thread and say hey?


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## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

Andy in ATL said:


> I'm frequently easily confused. HH, I bet Honk misses ya. Why don't you go on over to the hot tub thread and say hey?


I lost track of that thread at about post 100. No need to get in the way of romance.:thumbsup:


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## Andy in ATL (Aug 28, 2007)

Aww shucks, HH. It's like a soap...Just jump in about five posts back and you'll be all caught up.


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## NERC OPERATOR (Jul 11, 2012)

This is an older post but it is exactly the same problem that I'm having with my "*OPEN CIRCUIT"*. Thanks to all who replied to Yippee because its given me a fresh outlook and maybe I can go at this from a different angle and fix mine as well. I knew I hadn't seen this type of configuration before and I agree with HH, this is not the norm nor is it the correct way to wire outlets. My outlets are not switch controlled so I either have a junction box with loose connections or an outlet that the wire has worked loose from back that feeds the now dead receptacles.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Problem: A circuit or subcircuit where you need to flip off two breakers to turn of one particular light or one particular half of a duplex receptacle; either one of the breakers turned on keeps it alive.

Short term solution: You should immediately unhook the circuit wire from one of the two breakers in question, label it, and tape it over, and then you can find out where the wires are crossed at your leisure.

After unhooking the wire, you may notice that certain built in and/or plugged in lights controlled by those breakers flicker. Stop using them as you find them (except for a few seconds of testing if you find another) and label the respective light or receptacle half. You may find enough of them to more or less trace the circuit to the place where a loose cross connection is.


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