The 60 amp circuit breaker that leads to my heater is broken. How can I replace it myself without getting electrocuted? Is it hard to do or can you just shut off the main breaker and unscrew the thing?
Since you stated that it was the switch that's broken, I will assume that you have eliminated the possibility that there is a short in the wiring somewhere, and the amp rating of the breaker is not being exceeded. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you should hire an electrician, or at least get help from a friend who knows what they are doing. If it's just a faulty breaker, and not a wiring problem, then it's a pretty straight forward task. Purchase the same brand and type of breaker. (identical) When you go to replace it, you must turn off your main breaker in the panel! Don't touch anything inside the panel until the main breaker is off. Also make sure that you NEVER touch the wires coming in to the main breaker as they will still be hot. Take note of the wire connected to the old breaker(it should be black and held in contact with a screw) and connect it to the new one in the same way. I would STRONGLY recommend purchasing a book on wiring that includes instructions for working on your electrical panel. You can probably find one at the home center where you purchase the new breaker. After reading about it in the book, if you are not absolutely confident that you can do the work safely yourself, then DON'T.
Your main panel is nothing to fool with if you haven't before. There is always power to the box unless it is turned off at the entrance. I would call an electrician or at least someone that has done it before.
This isnt rocket science here. First turn off the main breaker, unscre the 60 amp breaker, should be two wire to it, take it down to your hardware stor and get another one usuall $20 or less and replace it. Once you have all the wies back on, then turn the main back on and then the new breaker and you should be all set. Just make sure you dont touch any copper or metal bars in the panel to reduce shock chances
