My uncle told me to always check the panel schedule before shutting off a circuit

I was working on a kitchen remodel in Phoenix last month and needed to kill power to an outlet. The homeowner said it was circuit 14, but my uncle's advice made me double check. Turns out the panel schedule was wrong and circuit 14 actually fed the basement freezer. If I had just flipped it, we would have lost hundreds in food. Now I physically trace the wire or use a tester every single time. How many of you actually trust the labels on an old panel?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverp3713d ago

Trusting old labels is basically asking for trouble, right? Saw a panel once where someone just wrote "lights" for half the breakers. Grab a tester and plug it into the outlet you're working on, then go flip breakers until it goes off. It takes two minutes and saves you from a real headache. Why risk ruining someone's fridge or shutting off their internet? That physical check is the only thing that's ever 100 percent correct.

matthew_owens913d ago

Lights" for half the breakers is such a mood.