Identifying breakers

If you can, I suggest you pull one breaker and bring it in to a real electrical supply house, they are your best bet to get a workable replacement. Do not go to a big box store, they are probably not going to know what you need.

You are right. The big box stores don't have them and the one real electrical supply place was no help either. I live in riverside ca. Do you know of any local shops. The two breakers that need replaced run most of my house so I can't leave them out for long

aka melissa said:

You are right. The big box stores don't have them and the one real electrical supply place was no help either. I live in riverside ca. Do you know of any local shops. The two breakers that need replaced run most of my house so I can't leave them out for long

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There are lots of places that sell old/obsolete breakers. Take pictures of on of your breakers. Top, side and bottom. If there is still a name plate on the panel take a pic of that too. Go online and search obsolete Sylvania breakers. Email them your pics.

are you sure problem comes form breakers, often the buss under the breaker is also bad/burned

Cutler Hammer BR series

Looks like zinsco to me. Home depot keeps them behind a cage in my region. SF CA

The label on the panel will tell you what breakers you need.

Zinsco Sylvania

Well, different people have given me different names for it. Is it because the names interchangeable? Honestly I am in sticker shock at how expensive the damn things are. I'm going to have to replace it soon. I don't want to be sitting in the dark, kicking myself for not taking care of it sooner

aka melissa said:

Well, different people have given me different names for it. Is it because the names interchangeable? Honestly I am in sticker shock at how expensive the damn things are. I'm going to have to replace it soon. I don't want to be sitting in the dark, kicking myself for not taking care of it sooner

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What makes you think you need to replace individual breakers?

Lights have been flickering for months and the breaker is spongy. Then the power went out for most of the house. The electric company came out and the guy was able to get the power back on but warned me that it wouldn't hold up much longer. That was a month ago. The lights are flickering again so I think I'm running out of time

I haven't changed one before but it looks simple enough. The electric company told me to call and ask them to shut off my power completely when I'm ready to change it. Electricity - scary stuff

What makes you think its the breaker?

I haven't changed one before but it looks simple enough.

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I wouldn't suggest trying to learn on the main breaker of a zinsco box.

I would suggest you get an electrician to confirm the breaker is going bad, and to see what else may be wrong with your breaker box. From the photo, it appears the dead front is missing or had been removed.

There is no sense putting a new breaker in it if other problems will mandate replacement of the panel.

If there are no other problems, the electrician can install the new breaker for you.

And FWIW Zinsco panels are known to have frequent buss bar failures.

I hear what you're saying and appreciate all suggestions. I wasted all of your time. It was a dumb idea think in I could work on ELECTRICITY.

Google Breaker Broker for hard to find breakers