Double tapped breakers
One of the most common defects I find are double tapped breakers. What are they? Why are they dangerous? How are they fixed? Let’s dive a little deeper to answer those important questions.
A double tapped circuit breaker has two wires attached to a lug that is only designed for one wire. The picture below shows two breakers that have been double tapped.
Some breakers allow the connection of two wires to one lug. If two wires are permitted, the breaker will be marked similarly to the following photo.
Unapproved double tapped breakers are dangerous because the wires may become loose under the lug. When electricity flows through a wire, it heats up a small amount under normal conditions. The lugs are only designed to handle the expansion and contraction of a single wire. Loose wires can lead to arcing, overheating and potentially a fire.
Repairing a double tapped breaker is usually a simple task. It does involve removing the electric panel cover and working very close to dangerously high voltage, so the work should only be done by a licensed electrical contractor. Some common solutions include:
- Add a circuit breaker – If there are open spaces in the electric panel, a breaker can be added. One wire will be removed from the double tapped breaker and it will then be attached to the newly added breaker.
- Tandem breaker – If there are no open spaces in the electric panel, the double tapped breaker can be replaced with a tandem breaker. Tandem breakers are like a two for one solution. Two breakers fit into the space that one breaker normally occupies.
- Pigtail – The two wires on a double tapped breaker can be removed and pigtailed together with a wire nut. The pigtail can then be attached to the breaker.
Although double tapped breakers can be found in more than half of the homes I inspect, correcting this defect is not normally difficult or expensive.