How to remove and replace a circuit breaker

For those who are here just to get the answer, it's this:

1. After you have removed the panel and turned off "main" (something there is a switch for the rest of the panel), pry out the circuit breaker that you want replace. It is just wedged in there, really. Fiddle with either end of the specific circuit breaker.
2. Detach whatever wire was connected; reconnect that to a new circuit breaker of same amperage and style/form, and press it back in place.

Oh my gosh, that was easy. What a relief.

And here's my story leading up to those simple steps.

For the last few months, lights have dimmed a little when the anything on the kitchen circuit was turned on, such as a little coffee grinder or plugging in my laptop. When I had measured with a voltmeter, outlets yielded AC voltage between 109 and 114 (in contrast to other circuits which were between 115 and 125).

Yesterday, lights flickered, dimmed, went out. After a few minutes of appliances off, I could measure a full 115 to 125 on this circuit that had been bad for months ("Yay! Is it back to normal?!") but if I turned on anything on that circuit, whoop, it would drop to 0 volts.

Sigh. I got out the phone book and looked up electricians. I didn't like the prospect of calling, seeking estimates.

I called our electric company and asked if they could come out to measure the "drop" to the house (the voltage coming to the circuit breaker). To my surprise, they sent someone out about an hour later. The guy called me on his way to the house and asked for symptoms, facts. When he arrived, he flipped the switch of the circuit breaker I pointed out and immediately said "It's broken!" I needed to replace it. It was a relief to know that the cause was known AND great that I had gotten this information for free. I asked if it was something I should hire an electrician to do or could I do it myself. He warned of some odd style of screw head that I would encounter inside and off he went.

Today, with daylight, I stared inside the open box. I am used to taking stuff apart. Having taken stuff apart since childhood, there are just "standard things" to look for, typical ways things are assembled that you know to consider first. And I couldn't find those. Instead, I saw these metal bars above and below the circuit breakers and no screw heads were visible. I started to wonder if, for safety reasons, special tools and knowledge were required to (1) move those metal bars out of the way so that I could then (2) find out how to get the circuit breaker out.

Man, the internet is cool. I searched the internet for "how to I replace a circuit breaker" and was offered several videos made by kind folks out there sharing their knowledge. I picked the first one.

The video started off with a guy showing his two golden retrievers in the snow. Over the next few minutes, he repeated how easy it would be to remove and replace a circuit breaker. He turned off "main" and all the lights went out, as he had alerted, AND then we watch another scene of his dogs in the snow.

Back in the basement... He lights up the box with his flashlight and repeats how easy it is going to be. And then he gets a screwdriver and pops the skinny breaker out of the bank of breakers. A bit later, he repeated that it was easy to replace.

No way. It's just wedged in? Oh my gosh, that IS easy. Funny that he spent way more time showing us his dogs and talking about how easy it would be than to just take 30 seconds and show him removing it. (Thus my brief instructions as the top, to balance out the efficiency universe.)

I rushed to my circuit breaker panel, turned off main, found a simple place to wedge my flathead screwdriver, and confirmed that, sure enough, that bad boy would just slip right out with a tweak or two. Soon I had it in my hand and was off to the store. Bought a replacement. Came home, squished it in place and attached the wire and was done. Lights don't flicker.

Oh my gosh, that's satisfying when stuff's that easy.

And it's nice to not have the extension cord going from the family room to the kitchen to keep the refrigerator going.