How to Reset a Shunt Trip Breaker

Okay this may seem like an easy task and for all of us that have been around long enough it is. This quick post and video is more for our end user type readers who may own a building with a fire alarm system and cannot seem to figure out why they cannot reset their shunt trip breakers even though the fire alarm panel is back to the normal condition.

Just a quick explanation of a typical scenario. During a routine annual fire alarm test a heat detector in the elevator shaft or elevator equipment room is activated. The fire alarm panel goes into alarm and the elevator shut down. Great!!! Once the heat has dissipated and the fire alarm panel is reset you can now return the shunt trip breaker to the normal on position. However, the breaker just springs back into the off position. Naturally it is confusing to those not familiar with the application since the switch on the breaker rests in the center between the "off "and "on" positions.

Now to return a shunt trip breaker back to the normal on position you must first throw it all the way off (until it locks off) and then throw it all the way back to the on position. That's it!!!! Watch the video for a quick demonstration.

Tags: shunt trip breaker, elevator service, heat detector, how to reset shunt trip breaker