ok so i been losing power in half my house an found out everything losing power is on one 2 pole 20a breaker. replaced breaker and still didnt fix problem. I took meter and tested my busbar tabs that go to breaker and nothing. I noticed that tab had another tab to the breaker beside it and i checked it and nothing so im thinking that part of the bus bar is messed up. im just lost on how to fix it or what i should do to it.
Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forums.

Since you have your panel open....identify your main breaker.
It'll be the biggest one in the panel.....probably 100 Amps

Take your meter and make sure is set above 240 VAC and check the two wires in that breaker.
You should read 240 vac.
If you don't have 240 vac incoming at the main breaker then you've lost it between the main breaker and the meter. That will be an electrician or the power company to check as the meter may need to be removed.

Let us know what you measure on the main breaker and we'll go from there.

 

To expand a bit, the problem could be ahead of the meter at the weatherhead service connections or even at the utility pole or transformer. Like PJ suggested, start the the main breaker and then you have to work your way back to the meter, to the service connections, etc. You'll need the power company to remove the meter to check at the socket and anything ahead of that.

 

And to clarify, the power company check of their lines to the meter is free. You can call any time as they have 24hr crews for this kind of stuff.

 

Yes the power company check of their lines is free. The bad news is that, in most jurisdictions, the power company doesn't consider the meter base to be part of "their lines."

Typically, with an overhead triplex service, the POCO hands off responsibility when their feeder cable touches your house. (Technically, where the wires feeding down to the meter base are "bugged," or spliced, to the wires coming from the pole. Everything after that - the weatherhead, the mast, the meter base and the conductors - is the homeowner's responsibility.

That said, their crew will often check from the pole into the meter base. For one thing, it's an easy place to open the feed and check. Just act puzzled and willing to learn, and you may be surprised by how much info you get.

Tell us what you find out.

And what did you learn when you did the test PJmax suggested?

 

Thanks Nash...I thought they checked all the way to where their wires terminated in the meter as a matter of course.

Never lived anywhere with overhead feeds...

 

Here they do check to where the leads terminate at the meter but that is on a drop. On a lateral they are not responsible for the buried cable so maybe they don't check the meter either but since they have to pull the meter for anyone to inspect I'd think they would (meters are locked).

 

Understood. We have lateral feeds here (not far from your former home) and there's really not another reasonable choice for a meaningful test point.

That's pretty much the case for overhead feeders too. What the POCO will often do when checking those services, though, is visually inspect the mast or SE cable and the connections to the triplex, and ask the HO to make any obviously needed repairs in that section. At least, IMX.