How does a 2-pole breaker work when compared with a 1-pole breaker with same amperage? Posted by Frank Molina, Stellavolta on Sep 10th 2018 A 1-pole breaker is used when there is 1 live wire and a 2-pole breaker is used when there are 2 live wires. In a 2-pole breaker, if one live wire has a short circuit, they are both tripped. circuit breaker 1-pole breaker 2-pole breaker