When you encounter difficulty opening your outdoor breaker box, consider these common issues: Use a penetrating oil to loosen the latch. Clear away any debris or vegetation that may be blocking the box. Because the box contains high-voltage, high-amperage components that can be lethal, a homeowner must understand that this guide is strictly for safely opening the exterior cover and the protective dead front, not for performing any wiring or internal component work. To my knowledge, it's only been opened twice, once by my contractor and once by A/C repairmen. The box was replaced last year. Pushing the latch on the bottom side Customer: My Eaton outdoor electrical box won't open. Always use. Outdoor electric panels come from six different OEMs and are typically push/lockable tab opening.