To most people, circuit panels are the first place they go when power fails to a room.  The loud click heard when a space heater or hair dryer overloads a circuit usually calls for a quick trip to flip a circuit breaker back on.  Every building depends on the circuit panel for safety and electrical management for the home.  The electrical panel for your home, along with the attached circuit breaker, serves to delegate power throughout the home.  By splitting up power demands, it prevents overloads in separate rooms and isolates individual features and appliances.

You may be wondering why we need to split up circuits the way we do.  If all of our devices operate on 120 volts, why do we need separate circuits?  The answer has to do with the physical quirks of wiring.  You see, while everything operates off of the 120 volts delivered by your home’s wiring, the power demands are different for each device.  As power is applied to a circuit, current flows over the wiring and heats it up.  The higher your power demands, the more current is flowing through the wires.

The wires in your home can only handle a set amount of current (most circuits are 20-amp circuits) before they overheat and begin to ignite insulation around them.  If you placed every light, appliance, and TV in your home on the same electrical circuit, you’d reach this thermal limit almost immediately.  To prevent his, we install circuit breakers to help separate energy demands to specific rooms.  We also separate the energy load to create special appliance circuits.  This is why your HVAC unit is on a separate circuit from your kitchen and your laundry room.  Appliance circuits use thicker wires which are designed to handle higher electrical loads.  High current circuits are expensive, so homes are designed to use them sparingly.

This is also why you should only ever replace breakers and fuses with new units that have the same tolerance.  Circuit breakers are designed to be the weakest link in a system.  They must trip before anything on the circuit itself would fail.  This safety feature means that the breaker will trip before wiring overheats or appliances are damaged by high-current draw.  If you do need to replace a breaker, always match it with the same current-rating.

Power surges are another reason we separate circuits in a home.  Whenever a load is applied to the system (you turn on a hair dryer, electrical appliance, or even a lamp) inrush current is also applied.  Inrush-current is the initial surge of power that occurs when current is increased.  Extra power is applied across the system, which causes a risk of electrical damage when a high-power device is applied to a low-power circuits.  To mitigate this, high-load motors such as those in power tools, HVAC systems, and other appliances are plugged into special appliance circuits.  This is also why you should plug sensitive low-voltage electronics into surge protectors.

Sometimes electrical panels can wear out.  While the signs are clear when you know what to look for, without experience you have no way of knowing if it’s time to replace your panel.  Get an inspection for your electrical panel if:

If, however, you happen to notice one of two logos, Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) or Zinsco, you should call for a replacement immediately.  These older models of electrical panels are unsafe and should be replaced quickly.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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If you find yourself making that frustrating trip to the circuit breaker often enough to remember, there’s a good chance your electrical panel is overworking itself. An outdated electrical panel is a hassle no homeowner should have to put with. It’s not just an issue of faulty outlets and tripping over extension cords. An outdated electrical panel is a serious fire hazard.

It’s outdated for one, and that can cause a lot of problems, especially for any home improvement projects. An electrical panel’s job is to determine how much electricity is distributed to all appliances, lights, and outlets in your home. If your electrical panel is outdated, not only is it unfit to meet your electrical needs, it puts you and your home at risk. An up-to-date electrical panel has a circuit breaker, which trips or turns off when the wiring is overworked; this prevents your electrical system from overheating and starting a fire. An outdated electrical panel isn’t only a fire hazard; it’s harmful for the following reasons.

If your home needs an electrical upgrade, it can be as simple as replacing a few circuit breakers or replacing the entire electrical panel. It’s best to contact an electrical technician as the wiring in your home is a complicated mess, and a professional knows what to look for. They can inspect your home and provide the best suggestions on how to upgrade your electrical system.

We all know how important electricity is. Our lives wouldn’t function as well, or if at all, without it. Whether it is watching the news on television and surfing the internet, or playing games on consoles and ironing clothes, even tasks as simple as cooking would be a problem should electricity go out. It is important to have a clear understanding of everything that could go wrong and to have emergency kits near electricity sockets. Because as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Pun intended.

But just because there are so many things that could go wrong when electricity is in question, doesn’t mean you should panic. Statistics show 80% to 90% people panic and are unable to stay calm when there is an electrical emergency.

The people who refuse to panic and keep their cool will assess the situation in a calm sensible manner which will enable them to think clearly and pick a correct action plan. We all have seen disaster movies and know that the first guy to be killed is the one who panics the most, whereas the one who stays calm and takes control makes it through to the end.

Now, do not make the error of thinking that those who stay calm are not afraid: they are. Fear and panic are two different things. It depends on your ability to stay calm and not let the situation overwhelm you into not thinking sensibly and in turn making rash decisions that have consequences. Here are some examples of electrical emergencies that could occur:

We shouldn’t take electricity for granted and should be aware of the dangers it brings. We all know that electrical shocks are not to be taken lightly as everything depends on its severity. A light shock can cause slight discomfort and a severe shock can cause severe burns to the heart causing heart failure.

Modern electrical circuits are well fitted with circuit breaker fuse systems. Should a fault develop, the switch automatically trips itself. Most homes have trip switches, and they are located either on or near fuse boxes and fuse boxes are near electricity meters. Should a switch trip itself, it is in your

best interest not to panic. The first thing that you need to do is to find the trip switch and switch is back ON. That should do the trick. And if the problem still persists, you should call a certified electrician. In fact, calling in an electrician is better than taking a risk yourself.

In case of a power cut, check the trip switch, as well as wiring and appliances. If you think everything is OK with these things, it is clear that this is a problem beyond your control and calling in a certified electrician is the best course of action. It is important to keep in mind that you shouldn’t try to fix this problem and wait for the electrician to come in and deal with the problem, so that you and your family stay safe.

These are a few basic electrical emergencies which can occur unannounced. Being mentally prepared for them is important so that you don’t panic. Most importantly, keep the number of a certified electrician on hand to ensure you can place the call the moment the emergency occurs