Understanding Your Home’s Electrical Panel
Being able to understand your home’s landscaping, HVAC system, plumbing, electrical system, etc. can be a difficult thing to master. While you don’t need to know everything, you should know about how your electrical system works. When learning about electrical systems, every homeowner should start at the electrical panel.
What Is an Electrical Panel? This metal box contains a set of circuit breakers or fuses and is mounted on a wall in your home. For the most part, each electrical panel will also contain a main switch that can shut off all of the breakers or fuses. On the inside of the panel, you should label and organize each breaker or fuse to know exactly which one controls what in the house.
What Does It Do? Each circuit breaker or fuse will control and regulate the amount of energy passed through it. Once one experiences more amps than it can handle, the fuse will blow or the breaker will trip. The number of amps each breaker or fuse can handle is printed on them and is usually in the range of 15 to 30 amps for traditional circuits.
Why Does It Do This? Having too much electricity flow through one specific circuit is extremely dangerous. Therefore, a fuse will blow or a circuit breaker will trip to prevent an electrical fire. When this happens it may seem like a pain to deal with and reset, but your panel is actually keeping you and your home safe.
With a basic understanding of your home’s electrical panel, you’ll know why breakers trip, fuses blow, and everything in-between. When you need an electrician to look at your electrical system, contact the experts at Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (717) 207-8198.
