The electric panel is like the hub of a wheel and the wires are spokes that run to the various destinations inside your home. Read along for helpful tips to understand your wiring and establish a working friendship together with your home.
Check Your Electrical Panel:
Modern electrical panels have circuit breakers to control electricity. Older homes may have fuses. There
are different types of fuses and breakers to control the flow of electricity. If your breakers trip or fuses
blow this is a safety to prevent overheating wires and means too many appliances are drawing power
from the same circuit. Modern homes have two kitchen circuits for appliances. Once you move your
appliances around, if breakers continue to trip, call an electrician to help you.
Understand the Breakers:
Some electrical panels have special circuit breakers that are connected to wires in the Kitchen,
Bathrooms, and Garage that will shut off power to those locations if electrical current is less on the
return path of the circuit. These are called GFCI breakers and function like a GFCI outlet. Homes
constructed after 2002 have circuit breakers that can detect irregular electrical activity called Arc Fault
Circuit Interrupters (AFCI). GFCI and AFCI breakers are often identified by a white or purple reset button.
Check your Receptacles:
It’s common for bathrooms to be wired together with one GFCI outlet controlling all the outlets. If all
bathrooms do not have power locate the GFCI outlets and push the reset button to avoid an
unnecessary service call. Some homes have bathrooms and attached garages wired on the same circuit
which can also cause further confusion. If there is no power in the attached garage check the GFCI outlet
in the bathroom and push the reset button.
Use extension cords with care:
While convenient extension cords should not be a substitute for permanent wiring. Stop using cords that have visible damage.
Your home’s electrical wiring makes life convenient by powering appliances and electronic devices. Let’s face it, you can’t have Wi-Fi without electricity.