Electrical world

Light bulbs are an important part of each and every home. Typically, incandescent bulbs have a lifespan of around 900 hours. Based on usage of the bulbs for a period of eight hours a day, a bulb should last roughly about four months. If you have replaced bulbs recently and the lifespan doesn't seem to be all that it should, the cause may be problems with the fixture itself. Let's look over some possible causes of light bulb failure in you home. It's better to find these problems sooner than later. Some may lead to electrical shorts or even a fire in your home.         High Voltage in the Home         If the supply voltage to your home is too great, bulbs will generally burn brighter and burn out much faster. To find out, use a volt meter and check the voltage in an outlet or at the service panel. Usually, you'll like to see a voltage of 115 - 125 volts. Anything more is considered excessive and the utility company should be called to correct the problem.         E

Certainly, at one time or another, you've had to turn on a circuit breaker. It's also likely you've had to turn one off to replace a switch or outlet, or possibly to put up a new light or ceiling fan. Circuit breakers vary from brand to brand but have the same amperage ratings. In any case, turning a circuit breaker on is so easy, as the Geico commercial touts, that a caveman could do it! Electrical safety always begins with turning a circuit breaker off before performing any electrical work on a circuit or device connected to it. And, you may say, it ends when the project is completed and the circuit breaker is once again re-energized by turning the circuit breaker back on. You can usually see right away if there is a problem by going to the electrical panel and checking for a tripped circuit breaker. Simply open the electrical panel door and search the breakers one by one from top to bottom in both rows of breakers, until you find the troubled circuit. Once located, I l

.     If you have tried to reset a tripped circuit breaker and the breaker continues to stay in the "OFF" position or is otherwise broken, it will need to be replaced.     Replacing rail/recess can be a simple process if you use the correct circuit breaker or a frustrating experience involving several trips to the hardware store if you inadvertently try to use the wrong breaker.     In this tutorial, I'll explain how to easily replace a broken breaker. If you want to make short work of this, here's the simple secret. Buy the right circuit breaker manufacturer for your electrical panel!     Yes, like so many things that should be easy, circuit breakers come in non-interchangeable versions depending on the manufacturer. The circuit breaker must match the electrical panel into which it is being installed.     And to make things more fun, some panel/breaker manufacturers have gone out of business or have merged with other companies. For example, an old I-T-E brand pan

From time to time, circuit breakers within your electrical panel get weak or go bad. This may be caused by a circuit problem that has repeatedly tripped the breaker. An overloaded circuit could be the culprit in this scenario. Then again, too often some people like to use the circuit breakers as switches. This is a bad practice and should be avoided. Turning the circuit breakers on and off should be left for servicing the circuits connected to them. Wear and tear on the circuit breaker switch and springs within should be avoided. These mechanical devices will fail over time and do to excessive wear, so limit the number of times that you do turn them off and on. There are instances where power spikes and lightning hits have also damaged circuit breakers. Them there's water damage due to leaks or flooding. Whatever the reason, replacing the circuit breaker should be the cure. They are relatively inexpensive and are extremely easy to replace, that is if you are electrically inclined

Installing a ground fault circuit breaker in the electrical panel will provide personnel protection from electrical shock hazards. If you are not electrically inclined or are unsure of any of these instructions and diagrams, consult a qualified electrician to safely install this device. This ground fault circuit breaker is to be connected to a single phase 120-volt grounded power supply. Warning! Safety First! As with any other electrical project, turn the power off in the panel before installing the ground fault circuit breaker. Turn the main breaker off, which will likely be a 100 or 200-amp breaker at the top of the electrical panel. Failure to turn off the power will increase the risk of electrical shock and even death, personal injury, or property damage. Installing the Breaker in the Panel Move the handle to the off position and this will latch the ground fault circuit breaker. Plug or bolt the ground fault circuit breaker into the desired slot in the electrical panel and at

You have an electrical problem in your home but don't know what it is. Is it a short circuit or a ground fault? In order to learn the source of the trouble, it is necessary to know the difference between the two. When a fuse blows or a circuit breaker trips, was it a short circuit or a ground fault that caused it? To the average do it yourself electrician, it's hard to tell by going to the fuse box or electrical panel. You open the fuse panel only to see a fuse blown, but that's no clue. Likewise, you go to the circuit breaker panel and see a tripped breaker, but why? To help explain what happened, we first need to be familiar with the two terms; short circuit and ground fault. A short circuit occurs when a "hot" wire and a "neutral" wire actually touch each other. When this happens, a lot of current flows, causing a fuse to blow or a circuit breaker to trip, not to mention the sparks and pop that is followed generally by a little smoke. The cause of

To better understand what is involved in installing a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) in your home, you’ll first need to have an understanding of basic electrical wiring. If you feel at all uncomfortable about working on an electrical circuit, then it might be best the call a professional. Understanding basic circuitry, knowing where to turn circuits off and on, being able to test circuits and keep track of what goes where are all essential and important. As with any and all electrical projects, be sure to turn the power off to anything you are working on. Electrical safety should always be number 1 on your list. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 15 Minutes Turn Off the Power Before you begin any electrical project, go to the electrical panel and shut off the circuit that you’ll be working on. Sometimes, not always, the electrician will mark the panel, on the inside of the door with the location the each individual breaker supplies. If it is marked, turn off the correct ci

You may or may not have heard the terms line and load when working with electrical connections, but what do those terms mean? Does line mean straight and narrow? Does load mean a heavy heap of something a truck hauls? Well not exactly. In the electrical world, these electrical terms are the difference between a device working properly or not. Line and load refer to the power connections coming into or out of electrical devices in the scheme of your electrical system. You see, the incoming feed from the utility company comes into the line side of an electric meter. It leaves the meter from the load side and then feeds the line side of a disconnect or electrical panel. In the case of the disconnect, used to interrupt the power after the electric meter, the power comes in on the line side and out on the load side. The power is then fed to the home's electrical panel. The electrical panel also has a line and load connections. The line feeds the main breaker in a circuit breaker pane

We depend on electricity constantly, and when the power goes out in a storm or there's a tripped breaker or another problem in an electrical circuit, understanding the basic components of an electrical system can help you get things running again. It's also important to know who is responsible for what portion of your electrical service. The utility company handles the line portion of your service, which includes everything up to the attachment point on your house. From there, it's called the load side, and everything on the load side is your responsibility.     (1)     Electrical Service Connection     Outdoor electricity meter.     Your home's electricity starts with the power service. This is where the electric company connects their wires to your home's feeder wires that attach to the meter on your house or power pole. The meter measures the amount of electricity your home uses and is the basis for the charges on your electric bill.     (2)     Disconnect

WHAT ARE BRANCH CIRCUIT A home's electrical system has feeder wires that supply power to the panel and branch circuits that leave the panel to power devices. As you may know, the service feeders connect to the main breaker, which supplies power to the electrical panel for distribution. It normally is connected to a 100- or 200-amp two-pole circuit breaker, This main breaker is the main disconnect for the power supply of the breaker box enclosure. There are also many other breakers within this circuit breaker box enclosure. These breakers vary from the common 15- and 20-amp breakers to those breakers of 100 amps or more, depending on the size of the main breaker and the load requirements that are needed on each individual circuit. These breakers also come in single- (for 120-volt circuits) and double-pole (for 240-volt applications)styles. They are the current protection devices for the circuits that feed areas, devices such as appliances, and lighting throughout your home. These

Circuit breakers vary between manufacturers and styles. When choosing a circuit breaker, you need to know the different types of circuit breakers and what they are used for. Some circuit breakers are designed to service a single 120-volt circuit. These single-pole breakers take up only one space in the electrical panel. Another type of circuit breaker is a double-pole breaker. Unlike the single-pole breaker, it services a 240-volt circuit by using two spaces in the electrical panel. By utilizing both phases, you are able to connect the circuit breaker to things like a 240-volt air conditioner, an electric range, an electric water heater, or an electric dryer. Double-pole breakers have two connection points used to connect the electrical wires to them while snapping into place within the electrical panel's bus. The double-pole breaker has a unique bar across the two circuit breaker trip arms that simultaneously trip both phases of the circuit breaker, interrupting the power flow f

This week we will discuss about circuit breakers and how it goes Firstly we ask, what are double pole circuit breaker.? And we say, Circuit breakers are the safety switches that protect all of the electrical circuits in your house. There are two types of standard breakers: single-pole and double-pole. Single-pole breakers are rated for 120 volts and 15 or 20 amps. They control standard lighting and outlet circuits, as well as some appliance circuits, in the house. The breakers themselves are relatively narrow and occupy a single slot in the home's breaker box. Double-pole breakers typically are rated for 20 to 60 amps and supply 240-volt power to large appliances, like electric dryers and ranges. They're "double-wide" breakers that take up two slots in the breaker box and have a toggle switch that's twice the length of the toggle on single-pole breakers. How Double-Pole Breakers Work Inside your breaker box, or main service panel, are energized metal plates, c

WHAT IS SINGLE POLE CIRCUIT BREAKER? Is The standard for circuit breaker panels is either single or double-pole circuit breakers. Single-pole breakers are an important part of electrical distribution as a safe way to manage branch circuits from a circuit breaker panel. Single-pole circuit breakers supply 120-volt power to circuits, while double-pole circuit breakers supply 240-volts to circuits. Single-pole breakers come in a wide range of amperage ratings, with 15, 20, and 30-amp circuit breakers being the most commonly used in most household installations. Just think of how many outlets, appliances and devices are controlled by a single-pole circuit breaker in your home. Now consider the tools that you use in your garage that are powered by these circuit breakers. As you can see, there are so many things that depend on a single-pole circuit breaker to power and protect from overloads. As easily as they trip when there is a problem, they can just as easily be reset with a flip of t

WHAT IS A CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL? An electrical circuit breaker panel is the main distribution point for electrical circuits in your home. It usually provides between 100 and 200 amps of power, depending on the rating of the panel. Power comes to your home from the utility company's lines, called the service entrance. It flows through an electrical meter, which records your electricity usage, and then into the panel. Some systems also have a large disconnect switch between the meter and the panel. What's Inside the Circuit Breaker Panel The service entrance wires connect to two large terminals, called lugs, near the top of panel. These lugs are always energized unless the utility company shuts off the power. The lugs--and all the wiring connecting to the panel box--are covered by a flat metal panel called the dead front cover. This is what you see when you open the door of your breaker panel. The dead front cover has cutouts that allow access to all the breakers, and that'

In most any electrical home repair project, you will need to safely turn off the power either to just one circuit or to the whole house. This tutorial will describe how to turn off just a single branch circuit, as well as how to turn off all the power in the home by turning off the main power disconnect. Most homes have a power panel using circuit breaker overload protection. As you see in the above photograph, the circuit breaker panel will have a main disconnect circuit breaker of 100-amp, 150-amp or 200-amp size—or possibly even more, in a very large modern house. Below that main breaker, you will see multiple branch circuit breakers which control over-current protection to the various circuits in your home. These breakers are usually 15-amp or 20-amp if they are 120-volt circuits. If they are 240-volt circuits, they will be controlled by a double-pole circuit breaker occupying the same space as two 120-volt breakers. You will see a large double-pole circuit breaker at the top o

Definition: An electrical panel is also called a load center. It is a metal electrical service box that accepts the main power to the home and distributes electrical current to the various circuits within the home. The distribution of power to the various circuits are protected from over-current by the use of circuit breakers or fuses. Once you open the door to the panel you can access all the circuit breakers or fuses. Usually one of these panels feeds all the circuits in the home but there may be a situation where there is another "sub-panel" serving a dedicated area like a new kitchen. You will find the circuit breakers stacked in the panel and controlled with a lever that places it in the "On" or "Off" position. You will also see a double pole circuit breaker at the top of the panel called the "Main". That breaker controls all the power to panel in the circuit breakers. The main breaker is used to power all the circuits on or off at one

Your electrical service is the power headquarters for your home. It divides the power to different parts of the home in circuitry via circuit breakers in a circuit breaker panel. To fully understand how it all works, we must first know what each of these are and how they work. Electrical Circuit Breaker Panel First, an electrical circuit breaker panel is the main distribution point for electrical circuits in your home. It usually provides between 100 and 200 amps of power to your home, depending on your home’s load demand. Power comes into your home from the utility company, through a service entrance. It flows through an electrical meter, through an electrical disconnect and then to the main breaker in your electrical panel. The main breaker is located at the top or bottom of two rows of breakers, depending which way the panel is mounted. The main breaker is marked with the value of protection (like 100 amps) on the breaker handle. This breaker is either factory mounted or can be