Circuit Breakers – Learn about them
Checking your circuit breakers can save you a lot of money down the road. It’s easier than you might think, so don’t pay an electrician a lot of money to do this…instead, follow these simple tips..
So what are circuit breakers? They are the switch that cuts all electricity in your home. Each breaker goes to a different room and/or appliance.
First, you need to check the breakers for damage. Go to your breaker box (usually located in your basement/garage, etc.) and take a good look. All of the breakers should be facing the same way and they should not look loose or chipped, etc. If you see a breaker that is not facing the same way, then you have an outlet somewhere in your home that is not working. If the breaker is flipped to the middle, you need to flip it all the way to the off position and then flip it back on…this resets the breaker. If it has a reset button, you will need to hit that before doing this.
The breakers with a reset button are called GFCI. This stand for Ground fault circuit interrupters. These are usually connected to things that are close to water. Such as outlets in your bathroom. These are special outlets that will flip off if water gets near any electric source in that room.
Testing and replacing breakers are very simple. They come with great instructions when you purchase new ones. The main thing you have to remember is to make sure the breaker is off before you mess them in any shape or form.
Also, you really should know which breaker goes to which room in case you ever have a problem. The best way to check this is to have someone help you. You go to the breaker box, make sure a light is on each room of your house. When you flip a breaker to the off position, have your helper go room to room to see which light is off. Then you need to mark that breaker for that room. You can use labels, permanent markers, etc. to mark this. Continue until you have marked all breakers.
This way, if you have a problem, you will know exactly which breaker you need to check.
