Circuit Breakers and How They Protect Our Homes

One important aspect of electrical safety is the circuit breaker, which turns the flow of electricity off automatically when an electrical overload problem suddenly appears. If this is happening to you, you're probably making a trip to the circuit breaker panel, locating the tripped circuit breaker and resetting it. Unless you can identify the reasons for the circuit breaker to trip, it's bound to happen again.

Circuit breakers perform an important safety and protection function by instantly turning off the electricity to an overloaded electrical outlet. Today, building codes require that circuit breaker and fuse panels be located immediately after the point where electrical power enters a building. The number of circuit breakers inside an electrical panel can vary according to the number of electrical circuits in the building. The various circuits inside the building require different levels of protection according to their design.

There are two types of circuit breakers inside the electrical panel: the familiar trip and reset type, and Ground Fault Interrupter Circuit (GFIC) breakers. GFI breakers are used to protect kitchen and bathroom circuits from sudden electrical shorts if an appliance accidentally shorts out. The municipal building code enforcement office will have more technique on the requirement for installing GFIC breakers in your home.

Circuit breakers trip whenever the amount of electrical current flowing through them exceeds its design limits. Inside the circuit breaker are a bi-metal strip, a set of contacts through which the electrical current flows, and a spring. When the circuit breaker is set to the "ON" position, current passes directly through the contacts which are held together by the bi-metallic strip. The spring is trying to pull the contacts apart, but as long as the bi-metal strip doesn't bend it can't. In a situation where excessive current flow causes the bimetallic strip to overheat and bend, the contacts are pulled apart through the tension of the spring, thereby breaking the circuit.

Once the electricity has stopped flowing, the bi-metal strip cools down and returns to its original shape. You can now reset the circuit breaker and return power to the circuit. There are two indications of a tripped breaker: one is the toggle's location and the second is a red indicator flag showing in a small window on the breaker.

Electrical protective devices, such as circuit breakers and GFIs are now required by the National Electric Code (NEC) and building codes for all structures. One feature of a GFI that common circuit breakers lack, is a test and reset switch.

Circuit breakers, GFIs and GFI receptacles are significant life-saving protective devices and should never be tampered with or bypassed. Because they last for a very long time without failure, a circuit breaker that trips off is a sign of an electrical problem that needs attention. If, however, a circuit breaker should fail, you can replace it yourself following sound electrical safety precautions.

I'm glad you have found this article and I hope you found this home repair tip useful. You can find more home repair tips like this one at Practical Repairs.