Power comes from the electrical company’s line, through the meter located on the outside of your house and into your electrical panel. The electrical panel is an important part of how your home operates. It is usually mounted in a basement, garage or laundry room. When you open the panel, you will see single circuit breakers in two columns with a main switch that controls power to the whole dwelling.
It is so important that your breakers are labeled next to their corresponding switches or on the inside of the panels’ cover to identify what circuits connect to each outlet.
A single circuit breaker controls the electrical current that flows to a specific outlet and is meant to protect your home from power surges or current overloads. A surge happens when there is a brief spike in your home’s electrical current. This can happen when your larger appliances kick on or when there are nearby lightning strikes. An overload is when more amperage travels across a circuit than it is set to handle. For these reasons, breakers are designed to fail safely and prevent problems like a fire to occur. If the current flowing through one of the breakers exceeds a certain level, the switch will automatically flip to the off position and protect anything beyond that switch.
Electricity is very dangerous and causes numerous injuries every year. With this in mind, it is so important to call your certified electrician, Smartech Electrical, when you need work done or have any questions.
Call us today at 443-282-0176.