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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Electrical Breaker Box: Do It Yourself

By Scott Rodgers

Sometimes you may wonder why a part of your home is suffering an electricity setback while the others continue to receive the normal power supply. The answer lies with the panel that is generally known as the breaker box .The breaker box location should be a well known fact among all the home members.

One can easily avoid the possibility of a fire hazard or any other domestic mayhem if the all important breaker box is inspected regularly. The inspection is not something that a novice should panic about. The next time you witness a fragmentary power supply, keep these excerpts handy to assist you with the restoration.

When a part of your home faces a partial electricity cut-off , it somehow indicates the abstract operation of the breaker box switches or the electrical fuses. A breaker box acts as a gateway to the various areas of your home as far as the catering of electricity to your home is concerned. Each breaker switch operates and controls different parts of the electricity framework of your home.

A breaker box incorporates protection devices such as breaker switches and the electrical fuses, each of which hold their own importance.

The foremost thing when examining the breaker box is to make sure that tips of all the switches are pointing in the same direction. If some exception is encountered it would mean that some area of the home is not receiving the normal power supply. Switch on the concerned breaker so that it is similar to the direction of the other switches. A casual on/off of the breakers can be done repeatedly to conclude the regular working of the breaker box.

The main power supply can be optionally driven by the electrical fuses. They control the electrical aberrations and irregularities by cutting-off the power supply to that circuit. The metal strip filament breaks off as soon as it experiences an exceeding surge in the voltage/ampere level. This prevents a potential hazard or fire that could've broken out. Checking the fuse includes taking a general notice of any broken or burnt filament in the breaker box.

To check the normal functioning of the fuse, a multimeter( available in the market) could prove handy. Set multimeter to R (Resistance) and check the reading .If it is 1, it means fuse is offering infinite resistance and not allowing electric current to pass through it. This would indicate an incorrect operational state of the fuse( short circuit).

Hence , inculcating a regular inspection( in a span of 3-4 days) of the electrical breaker box in your itinerary would ensure maximum protection to you and your family.

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