Choosing Electrical Panels

By B.K. Electric Services

• Before circuit breakers, we had fuses.

• Fuses are single-use devices that interrupt a current

• If a current grows too large, the metal in the fuse melts and the circuit is left unharmed.

• Fuses consist of thin wire encased in heat-resistant glass.

• Fuses are like bridges that let electricity flow through it.

• Fuses burn out if too much electricity flows through.

Pictured: A fuse at work with an electricity shark

• But fuses need to be replaced every time one burns out.

• Since fuses are cheap, they continue to be used in the systems of cars and other vehicles on both land and sea.

• However, electrical panels use more advance components, such as switches, relays, and circuit breakers.

• Circuit breakers are like the reusable versions of fuses and work in much the same way.

• Circuit breakers are part of a larger structure called the electrical panel and prevent fires by creating gaps in the circuit.

• But how do electrical fires begin anyway?

• Well, each circuit is composed of a hot wire and a neutral, or ground, wire.

• The hot wire is connected to the power source. Leave this wire alone or you’ll find yourself in the hospital or morgue.

• The ground is connected to the, you guessed it, ground underneath a home.

• These two wires never touch so the current passes through a load, or resistor.

• In the US, power is delivered at 120-240 volts, but current resistance varies from home to home.

• Occasionally, something random and unfortunate happens which causes the hot wire to touch the neutral.

• This causes a tsunami surge of electricity, leading to a fire.

• Single Pole – 120 volts with a rating of 15-20 amps. The most common.

• Double Pole – 240 volts with a rating of 15-50 amps. Often serve large appliances, ovens, etc.

• Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) – protects circuits and multiple outlets. Used in rooms with high risks of electricution.

• Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter – designed to turn off power when electricity arcs are detected.

• All circuit breakers feed into a central circuit breaker panel, otherwise known as the electrical panel.

• Electrical panels are found in basements or side closets. When a circuit breaker does its job, it can be reset here.

• Circuit breakers are stacked and controlled by little levers marked “On” or “Off”.

• Most breaker panels feature a neutral bus and grounding bar and is sealed off by a metallic panel giving access to the circuit breakers without letting loose any wires.

Source: BuellInspections.com

Source: Bullseye-Electric.Nuresponse.com

Source: VitalBodies.net

• Main breaker – usually a large double-pole circuit breaker limiting outside electricity.

• Circuit breakers – stacked like building blocks in rows of 2

• Bus bars – feeds home circuits with power from electrical meter.

• Neutral bus – connects to main circuit’s neutral wire.

• Grounding bus bar – unites all ground wires and is connected to grounding connector.

• Main breaker panel – installed meter and feeder cable are within range of the panel

• Main lug panel – runs wires to lugs and can be used as a sub-panel.

• Sub-panel – separate breaker panel for new circuits separate from pre-installed circuits.

• For more information,

– Visit us at bkelectricservices.com

– Call us at 310-430-2300