Most of us have never lived without electricity. In our modern world, we flick on the lights, crank up the heat, and switch on the television without giving a second thought to where the energy is coming from. Even if you’re not an electrical contractor, it’s always a good idea to at least be familiar with the components of your home or commercial electrical system. This can help you to troubleshoot problems when they occur. Today, let’s take a closer look at the element of an electrical system your electrical contractor will always want to inspect at first: the circuit breaker.
What Is The Circuit Breaker And Where Is It Located?
The circuit breaker, known as a fuse box in older construction, is the point where electricity flows into your home from the municipal power grid. Inside this breaker box, the power is divided between a series of fuses, each of which controls the power in a different portion of your home.
Most circuit breakers are housed in a metal box with a metal door. It can be located in a number of different parts of the home, but in most cases you’ll find it in a storage room, the basement, or a hallway.
Signs That Your Circuit Breaker Is On The Fritz
Now that you have a working knowledge of what a circuit breaker is for, and (hopefully!) where it’s located in your home, it’s time to learn how to identify some of the signs that an electrical contractor should be called out to look at it.
1. Flickering Lights
Does something weird happen to your lights every time you fire up the dishwasher? Do you notice that your lights flicker on and off in a certain room? Stuttering lights are a sign of faulty wiring, and should be addressed by a professional electrical contractor as soon as possible.
2. Breaker Trips Constantly
Are you constantly fumbling around with the fuse switches in your circuit breaker because they blow on the regular? This could be caused by a couple of different problems. It might be that you have too many appliances plugged into your home’s electrical system, overloading the circuit. Resetting the fuses doesn’t help because it does nothing to reduce the load. Wiring mistakes can also lead to this problem, which is why it should be addressed by an electrical contractor today.
3. A Strange Humming Sound
Every once in awhile, take a trip out to the garage or down to the basement and listen to the sounds coming out of your circuit breaker box. Ideally, the box will be completely silent. If you hear a buzzing or humming sound coming out of the box, it could mean that it’s getting overloaded but not blowing a fuse. This puts you at risk for electrical fire and shouldn’t be ignored.
If you recognize any of these problems, or simply want a qualified electrical contractor to take a look at your circuit box, contact Delta Electrical today.