Your circuit breaker is the most basic form of electrical safety device that your home has. It works by monitoring the electricity flowing through your circuits, and shutting off the power whenever excess electricity is detected. This can help to prevent damage due to power surges, overheating and overloaded circuits. This can protect your appliances and other electrical devices from dangerous levels of electricity. Most importantly, your circuit breaker can help save you from potentially deadly electrical shocks. Although they all perform the same basic function, there are several different types of breakers available.
A� Thermal Circuit Breaker – A Thermal breaker works by monitoring the heat that is created by electricity flowing through a circuit. Its sensors are designed to shut off the flow of power whenever heat rises to a predetermined, dangerous level. Thermal circuit protection normally comes in the form of a thin metallic “bridge” that connects two contact posts. Whenever How To Test Electric Circuit In Home excess heat is experienced, the strip will bend, causing it to break connection with the posts. This causes the power to cease flowing through this circuits. In most cases, a thermal breaker will reconnect the circuit whenever the heat returns back to a safe level. It is commonly used in circuits that are very sensitive to small electrical current changes.
A� Magnetic Circuit Breakers – Magnetic breakers work by measuring the magnetic force that is created when electricity flows through your electrical system. A magnetic breaker is made up of a contact plate that is made of two different pieces. Whenever the two pieces are touching, electricity can flow across them. Under the right situations, the plates will separate, causing the breaker to trip. Although this type of protection is very reliable, it will not always break the flow whenever power increases very gradually. Because of this, it is not as ideal as thermal protection for very sensitive electronic devices.
A� Combined Protection – Because of the complexity of our homes and electronic devices, most modern breaker panels use a combination of thermal and magnetic circuit protection. Because each type of circuit breaker technology has its ups Texas Electrical License Grandfather and downs, using both to protect your expensive electronics is the most ideal situation. This way, you have protection both against fast, catastrophic power surges and any type of electrical even that causes excessive heat build-up.
Whether your electrical panel uses thermal, magnetic or both technologies to keep your home’s electrical system safe, it is important that you take care when it comes to maintaining and monitoring your breaker panel. If you have breakers that trip frequently, for example, it is highly recommended that you have a licensed electrician come take a look to ensure that there is not a problem with your breaker or the electrical panel itself. In many cases, this will signal the need to upgrade your panel to ensure that you have enough power available to satisfy your daily needs.
