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Electric Panel Circuit Breakers and Fuses

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Summary: A guide to home electrical circuit breakers and how they work to protect your electrical wiring. When properly installed, your home electrical wiring is protected by a circuit protection device.


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Electrical Circuit Protection using Circuit Breakers



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The electric circuit breakers serving your home wiring circuits are intended for switching and protection of your home's wiring from high temperatures caused by excess current higher than the rating of the wire.

While thermal magnetic circuit breakers are the key element for overload and short circuit protection of your home electrical system, there are potentially dangerous conditions that do not involve overcurrent.

The following circuit breakers should be utilized to provide further protection with house wiring.



Circuit Breakers and Panels

home circuit breaker danger

Home Circuit Breakers

A visual guide to home circuit breakers and the home electrical panel system.
Circuit Breaker Panel

Circuit Breaker Panel

The home circuit breaker panel contains several circuit breakers that are carefully installed by experienced electricians and electrical contractors.
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Basic House Wiring Circuits and Circuit Breakers

This article looks at common 120 volt and 240 volt house wiring circuits and the circuit breakers that are installed identifying the types and amperage sizes used in most homes.
electrical circuit breakers

Electrical Circuit Breakers

Electrical circuit breakers protect the electrical wiring in our homes from overloading and over heating which can lead to a house fire. Described below are some of the electrical circuit breakers found in the electrical panel of a modern home.
15 Amp Circuit Breaker

15 Amp Circuit Breaker

Learn about the 15 Amp Circuit Breaker for home electrical circuits.
General Electric Circuit Breakers

General Electric Circuit Breakers

A guide to the commonly used General Electric circuit breakers and panels for homes.
Zinsco Circuit Breakers

Zinsco Circuit Breakers

Learn about Zinsco Circuit Breakers which are used in some home electrical panels and understand why some of these circuit breakers have had problems.
fuses and circuit breakers

Fuses and Circuit Breakers

All about fuses and circuit breakers and how they have evolved over the years and are used to protect your home electrical system.
afci-breaker

GFCI and AFCI Circuit Breakers

Electric circuit protection with AFCI provide the extra measure of safety for your family. AFCI's are installed serving required house wiring circuits protecting areas such as the bedrooms. AFCI protects the bedroom circuit devices against the danger of arcing which can lead to fire.
hot-tub-gfci-breaker

GFCI Ground Fault Circuit Breakers

Electric circuit protection with GFCI provide the extra measure of safety for your family. GFCI's are installed serving required house wiring circuits protecting areas where electrical appliances or products may come into contact with water, such as the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, hot tub areas and more.
home-electrical-circuits

Electric Circuit Listing

The size of the home electrical service panel is designed by calculating the square footage of the home and factoring in the code requirements for the electrical circuits that are required.
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How to Install and Wire A Sub-Panel

Electrical Sub-Panel wiring considerations for the home complete with pictures. Careful planning for your Sub-Panel with immediate and future load considerations will help you understand how to size your Sub-Panel. This information will help as you consider a Sub-Panel and its size.


Single or 1-Pole Circuit Breakers


circuit breaker

Single pole or 1-pole circuit breakers are most commonly use to protect our general use device circuits. These circuit breakers provide 120 volts to circuits that are typically used in our homes.
Listed below are the most commonly used 1-pole circuits:

Lighting

Outlets

Two-pole circuit breakers are used for larger home appliances and equipment. The 2-pole circuit breaker provides 240 volts to these larger electrical circuits. Below is a listing of where 2-pole 240 volt circuits are generally used:


Kitchen
Range or Oven

Laundry
Clothes Dryer

Garage or Work Shop
Air Compressor
Table Saw

Other Equipment:
Heating
Air Conditioning
Water Heaters

Quad circuit breakers are ideal when panel space is limited and you need to add another 2-pole circuit. This solution provides two 2-pole circuits to be installed in the same location as one standard full size 2-pole circuit breaker. The Quad circuit breaker has pre-installed tie-bars that allow the two circuits to be operated independently of one another, while providing protection for each 240 volt circuit. As with the standard full size 2-pole 240 volt circuit breakers, the quad breaker could be used for larger home appliances circuits..
Below is a listing of where 2-pole 240 volt circuits are generally used:
Kitchen
Range or Oven
Laundry
Clothes Dryer
Garage or Work Shop
Air Compressor
Table Saw
Other Equipment:
Heating
Air Conditioning
Water Heaters

Four single circuits with single pole requirements can be installed on quad breakers that do not have tie-bars installed.

NOTE:
Three wire cables that are installed having two circuits and sharing the same neutral require the tie bars to be installed. Assigning each circuit to be placed on alternate busses is essential to prevent the neutral from becoming overloaded.

Quad circuit breakers are available
with the following configurations:
Two 2-Pole 240 Volt Circuit
Four 1-Pole 120 Volt Circuits



Circuit Breaker and Surge Arresters



Circuit Breaker Electrical Wiring


Can Two Circuits Be Placed on One Breaker?

Question:
I have a small mobile home that I am replacing the gas water heater and stove with electric. I had one double space left in my breaker box and had put in a double 30 breaker for the water heater. I have a 200 amp supply, but limited breaker space due to it being an RV power post in a park, I wanted to know if I could use a double 50 breaker in place of the double 30 and wire both the stove and water heater into the same breaker?
Thank You

Answer:
Straight away I will tell you the answer is absolutely NOT, but you do have another alternative. First of all, what you would like to do may sound completely logical, but here is the danger. A circuit breaker is designed to protect the circuit components and especially the wiring from overheating and causing a fire. When a lower amperage wire is connected to a higher amperage circuit breaker, the rated circuit protection is not matched correctly. But there is a possible solution, depending on the type of breaker panel that you have. In a case like this I would see if I could install what is known as a Quad Circuit breaker. A "Quad" circuit breaker allows two 2-pole circuits to be installed in the place of one full size 2-pole circuit breaker.
Be sure to size the circuit breaker correctly for the size of wire that is installed for the proper protection.

See more about Wire Sizes: https://ask-the-electrician.com/electrical-wire.html

NOTE: This question is based on a specific project. Ask The Electrician provides help for your electrical project: Ask Electrical Questions


Brands of Home Circuit Breakers:

Siemens
Cutler Hammer
Square D

More about Circuit Breakers and Fuses



Recent Questions and Comments


How Can I Discover What is Tripping Off my Circuit Breaker?

How can I find out what is tripping a circuit breaker? How to Identify an Electrical Problem and Circuit Failure.


Why Air Conditioners Trip Circuit Breakers

Air Conditioner Units and Tripping Circuit Breakers: The circuit that an air conditioner is connected to may be shared with other outlets so the circuit is becoming overloaded, here is how to solve this problem.


Why Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping Off

Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping? The Most Common Causes of a Tripped Circuit Breaker.


What To Do When The Main Circuit Breaker Trips Off

How to Identify an Electrical Problem: Tripping Main Circuit Breaker or Blown Fuse, What to do About a Home Electrical Problem.


What Causes Circuit Breakers to Trip Off

How to Identify the Cause of a Tripping Circuit Breaker


Electric Dryers or Ranges with a Quad Circuit Breaker

Quad Circuit Breakers Save Space in Approved Electrical Panels – As described in this question, a quad circuit breaker may be used in panels that are approved for tandem circuit breakers, and a quad breaker is essentially two special tandem circuit breakers that are connected and have the required tie bar or handle for the 240 volt circuits.


See more at the Electrical Questions Category Listing.
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See How to Wire it Right!

Learn more about How to Wire Circuit Breakers and Panels
Perfect for Homeowners, Students and Electricians
Includes:
Home Electrical Circuit Breakers
120 Volt Circuits
240 Volt Circuits
Multi-Wired Circuits
Wiring Methods for Installing Electrical Circuit Wiring
Electrical Codes for Home Electrical Wiring
....and much more.
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Electrical Tips to Help You Wire it Right

The Safest Way to Test Electrical Devices and Identify Electric Wires!

The Non-Contact Electrical Tester
This is a testing tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and is the first test tool I grab to help identify electrical wiring. It is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use.

The Quickest Way to Check for Faulty Electrical Wiring!

The Plug-In Outlet Tester
This is the first tool I grab to troubleshoot a problem with outlet circuit wiring. This popular tester is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring.
It detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outlets Provides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiency Lights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is included Tests standard 3-wire outlets UL Listed Light indicates if wiring is incorrect Very handy and easy to use.

Strip Off Wire Insulation without Nicking and Damaging the Electric Wire!

The Wire Stripper and Wire Cutter
My absolute favorite wire stripping tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and this is the tool I use to safely strip electrical wires.
This handy tool has multiple uses:
The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation.
The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets..

The wire stripper will work on both solid and stranded wire. This tool is Very Handy and Easy to Use.





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