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| From the street electricity is carried by power lines to the "service entrance" of your home. In most new subdivisions power is distributed through underground lines. From the service entrance, electricity enters the "main switch". The main switch is clearly marked with an ON and OFF position and controls all of the power in the house.
All lighting and general circuits are protected by either circuit breakers or fuses. Fuses are generally found in older homes. Newer or upgraded services use circuit breakers. If doing electrical work around your house, always disconnect the power by moving the main switch to the OFF position. Never open the door of the main switch. If you suspect trouble inside it, call an electrical contractor. Even with a burned-out main fuse or circuit breaker and the switch in the OFF position, the contacts are still live and very dangerous.
From the main switch, the circuit breaker panel splits the power into circuits to go to all rooms in the house. Circuit breakers or fuses protect each circuit. If trouble occurs, such as a short circuit or an overload, the circuit breaker trips or the fuse blows, stopping the flow of electricity to the circuit.
Circuit breaker panels or fuseboxes are usually located in the basement and will generally provide trouble free service with little maintenance. With fuse boxes proper care is usually as simple as using the right type and size of fuse. Overloading circuits could cause power loss and/or lead to fire.
Beware of warning signals that could lead to fusebox or circuit breaker problems. Contact your electrician if circuit breakers open or fuses repeatedly blow for no apparent reason, or if you detect rust in the fusebox. Overheating and discolouration in the circuit breaker panel or fusebox, or flickering lights are also danger signals not to be ignored. | | | Checking the Circuit BreakersWhen a circuit breaker opens or "trips" the affected circuit will be out of power. If you are aware of the reason for the breaker tripping, disconnect the problem. To reset the breaker, you must move the breaker fully to the off position to reset it and then back to the on position. This should restore power to the circuit. Avoid overloading circuits. | | | Changing a FuseRemember to take a flashlight when you're going to change a fuse. Never change a fuse in a dark room. - Never change a fuse while standing on a wet floor.
- Before changing the fuse, unplug appliances on the overloaded circuit and turn OFF at the main switch.
- Install the proper size fuse. All lighting and general use circuits are fused at 15 amps.
- Never replace a fuse with a penny, dime or other metal object. This eliminates the protection a fuse is designed to give and could cause a fire.
- There are two types of fuses, identified with the letters "D" and "P". The "P" fuse is recommended on all general use circuits, especially those appliances that heat but are not motorized, such as water heaters and baseboard heaters. Time delay, or dual element fuses, marked with a "D" and a metal band, should only be used for large motorized appliances, such as refrigerators, clothes dryers, furnaces, freezers and window air conditioners. "D" fuses can handle power surges when the appliance motor activates, drawing substantially more current. "D" fuses should not be used on general lighting circuits.
- Screw in plug-type fuses as tightly as possible by hand and check them periodically. Loose fuses may overheat.
- If the power is out in your house, but not the residences around you, it is probably your main switch. Contact your electrical contractor - do not try to tackle the job yourself.
- The cover of your fusebox or breaker panel should be kept closed to protect your family from injury and to prevent dirt from accumulating.
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