A circuit breaker provides protection from overloads of electricity by literally breaking the circuit momentarily. Circuit breakers are a great way to provide your electrical system some insurance and most modern buildings and houses have them. If you live in an area that storms a lot, circuit breakers are a must as they can prevent lightning from burning out your electrical system and even worse, a house fire.

Resetting your circuit breakers is a fairly simple task. There are two types of circuit breakers in your breaker box – the mains, which regulate electricity to the whole house, and the individual circuit breakers for specific areas of the home such as the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms etc. If your whole house has lost power, simply go to your mains trip and reset your circuit breaker. If only one room or area of your house has lost power, locate the specific circuit breaker for that room that should all be labeled individually on your panel. If either instance keeps persisting, you will have to have a professional from Van Fleet Services diagnose the issue.

There are several possibilities as to why your circuit breakers keep tripping. Most commonly though, is faulty wiring. Turn off and unplug all the appliances in the area the tripped circuit breaker has affected, then proceed to turning on and resetting your circuit breaker. If the power stays on in that area of your home, you have a problem with the items plugged into the wall sockets rather than the wiring. If the circuit trips again, it is highly likely that your wiring is faulty. The only way to determine the issue is to have a professional electrician at Van Fleet Services take a look at what is going on.

Circuit breaker locking systems can be useful for securing the circuit breaker system in any area accessible to others, but does compromise safety matters. Circuit breaker locking systems can either be in “on” or “off” mode. While there are benefits to circuit breaker locking systems like their ability to potentially prevent electrical fires or other mishaps, in such an instance, until you can physically unlock the breaker, the power will remain off. Off hand, this might not seem to be such a big deal, but if there is someone in your household who needs medical equipment that requires constant power, this poses a serious threat. If you’re installing a circuit breaker locking system, call Van Fleet Services to consult with an electrical expert on whether or not circuit breaker locking systems are appropriate for your home. 

How many additional circuit breakers you can add to your breaker box depends on a few things. Firstly, you will need to analyze how much physical space there is on your breaker box. If there is minimal space left, you can remove some of the metal punch-out panels to create more room on your breaker box. If there are no more of these spaces left, you have a full circuit breaker panel and additional circuit breakers cannot be installed. Alternatively, you can put in what is called a sub panel to accommodate the additional circuit breakers. Lastly, and most importantly, you must check your electrical panel to see how many breakers or other brands it is rated to handle. Do not exceed the maximum capacity of your breaker box even if you have the additional room to install more. If you are wanting to add additional circuit breakers to your breaker box, it is best to have a professional electrician from Van Fleet Services install them, as they have the skills and experience on how to do so. 

Yes, you can use a different brand to replace your current circuit breakers, but be aware that it can be tricky, especially if you are trying to replace them yourself. If you need to replace your circuit breakers, the best way to do so is to have a professional from Van Fleet Services order the replacement breakers and install them for you. Your Van Fleet Services electrician will know what circuit breaker is best fit for your breaker box and will always strive to provide you with the most affordable option, as well.

Signs that it’s time to replace my circuit breakers include scorch marks on your breaker or on outlets, a burning odor permeating throughout your home or coming from the panel itself, if your breaker trips every time you turn on a particular appliance, and/or if you keep repeatedly needing to reset your breakers and they still will not remain on. If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned issues, it’s vital that you call a licensed electrician at Van Fleet Services as soon as possible, as many of these issues are indications of much larger and potentially dangerous problems.