Five Steps to Properly Read Your Electrical Panel

Five Steps to Properly Read Your Electrical Panel

Five Steps to Properly Read Your Electrical Panel

Are you experiencing issues with your electric?  Do you suspect that your circuit was overloaded because it randomly turned off?  When you suspect that you blew a fuse or have an issue with your electric, you will want to check your electrical panel to inspect the issue.  Sometimes it can be easily fixed by simply switching one of your breakers back to its original ‘on’ position.  However, it may require the assistance of professional electrical contractors in Winter Park, FL if it is more complex or continues to recur.  To inspect the issue, you will want to check the electrical panel by following these few steps.

Locate Your Electrical Box

Before you can inspect what is going on inside your electrical panel, you need to know where to look to find it.  Often, these panels are in the garage, basement, or utility space inside your home.  Before you move into a new home or construct a new home, you should ask the contractors where these panels will be located so that you understand where to look when you are experiencing electrical difficulties.

Open the Electrical Panel

Once you locate the electrical panel, you will want to open the box.  Knowing what to expect when you look inside can help you identify the issue quicker.  You can typically expect to find two rows of circuit breakers that are used to power different areas of your home.  These breakers will likely be labelled to indicate with area they are powering.  

Determine the Right Breaker

When your circuit breakers are not labelled, you may have to take some extra time to find the right breaker.  Over time, we recommend labelling your electrical box yourself so that you can locate the breakers much quicker.  However, you can likely locate any circuit breakers that have tripped by looking for ones that are in the ‘off’ position.

Look for Any Immediate Issues

To inspect whether a certain circuit breaker has tripped, you will want to look for any that are facing a different direction.  When a breaker trips, it will turn the opposite direction, as though it was a switch in the ‘off’ position.  Also, you will likely know which region of your house has tripped, so you can look for that label first.  When you notice that the breaker is in the ‘off’ position, you should switch it back on to see if this corrects the problem.

Contact an Electrician

Electrical issues can be more difficult to pinpoint and correct than you originally thought.  When the issue is not immediately apparent, you will want to trust the professionals to identify, troubleshoot, and fix the issue before it becomes worse or causes more damage to your home.

These are a few of the steps you should follow to inspect the issues you are experiencing with your electrical panel.  If you are having difficulty identifying or fixing the issue, contact our electrical contractors in Winter Park, FL to come out and inspect the issue today.

 

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