Circuit Breakers

What is it?

Circuit breakers are an essential part of your home as they control the amount of electricity that is being distributed through the house. They are specifically designed to stop excess current (electricity) to prevent any electrical or fire injuries. At predetermined current loads, a circuit breaker is designed to shut off (or “trip”) when it is overloaded, consequently cutting off electrical flow to a specific line.

Reasons for a circuit trip:

  1. Short Circuit: usually occurs via faulty wiring causing too much current to be pulled
  2. Overloaded Circuit: when too much current passes though the electric wires. This may cause over heating and melting of the wires, causing a potential fire hazard. Often occurs when too many appliances are in use at the same time.
  3. Ground Fault: this occurs when the electricity travels though the ground, rather than through the wires. Very common around areas of worn insulation and where dust and moisture are present.

Location of Circuit Breakers:

Circuit Breakers are usually found in a breaker box. These are usually found in basements, storage rooms or in a garage (though some may be hidden in other areas of the home). If you are having trouble locating the box, the electrical meter outside your home is a good place to start the search.  The breaker box is usually somewhere close to there for safety and optimum distribution of electrical power.

Reset:

If there is a loss of power somewhere in your home, a circuit breaker could have been tripped. To reset the breaker, locate the breaker box and inside you will find a set of toggles. Most toggles should be pointing toward the center of the box, indicating they are in the ON position. If they are pointing away, the breaker is in the OFF position. Toggles that have been tripped will be pointing in an “in between” position. To reset properly, you must turn OFF the toggles first and then switch them to the ON position.

Sometimes, the toggle may trip immediately after resetting. If this happens, turn OFF the toggle and contact a TDR electrician to help determine what may be causing the trip.

Repeated Trips

If a circuit breaker trips regularly, it is important to examine further as to the cause of the trip. This is important because a repeated trip may be a potential injury or electrical fire.

If you notice any charred breakers, smell fire or something just isn’t right; turn off the breaker and contact a TDR electrician to investigate the cause and eliminate the repeated trips.

Testimonials

The team at TDR has been amazing to work with - I can’t say enough good things about them. When you hire any trade to help you there’s a lot of trust put in them to do what they are asked to do but my experience with them is they go above and beyond and they think outside the box to make the job the best it could possibly be, make it workable for the business and they really take pride in their work. Liam and his team have been professional, helpful, and accommodating, and brought ideas for my business I hadn’t even thought about to improve it and I’m so grateful for that! Continue Reading Franny Roberts

Franny Roberts

We have used TDR's services for home improvements (light installation) and they were prompt and professional. More recently, TDR has been working with our strata to identify options for Electric Vehicle charging in our complex. They provided our council with an EV Ready Plan which was approved and reimbursed by BC Hydro, and Taylor has helped us immensely in understanding not only the technical aspects of an EV charging system installation but also the requirements under the ever-changing rebate system. Continue Reading Jacqueline Shaben

Jacqueline Shaben

It was a pleasure to work with TDR from the friendliness of the office personnel to the consultant who came out to do up a work order and cost, to the electrician who came and did the work. I highly recommend this company. Very easy to work with and I couldn't be happier with the quality of work from new plug outlets, to lighting installations, and wiring the ceiling for a fan and installation. Continue Reading Toni Stovel

Toni Stovel

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