What You Need to Know About Circuit Breaker Repair 

Should you visit the electrical aisle at your local home improvement box store, the varieties of circuit breakers might be surprising. If you need circuit breaker repair or you are replacing a breaker for your home, the decision might be overwhelming. Why all the choices, and what do they mean?

Circuit Breaker Repair and Knowledge Basics

Before electricity enters a home, the current is regulated by a utility transformer to ensure the flow of electricity is usable by appliances and devices.

• Electric power is measured in voltage. A total of 240 volts comes into the electric service panel. Circuit breakers carry some of this power unchanged to large appliances such as the dryer or kitchen stove, while other breakers split the power to some circuits into 120-volt currents such as lights and media devices. Circuit breakers carrying 240 volts are called double pole breakers, and breakers carrying 120 volts are called single pole breakers.
• Electric current is measured in amps. Circuit breakers also restrict the amps a circuit can carry, protecting the devices from a current overload. The common amperages for single pole breakers are 15 and 20 amps. Double pole breakers often carry 30 or 40 amps.

Some circuits may require specialty breakers, but these are the most common varieties.

Breaker Purpose

Circuit breakers are designed to regulate the flow of power and current. When electricity exceeds the designated power or current, the breaker is designed to trip, breaking the circuit. Circuit breakers replace fuses. Fuses accomplish the same function but are designed for one-time use only. Circuit breakers are reusable; a tripped breaker can be reset.

What causes a breaker to trip?

• An overloaded circuit. When too many devices call for electricity, it can exceed the circuit design and cause devices to overheat. In extreme cases, an overheated circuit can cause a fire. When a circuit overloads, the breaker trips, stopping the flow of electricity. Before resetting the breaker, remove some of the devices, or the breaker will trip again.
• A short circuit. Electricity must be contained within a designated path, a circuit. When electricity finds an alternative path to the home’s electrical network, it is called a short circuit. The breaker recognizes the incorrect path and trips. The breaker trips very quickly and for very good reasons. A short circuit will damage devices and can create a fire hazard.
• A ground fault. Electricity must be contained within a designated path, a circuit. When electricity escapes from the circuit, the current does not return to the electric service panel. The breaker is designed to recognize this problem and trips very quickly. Free-flowing electricity will cause shock to anyone encountering the short, and it also poses a fire hazard.
• An arc fault. Electricity must be contained within a designated path, a circuit. When an electrical connection is loose, it will cause a spark and jump to surrounding structures. The breaker recognizes that the current has been diverted and trips. An arc creates intense heat—between 5,000 and 35,000⁰ F- leaving a burn mark or discoloration when it happens in the open. Arc faults can cause burns and shock and create a fire hazard.

Circuit breakers are important safety features in any structure.

GFCI Outlets and Switches

Water is an extremely good conductor of electricity, and electricity seeks the path of least resistance. Whenever water and electrical circuits are in close proximity, building codes require ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) switches and outlets. Circuit breakers are fast, but GFCI breakers are more sensitive and much quicker.

• GFCI will break the circuit with only a 4-milliamp current.
• GFCI will break after 1/10^th of a second.
• GFCI will break the circuit at the switch or outlet instead of at the service panel.

Ground fault circuit interrupters are an additional level of safety used in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and around pools.

Circuit Breaker Repair is Definitely Not a DIY Project. Call the Experts

With our four decades of experience as a Residential Electrician Contractor, AirPro Houston provides you with the skill and expertise to help answer your Winter Electrical Safety questions.

We have financing options available with great options with up to 72-month terms with approved credit. Call our team of Electricians at 281-880-8805 and let us partner with you for all of your electrical repair, electrical safety, Circuit Breaker Repair, and electrical installation needs.