San Dimas Circuit Breakers – Is There a Difference
The National Fire Protection Association statistics suggest that short circuits and overloading are the main causes of 60% of all electric fires that take place in the US. Most of these fires are easily avoidable if you have San Dimas electricians install circuit breakers in these buildings.
Electrical circuit breakers made their debut in the late 19th century and have become a popular over-current protection device (OCPD) ever since. According to Article 100 of the NEC guidelines, a circuit breaker is defined as a device that automatically shuts down the flow of electric circuit when its load capacity is breached. It is because of this safety feature that the installation of a breaker has become mandatory in all residential and commercial complexes.
In all probability, you would not know about the electrical panel, the feed from where electricity enters and gets distributed in your home. If you ever open your electric panel, you will see various rectangular boxes that are the circuit breakers. However, all these rectangles are of different shapes and sizes. This is because electricians install five different types of over-current protection devices in your home, though in most homes, only two of these breakers are present.
Different types of circuit breakers
Single pole over current protection devices are the most common types of safety devices that are installed to feed numerous receptacles located in one circuit. A combination of 20 Amp and 15 Amp single pole over-current protection devices are present in your home.
A double pole over-current protection device, as the name suggests, supplies power to two different circuits and usually delivers power to a specific outlet requiring large output, such as an oven or a dryer. These circuit breakers have a starting load capacity of about 30 Amps.
Quad breakers are available in different combination’s like two single pole breakers and one double pole breaker, four single pole breakers, and two double pole breakers. According to experienced electricians, each individual breaker in quad breaker can have a different amperage rating. However, not all panels are able to accommodate a quad breaker.
GFCI and AFCI are two other two types of breakers that are now made mandatory to be installed in homes. GFCI helps in preventing shock hazards by providing an alternate route to the extra current to flow to the ground, while AFCI offers protection against arc faults.
Talk to an experienced electrical professional and find out which over-current protection devices you may need for your home.
