Although some households may pay special attention to the aesthetics of their kitchen or increased aesthetic appeal, there is one aspect that is crucial to your property’s overall safety. That’s circuit breakers! Installing the ideal circuit breakers for your home’s electrical needs may not sound exciting, but it’s a requisite measure to prevent electrical fires and other risks.
Five Common Types of Circuit Breakers
If you have ever been through a storm or a power outage, you have probably had to turn a circuit breaker on and off a few times. Circuit breakers are switches placed inside your facility’s breaker box to prevent your electrical system and its components from overheating, short-circuiting out, or catching fire.
If they identify risk factors in the fault condition, these clever devices can impede the flow of electric current to one or more outlets in your home. Your circuit breaker will immediately cut the transfer of electricity if a surge occurs, protecting electrical circuits from failure.
That said, here is a guide that lists the five common types of circuit breakers and where to use them. By the end of the guide, you will know what they are and why they are important.
Different Types of Circuit Breakers
Damaged outlets, frequent power outages, and electrical fires are all risks of not having the necessary circuit breakers installed in your home. Let’s look into 5 types of circuit breakers.
Standard Circuit Breakers
These are simplified breakers that supervise the cadence of electricity as it flows through a building. It monitors the flow of electricity through electrical wiring, equipment, and outlets. To prevent wires from overheating, this type of breaker cuts off the current throughout overloads and short circuits. When a hot wire comes into contact with a ground wire, one more hot wire, or a neutral wire, this can happen. Electrical fires are prevented by this current shutoff. Single-pole and double-pole circuit breakers are the 2 types of standard circuit breakers.
GFCI Circuit Breakers
GFCI circuit breakers, aka Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, are created to safeguard against a line-to-ground fault. In ‘wet rooms,’ such as bathrooms, kitchens, pool decks, laundry rooms, and back porches, GFCI circuit breakers and GFCI outlets are most commonly installed. They aid in the prevention of electrical shorts and current overloads.
AFCI Circuit Breakers
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters are now necessary for all modern homes. Electrical arcs are protected by AFCI breakers. Electrical arcs can become so hot that they can easily burn wood, insulation, and other components. This puts your life or property in danger. Normally, electricity is transmitted via wires. Arc faults are particularly dangerous because electricity can move out of the circuit and visit the surrounding environment. AFCI circuit breakers will trip if arcing is sensed in the electrical wiring, whereas single and double-pole circuit breakers will only trip if there is excessive heat. You can also consider buying Molded Case Circuit Breaker.
Single-Pole Circuit Breakers
The most common circuit breakers in today’s breaker boxes are single-pole circuit breakers. The circuit breaker switches in your home’s electrical panel are the narrowest. They serve their purpose, no matter how basic they are. Since these circuits are intended to track the current of a single wire, tripping the circuit in the episode of a short, surge, or electrical overload, they are called single-pole. Single-pole circuit breakers have one live and one neutral wire. They are typically used with 120-volt circuits and can handle anywhere from 15 to 30 amps.
Double-Pole Circuit Breakers
If you know how a single-pole circuit breaker works, you will have no trouble understanding double-pole breakers. Double-pole circuit breakers manage the flow of two wires at the same time, rather than just one. Double-pole circuits are identified by two side-by-side switches that operate as one in your breaker box. If one or both wires are overloaded or have shorted out, these breakers will trip. Double-pole circuit breakers deliver 120/240 volts and accommodate between 15-200 amps. They are designed to power extra demanding equipment like dryers and washers.
Conclusion
Home electrical fires cause an estimated 51,000 fires each year, as per the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). There were nearly 500 lives lost, 1,400 incidents, and $1.3 billion in property destruction as a result of the accident. Typically, Circuit breakers can help prevent structural fires caused by electrical distribution systems, which account for a third of all structural fires.