Electrical Safety—The Checklist : Fuses/ Circuit Breaker

Before You Plug Into Electricity, Plug Into Electrical Safety—The Checklist


With your circuit map and power audit done, it’s time to take a run through the house with a keen eye on safety. Use the following checklist on a regular basis to en­sure your home remains electrically safe year in and year out. If you haven’t already had an electrical inspection performed by a qualified, licensed electrician or electrical inspector, this list can also help identify clues that an inspec­tion and/or repairs are needed.


Fuses/Circuit Breakers

Fuses and circuit breakers are safety devices lo­cated in your electrical panel that help prevent overloading and fires.

They stop the electrical current if it exceeds the safe level for some por­tion of the home electrical system. Overload­ing means that the appliances and lighting on the circuit regularly demand more electrical current than the circuit can safely deliver.

If the demand for electrical current ex­ceeds the safety level, a fuse opens once and must be replaced to reconnect the circuit. A cir­cuit breaker “trips” its switch to open the cir­cuit, and the circuit is reconnected by closing the switch manually.