How to Check Circuit Breakers or Fuses in Your Home

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By Lilfix
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Breaker Box

Circuit breakers and fuses are safety devices that are usually found in your breaker panel box. You should know where the breaker box is and what each circuit breaker goes to. This will keep you from being injured and/or worse.

Check the circuit breakers or fuses in your home (about ever three months) so you and your family can be safe.

So how do you do this? Read on...

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Circuit Breaker

Circuit breakers are basically the main on/off switch to the electricity in your home. Each circuit breaker will operate one certain area and/or appliance and the amp usage will be indicated on the switch tip.
Step 2

If the electricity goes out in one or two rooms (or if you can't get an item in your house to work that is plugged in), then there might be a problem in the breaker box with the circuit breaker.

Go to the breaker box and visually inspect the circuit breakers. All of the breakers should be facing the same way. If you see that one breaker is not facing the same direction, then this means that the breaker is off and needs to be reset.

If the breaker is all the way to the opposite direction from the others, then all you need to do is flip it back on (push the tip so it is facing the same direction). If the breaker is in the center, you will need to first flip it all the way off and then flip it back on. This will reset the breaker (unless it is a GFCI, which we will discuss later)
Step 3

Fuses

Fuses can be either a cartridge or screw-in devices. The amp usage can be found on the body of the fuse. You can usually tell if a fuse has burned out by looking at the viewable metal indicator strip.
Step 4

Multimeter

If you have fuses (instead of breakers), then you can test these fuses with a multimeter. Set the multimeter to 'resistance' (R). If the meter reads (1) this is an infinite resistance - this means that the electricity from the multimeter cannot pass through the fuse and that means it will require replacing.
Step 5

GFCI outlet

Now I want to talk a little bit about GFCI outlets. GFCI stands for Ground-fault circuit-interrupters. These GFCI's are special outlets that are usually required to be near water sources, such as the bathroom or kitchen sink. These outlets are made to cut the electricity off immediately if water comes near the electric source.

GFCI's have two buttons, one black (it can also be blue or yellow) and one red.
Step 6

You should test your GFCI monthly. To test whether the GFCI outlet is working, you will want to plug in a lamp and turn it on.

If the lamp does not come on, then you will want to try to reset the GFCI by pressing the black button first and then pressing the red button. This should turn the outlet on and your lamp will come on.

If the GFCI outlet keeps tripping, then you will want to replace the GFCI outlet. These new GFCI outlets come with instructions that are very simple to follow. Just make sure you read them first...take it from me, this will save you a lot of time. If you replace the GFCI and it still trips, call an electrician.

You can also use a multimeter to 'test voltage' (v) between the two plugs.

Comments

waters said

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on 3/5/2009 good article 5*

ScarlettOHairy said

on 3/4/2009 Thanks for the primer on checking circuit breakers. I didn't know to turn one all the way off then back on if it was in the center. Thanks!