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The circuit breaker is designed to stop electrical overloads that can lead to fires in your home. If the circuit breaker panel is damaged or worn out, a fire could break out in your home. Due to the simplicity of their sign, circuit breaker problems are easy to fix.

Harrison’s Electric can provide reliable electrical repair for homeowners. If your circuit breaker panel is damaged, we can fix or replace it and provide a safe electrical system in your home.

Below are some tips to prevent circuit breaker panel fires. If you have any further questions, please contact us.

The Threat of an Electrical Fire in Your Home

When a circuit breaker fails to control or stop an electrical overload, a fire can break out in your home. It’s hard to predict where the fire will break. It could break out at the panel, the outlets, in the wiring, or in wall material such as insulation, wood, or drywall.

The inability to project where the fire will take place creates a greater hazard in your home. You may be unaware that a fire has broken out in your home until you smell smoke or see flames.

How Do Circuit Breakers Prevent Fires?

To put it simply, if too much current flows through a circuit, the panel breakers the circuit and disconnect the dangerous flow of electricity.

Hence, the term circuit breaker.

If the current travels a shorter distance (short-circuiting) or it flows in a direction that it shouldn’t, the circuit breaker stops the current. By interrupting the circuit, the panel prevents a fire from breaking out.

If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that there are multiple circuit breakers within a panel. Each of these breakers is connected to an outlet via the wiring. Some of the breakers can handle multiple outlets, while others can only one. It depends on what is plugged into the outlet.

Each breaker contains a fuse. The fuse acts as a conductor for the current. If there is an overload in the fuse, the fuse shuts down and trips the breaker. The circuit is immediately cut off.

Schedule an Annual Electrical Inspection

The best way to prevent a panel fire is to schedule an annual inspection. A Harrison Electric technician can assess your panel and identify problems that could lead to fires. Problems may include:

●        Faulty or outdated wiring

●        Blown fuses

●        Poor connections

●        Moisture in the breaker box

●        An electrical surge

An inspection will reveal any problems with the breakers or the entire panel. In most cases, we can fix the problem and restore the panel. If the panel is old and worn out, however, we recommend replacing it. Doing so will protect your house from current overloads or fires.

If you need residential electrical repair or a full system replacement, contact Harrison Electric today. We provide complete installation and repair for homeowners in Plymouth, Minnesota.

To schedule service, call us at 763-544-3300, or you can message us at mail@harrison-electric.com.