Positricity is your local Clearwater FL home electrical expert. During our home electrical visits, we frequently get asked about how the home handles the electrical needs of the house. Like, “What is an electrical panel,” or, “what are circuits?” In our educational series of articles on this site, we address questions like these. So, how does the home electrical system work in your Clearwater home?
Let’s start by what is happening in the backyard to bring power to your house. Many neighborhoods have power lines on poles, some have the line buried in the ground. The electricity flows through a transformer, which is the big can shaped object on the power pole, or the green box on the ground, through a wire to the meter on the side of the house. The meter then lets the electricity flow to the Electrical Panel.
The home electrical panel is the metal box with the breakers. The breakers are the little black switches in the metal box. The electrical box divides the electricity into circuits, each of which represents specific areas of your home.
Each circuit should have a breaker rated enough to allow the appropriate electrical current flow to its circuit of things (devices), but also be ready to automatically turn off if too much electricity flows. The function of the breaker is 2 fold, firstly to enable a circuit to be switched off and make it safe to work on and secondly to “break” the circuit if a fault occurs.
The breakers are specifically selected by electricians to ensure safety of the home. It doesn’t just protect your appliances and the people using them, but also the wiring and devices connected. So, for example, a circuit to a kitchen range will be more physically robust, with bigger breaker, wire and connecting device than one for a couple bedrooms that may only have a few lights and fans.
Please see our other educational articles for more information about your home.
Positricity Electric is your home electrical service company. We professionally handle residential and commercial contractor electrical work. No job is too small or large. We service all of Pinellas County including Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. We are licensed and insured. The next time you need a residential electrician in Clearwater FL, give us a call today.