How does a circuit breaker work? Nowadays, all buildings should have circuit breakers on the power boards. They act like the old designed fuses but they could be switched on and off. Whenever a fuse "blew" you have to change the whole fuse or maybe at the very least the fuse wire. A circuit breaker takes the place of the fuse. The fuses were there as a safety safety measure between electricity coming into the house as well as the appliances at home. A circuit breaker is a much more convenient product because it makes use of metal strips which touch when power is passing through and pull apart when switched off.
Exactly what is a circuit breaker?
A circuit breaker is a piece of equipment that cuts off the electricity supply when a massive amount of power flows through the circuit. The current is connected by the appliance when it's turned on. Many appliances run at low levels of current so when a higher level is detected the circuit breaker cuts the current and so the appliance is turned off. The functioning of the circuit breaker is just like the fuse, when an excessive amount of power passes through, it overloads and turns off.
How it works?
The circuit breaker sits at the end of electrical wires getting into your house and can be turned on and off. When powered down there isn't a supply of power to your house. When the circuit breaker is turned on, power moves through the breaker. The circuit breaker acts as a safety electrical product and has dramatically decreased the number of fire resulting from electrical appliances.
Why you should have circuit breakers
A circuit breaker is made to eliminate a source of fire when an appliance draws an excessive amount of power. In the past a lot of houses have been burnt down by faulty devices. The circuit breaker cuts off the power from the electrical wires that enter the back of the power box and go through the circuit breaker and into your house to power points and light switches.
It is a life saving electrical safety product that cuts any electricity to an appliance. When you turn the device on and it is faulty the circuit breaker will split the flow of electricity by switching off in a micro second.
The functioning of the circuit breaker enables you to turn the power off to parts of the house when an electrician is working. You no longer need to cut the power to the whole house. In years gone by a fuse is
removed from it's holder or even the main power switch turned off. The fuse wire which has been used in fuses was quite brittle as well as the slightest bump may cause it to break, particularly if the wire in the fuse was old.
How many?
All big electrical equipment for example air conditioners, electric ranges and Jacuzzis will have their own circuit breaker installed.
Many houses will have a couple of circuit breakers for power points and lights so not all of the house will lose power when a breaker turns off.
Circuit breakers work on a simple process which is an excellent example of an appliance which does big work. Circuit breakers have become an important part of our functioning day in and day out, and make life simpler in a number of aspects. Most importantly, they make life safer for us and everyone in our environment.
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