Circuit Breakers

Take a moment to think about all of the electrical devices and appliances you use throughout your home. Every light, every device plugged into the wall, and every piece of equipment you use to cook, clean your clothes, and keep your home comfortable throughout the year draws power from the local electrical grid. How does your home manage all of these electrical devices and appliances safely?

The answer is circuit breakers. These devices ensure a safe and effective flow of electricity throughout a structure. If any device or appliance overtaxes a circuit, the circuit breaker cuts the power until a professional can come and fix the problem.

How Do Circuit Breakers Work?

The electricity flowing through your home from the local power grid functions on three principles: voltage, the pressure of the electricity, current, the rate at which the electricity flows, and resistance, a measure of how much a conductor allows electricity to flow. There is a hot wire coming from the local power plant into a home, and a neutral wire that empties into the ground. These two wires never touch directly, and the charge running through this circuit will pass through several resistors in the form of electrical devices and connected appliances.
Circuit breakers essentially function as safeguards for a structure’s electrical system much in the way fuses operate. However, a fuse only works once. Fuses exist to provide a place for excess electrical discharge to collect and opens the circuit before the excess charge damages the building wiring. Once a fuse blows, it needs to be replaced. However, circuit breakers offer a similar function and keep working over and over again.

Circuit breakers contain switches fitted with electromagnets. As long as the current remains at a safe level, the electromagnet will connect two parts of the circuit and allow electricity to flow. When the current reaches unsafe levels, the electromagnet will be strong enough to physically pull the connection out of alignment and shut off the circuit.

All of the wiring in your home connects to a central circuit breaker. Think of this device as a traffic conductor for all of the electricity flowing through your home. Every appliance and device connects to the circuit breaker panel like branches on a tree, and each circuit breaker manages electricity for a different part of your home.

Choose Nipper Electric for Circuit Breaker Work in Virginia Beach

It’s never a good idea to trust an unlicensed or inexperienced electrician to do any type of work on your home, especially work as important as circuit breaker installation and repair. If you have had problems with breakers tripping in your home, or if you’re building a new home and need to install a new circuit breaker panel, Nipper Electric can help.

We have a strong reputation as the leading electrical contractor in Virginia Beach thanks to more than 25+ years of professional experience and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. If you need complicated electrical work done on your home, we can help.

Contact the Best in Virginia Beach

Do you need to reevaluate the circuit breaker panel in your home, or are you building a new property and want expert electrical contractors to handle your circuit breaker wiring? Nipper Electric is available to help with a team of fully licensed, insured, and highly experienced electricians ready to handle any type of circuit breaker work in your home or business. Call Nipper Electric today at (757) 842-1710 to make an appointment with our team in Virginia Beach.