Speak the (electric) language

How well do you understand what powers your home?

Many people move into a home without understanding its electrical system. Your electric cooperative handles the line portion up to the attachment point on the house. Everything beyond that point is the consumer-member’s responsibility.  

In most cases, your electrical service panel is inside your home. The service panel sends electricity to light switches, outlets and appliances. If your electricity short-circuits or an overload shuts down power, your service panel is where you will go to restore the flow.  

Depending on the age of your home, either fuses or circuit breakers help keep the electrical system from overloading, preventing an electrical fire. The main breaker cuts all power to the home, and the individual circuit breakers administer power to individual parts of the home. All of the circuits and what they power should be labeled in the service panel. A couple times a year, try turning each breaker on and off. This helps familiarize you with each component of the box and will keep them from getting stuck.  

You are responsible for making sure no circuits are overloaded. A general rule when setting up your breakers is to have only one big ticket item on a circuit. If your circuits frequently overload, it may be time to contact an electrician to add more circuits to your service panel. 

Electric lingo  

When you call an electrician to assist you with a problem, it’s helpful to know the lingo: 

Electrical service panel: Distributes electricity to switches, outlets and appliances. This is where you can restore the flow to an overloaded circuit or shut down the power to the circuit.  

Fuse: Safety device used to protect individual circuits that were installed in homes before 1965. Blown fuses in these homes must be replaced. 

Circuit breakers: Safety devices used to protect individual circuits in newer homes. When a circuit is “tripped” it just has to be mechanically reset to resume operating.  

Arc fault: A dangerous electrical problem caused by damaged, overheated or stressed electrical wiring or devices. 

Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs): These are new protective devices that replace standard circuit breakers in electric service panels. AFCIs provide enhanced protection against additional fire hazards known as arc faults.