There are a lot of frustrating things that come about with electrical problems, but perhaps one of the most annoying is having to buy a replacement fuse. It’s happened to all of us homeowners at least once and it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient of times.

But what should you do when your fuse panel problems begin to become more frequent? Or what if you have DIY remodeling project coming up to make room for an air conditioner, computer, big-screen TV, or some other large electrical appliance? How can you be certain that your fuse panel would be able to handle another large load on your home’s circuit panel?

If your home’s electrical performance is suffering or you worry about future performance, it may be time to replace your circuit breaker or, at the very least, adding additional circuits to prevent overloading of existing circuits.

So where should you start first?

Testing Your Circuit Breaker

When you’re trying to figure out an electrical problem, you’ll first want to identify the correct circuit that’s giving you problems. First, unplug any devices on the affected circuit and turn off any lights. Next, inspect the position of each circuit breaker in the service panel. The tripped switch will be leaning toward the OFF side or it will have a popped red button. Mainly, just look for the one circuit breaker that isn’t like the rest.

When you’ve found the problematic circuit, you’ll want to double check your circuit map (if you can) to make sure it is indeed the correct circuit. Check again that everything is off or unplugged and then reset the circuit breaker (Sometimes you’ll need to wait a period of time for it to reset properly).

When it resets, start turning devices back on, one by one. If it immediately flips off again or does so once everything is plugged in, you’ve got a problem!

Time To Make a Circuit Breaker Replacement

Circuit breakers are designed to last for a long time, but, like most things, they can simply become worn out or broken. When you’re ready to look into a replacement, call us at Kelly Electric. We can make an even more thorough inspection and diagnosis. You may need a whole new circuit breaker panel or you may just need to add some additional circuits.

There’s nothing worse than power going out when you want to be able to do something simple, like use a hair-straightener and a hair dryer at the same time, or the coffee machine and the microwave at the same time.

Let us save you the hassle of buying replacement fuses. Give us a call and we can properly assess the situation!