3 Signs It's Time To Upgrade Your Circuit Breakers
Your electrical system is easily one of the most important components throughout your entire home, and among all of the various components that come together to make up your electrical system, your circuit breaker is, without a doubt, the most crucial element. Because your circuit breaker is such a critical component in your home's electrical system, it can be particularly troublesome when something starts to go wrong. Identifying when your circuit breaker is in need of an upgrade is important as it not only plays a role in the overall function of your home, but also the safety, as faulty and outdated circuit breakers are a very common cause of electrical fires in homes all over the country. To help you identify some of the signs that your home's current circuit breaker is due for an upgrade, our team of skilled New Orleans electricians have taken the time to put together this short list highlighting just a few of the common signs you can be on the lookout for that indicate it's time for a new circuit breaker.
Your Breakers Are Frequently Tripping
Your circuit breakers are designed to trip when they become overloaded in order to stop the flow of electricity in order to prevent overheating and other forms of damage to your breakers, your wiring, and your home. This tripping is usually caused because the energy being used in your home is exceeding the capacity of what your circuit breaker is able to safely distribute around your home, and the breaker trips to protect itself. While this is designed to function this way, if you notice that your breakers seem like they’re constantly tripping, it could be an indicator that it's time to upgrade your circuit breaker to something newer that is better able to keep up with your energy demands.
Breakers Won't Remain Reset
Typically when your circuit breaker trips, all you have to do is flip the breaker back on and the flow of power will be restored. If you notice that any of your breakers won't stay open once you have reset them, however, it could be a sign that there is a bigger issue you need to deal with. Breakers that won't reset, or won't stay reset after you have done so are usually an indicator of a problem with your circuit breaker as a whole. If that's the case, the best thing you can do is invest in a circuit breaker upgrade that will enhance the capacity of your energy system.
Your System Uses Fuses Instead Of Breakers
If your home is a bit older, there is a chance that your electrical system uses a fuse box instead of the more modern circuit breaker system. While fuses aren't inherently dangerous, they are a more outdated, and therefore riskier, safety system. Most systems that still uses fuses were designed when the electrical needs of most homes were much less than they are today, which makes them more unreliable and more of a hazard than they were in the past.
