There are several things every homeowner should know about his property, regardless if they’ve built it themselves or if they just moved in. Those two things are the main water valve and where the main circuit breaker is located and how to operate them safely in case of an emergency or maintenance.
Why is a circuit breaker so important
The circuit breaker, just like the main water valve, is the point of entry of electrical energy to your house. Electricity acts in a very similar way to water flow and requires some way of correcting it’s course, or in circumstances where there’s far too much pressure or flow, to shut off the system to prevent it from damaging anything it’s hooked-up to.
It provides voltage limitation fail-safe
One of the main uses of miniature circuit breakers is to provide some sort of limitation to the amount of electrical energy which enters into a circuit. Why is this important? Because electricity is not a self-limiting source and will build-up to a point where it can be dangerous both for the user and the system itself, so in cases where it acts up, a circuit breaker will shut the system down automatically.
This limiter has its pros and cons and just like anything in life, those must be considered when making a choice. The pros are protection for all consumers involved, while the cons are that if its limit is too low, it might trip without actually requiring.
Such a trip can be caused by turning on a stove and the root of the problem is the low threshold of the breaker itself and not the stove. This is why it’s important to calculate the amount of electrical energy which will be drawn from the grid in order to provide a safe threshold.
Protects appliances and electrical system
It’s important to have a circuit breaker because it provides vital protection to the entire circuit of your property. This means that each room can be linked to that circuit breaker and a specific switch and operated separately.
This provides adjustability when maintenance of a certain circuit is required and gives the user to option to have the rest of the house operational while local maintenance or infrastructure changes are occurring.
The main reason circuit breakers are used is to protect the conduits from overcharge which can occur when far too much current is passing through them. This over-current can burn out a conduit, causing a short circuit to occur behind a wall, catching fire and causing a whole lot of damage – the breaker will shut off all power to the property once this is detected.
The same goes for appliances and other electrical machinery like DIY tools and so on – better to be safe than sorry, especially when working with electricity.
Protects the end user
Miniature circuit breakers from ElmarkHolding.eu are especially designed to provide protection for the end user, keeping him away from the dangerously high currents and voltage spikes. All units are insulated and come in an insulating box which is made from PA plastic.