Safety for Breaker Panel Installations
Electrical shocks, fires and other hazards can result from faulty or dangerous home breakers. Using the proper safety procedures can help prevent these issues and ensure the panel functions as it should.
Before beginning a new breaker panel installation, it is important to make sure the power is completely off and the working area is clear of other major installations.
1. Turn Off the Power
If you’re adding a circuit to your home or replacing one that has become overloaded, it is important to know how to do this safely. This means that before you even open the breaker panel, you must make sure that the power has been cut off at the breaker box.
Turning off the main breaker shuts off all electricity coming into the panel from the service line, but it doesn’t necessarily shut off the wires that connect to each breaker. You must use a voltage meter to confirm that no electricity is flowing through the panel and into your home.
You should also consider labelling the breaker switches. This will be helpful to anyone who ever works on the panel in the future, and it should help you determine which circuits are controlling different devices. If you don’t have enough room to label each breaker, you should at least mark the location of each device with tape or a marker. This will be helpful in determining what needs to be reset if it is tripped.
2. Remove Metal Jewelry
If a metal jewelry item is accidentally snagged or caught on anything inside the panel it can conduct electricity and complete the circuit, causing shock, burns, or even a fire. Therefore, it’s important that you remove any metal jewelry before installing a breaker panel.
If you’re concerned about someone gaining access to your power and breaking into your home while you’re away, it is easy to get a cabinet lock for your breaker box that will keep them from opening it. This is a cheap and simple solution that will make you feel much more secure while you’re gone.
If you’re replacing a breaker, you’ll need to shut off the power at the main breaker by switching it to the Off position. After you’ve done this, make sure there is no current flowing through the wiring by touching a non-contact voltage tester to the wire terminals on the breaker. If there is no voltage, you can start to replace the screws on the cover. Be careful not to nick or cut any wires as you do this as well.
3. Use Insulated Tools
Many hand tools, such as pliers and cutters, are insulated to protect electricians from electrical shock. This is necessary because electricians often work on or near live equipment. Insulated tools are required by NFPA 70E (National Fire Protection Association standard) to prevent injuries and fatalities while working on or around energized circuits and devices.
The insulation on insulated tools is usually double-insulated. It includes a layer of foam, which is then covered with a thicker outer layer. This is important because an electrical discharge could travel down the steel head of the tool and jump to your hand, potentially causing injury or death.
Insulated tools aren’t just for electricians, though. Anybody who is working on or near live equipment should use them. This includes opening and closing panels, connecting or disconnecting contacts, cutting wire, servicing batteries, installing circuit breakers, and more. If you aren’t sure if your tools are insulated, look for the insulated tool symbol and the voltage rating on them. They should also be clearly labeled.
4. Wear UV-Rated Safety Glasses
A good pair of safety glasses is essential when working with electricity. Standard eyeglasses with metal frames can conduct arcing electricity and cause severe injury. To prevent this, wear a pair of UV-rated safety glasses. These glasses have non-conductive frames and zero metal parts, which effectively insulate against electricity.
A breaker panel is a metal box in the wall that houses multiple electrical switches. These are used to control the power to different areas of a house or business. A breaker panel also contains the main power line that feeds all of your appliances and other devices. Older homes used fuses instead of circuit breakers, but these can pose a fire hazard and are more difficult to reset than a switch. New homes and renovations should use a breaker panel.
While the process of opening a breaker panel and installing a new breaker is relatively simple, it can be dangerous without proper precautions. This is why it’s so important to follow these tips when installing a breaker panel. If you follow these guidelines, you should be able to install your own breaker panel without any trouble.
5. Snap the Breaker into Place
If you have a fuse box in your home, it might be time to upgrade to a breaker panel. Fuse boxes are not designed to handle the current that modern homes use, and they can be dangerous if overloaded. To ensure safety, a professional electrician should start by turning off the power to the breaker box. They will then remove the old breaker and replace it with a new one that is the right size for the house.
When installing a new breaker, it's important to make sure that the breaker snaps into place properly. The two thick, black service wires that run from the breaker box carry 120 volts from the electrical meter and connect to hot bus bars in the panel. Circuit breakers snap into place on one or both of these bars to provide electricity to individual circuits in the home. The breaker should snap into place with some force, and the back of the breaker should line up with a metal knockout in the panel cover.
6. Secure the Cable
The first thing most homeowners see when they open the door to their breaker panel is two rows of numbered switches. Each switch controls a specific circuit in the home. If a breaker is turned ON, it allows power to flow through that circuit. If the breaker is turned OFF, it cuts off power to that circuit. This protects your appliances and home from electrical fires caused by overheating wires.
West Palm Beach electrician take pride in how their work is done, and this includes how they route wires into a breaker panel. They keep them as organized as possible to make it easier to identify which wires connect to each breaker. This also helps prevent wires from brushing against hot bus bars, which can create a fire hazard.
The electrician pulls the main service wires through a conduit opening outside of the house using a fish tape and then into the breaker panel. They strip the ends of the wires to expose only enough insulation to make the connection to the breaker panel terminal lugs. Then the electrician bends each black wire for easy installation to the main breaker.
7. Secure the Cable to the Box
Once you have snapped the breaker into place, it is important to make sure the cable is secured to the box. This will prevent the wires from pulling out of the box if the breaker trips.
If the wires pull out of the box, they can potentially cause a fire or an electric shock. In order to prevent this, it is important to use a wire connector to secure the cable to the box.
Ideally, the connector should be placed on the end of the wire that is closest to the breaker. This will ensure that the screw on the breaker will be tightened against bare wire.
In addition, it is important to test the panel before adding a circuit. Most electrical panels will indicate if there is power on any of the circuits by showing a “0” or indicator light. If you are not sure if the panel can handle a new circuit, it is recommended that you test it using a voltage tester or meter. This will help you estimate the total draw of a new circuit and ensure that the breaker is rated to handle it.
8. Secure the Cable to the Structure
Breaker panels, electrical panels, or circuit breaker boxes – whatever you call them, they're a crucial piece of equipment that all electricity passes through. If you don't treat them with care, they can become a fire hazard or electrocution risk.
You should never be working on a live panel without shutting off the power first. Even if the main breaker is turned off, the exposed stabs in the bus bar may still have power on them and should not be touched until this is confirmed.
Using insulated tools and eye protection, along with reading the manual for your specific panel, should help you stay safe while working on electrical equipment. It's also important to distribute wires evenly between the terminals in the panel so that it doesn't overload and overheat, potentially causing a fire. Breakers should never be taped or otherwise secured in the closed (on) position, as this can cause electric shocks or shorts that can lead to arcing and fires. If you're not comfortable working on your breaker panel, we recommend calling in an electrician to do it for you.
Electrical shocks, fires and other hazards can result from faulty or dangerous home breakers. Using the proper safety procedures can help prevent these issues and ensure the panel functions as it should. Before beginning a new breaker panel installation, it is important to make sure the power is completely off and the working area is…