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Home Service Panel
Every home has a service panel that distributes electricity to switches, outlets, and appliances. The service
panel is usually found in the basement, garage, or utility area.
When a short or overload shuts down power to a circuit, this is where you can restore the flow. It is also
where you will shut down power to a circuit before starting a project or repair.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
All service panels are equipped with fuses or circuit breakers that protect the wires in each circuit from
overheating and causing a fire. In general, older service panels use fuses, while more modern systems
rely on circuit breakers.
Fuses and circuit breakers are safety devices that help prevent overloading of your home electrical system
and prevent fires. They stop the electrical current if it exceeds the safe level for some portion of your home
electrical system.
Fuses
Service panels installed before 1965 use fuses to protect each individual circuit. Early fuses were
commonly used in 30- and 60-amp service panels. Today, new homes require 100- to 200-amp service
panels in order to provide proper protection.
There are several different types of fuses, and picking the right one may seem confusing at first. Each
fuse is marked with a code, which provides information about the type of base and the degree of time
delay, if any.
Instructions for Replacing Fuses
Once a fuse is blown, it must be unscrewed and thrown away. When replacing fuses in your service panel:
Always make sure that the replacement fuse matches the amperage rating of the circuit.
Never replace a fuse with one that has a larger amperage rating. This is a very dangerous practice and a
serious fire hazard.
Circuit Breakers
All newer homes are protected by circuit breakers. Unlike a fuse that must be replaced when it blows, a
circuit breaker that has “tripped” can be mechanically reset to resume operations once the problem has
been resolved. A tripped breaker is likely the result of too many appliances overloading the circuit and
should be fixed immediately.
Instructions for Resetting a Tripped Breaker
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)
AFCIs are new protective devices that replace standard circuit breakers in the electric service panel.
AFCIs provide enhanced protection against additional fire hazards known as arc faults. An arc fault is a
dangerous electrical problem caused by damaged, overheated, or stressed electrical wiring or devices.
Without AFCIs, arc faults may be hidden from plain view until it is too late.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Healthy Homes Report listed the absence of
AFCIs among the primary residential hazards associated with burns and fire-related injuries.
In fact, these devices are so effective that the 2008 edition of the National Electrical Code now requires
that they be used to protect almost every circuit in the home.
Every home has a service panel that distributes electricity to switches, outlets, and appliances. The service
panel is usually found in the basement, garage, or utility area.
When a short or overload shuts down power to a circuit, this is where you can restore the flow. It is also
where you will shut down power to a circuit before starting a project or repair.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
All service panels are equipped with fuses or circuit breakers that protect the wires in each circuit from
overheating and causing a fire. In general, older service panels use fuses, while more modern systems
rely on circuit breakers.
Fuses and circuit breakers are safety devices that help prevent overloading of your home electrical system
and prevent fires. They stop the electrical current if it exceeds the safe level for some portion of your home
electrical system.
Fuses
Service panels installed before 1965 use fuses to protect each individual circuit. Early fuses were
commonly used in 30- and 60-amp service panels. Today, new homes require 100- to 200-amp service
panels in order to provide proper protection.
There are several different types of fuses, and picking the right one may seem confusing at first. Each
fuse is marked with a code, which provides information about the type of base and the degree of time
delay, if any.
Instructions for Replacing Fuses
Once a fuse is blown, it must be unscrewed and thrown away. When replacing fuses in your service panel:
Always make sure that the replacement fuse matches the amperage rating of the circuit.
Never replace a fuse with one that has a larger amperage rating. This is a very dangerous practice and a
serious fire hazard.
Circuit Breakers
All newer homes are protected by circuit breakers. Unlike a fuse that must be replaced when it blows, a
circuit breaker that has “tripped” can be mechanically reset to resume operations once the problem has
been resolved. A tripped breaker is likely the result of too many appliances overloading the circuit and
should be fixed immediately.
Instructions for Resetting a Tripped Breaker
 | Unplug or turn off appliances in the room. | |
| Find your main breaker panel and open the cover. | |
| Locate the tripped breaker or blown fuse. A tripped circuit breaker will be in the off position or in a | |
| middle position between on and off. | ||
| To reset the breaker switch it to off position and then back to on. This may restore power to the | |
| room. If the problem continues, there may be more serious issues. Contact an electrician to diagnose the problem. |
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)
AFCIs are new protective devices that replace standard circuit breakers in the electric service panel.
AFCIs provide enhanced protection against additional fire hazards known as arc faults. An arc fault is a
dangerous electrical problem caused by damaged, overheated, or stressed electrical wiring or devices.
Without AFCIs, arc faults may be hidden from plain view until it is too late.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Healthy Homes Report listed the absence of
AFCIs among the primary residential hazards associated with burns and fire-related injuries.
In fact, these devices are so effective that the 2008 edition of the National Electrical Code now requires
that they be used to protect almost every circuit in the home.
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