Electrical panel labeling & circuit tracing
Are you having problems with a circuit, circuit breaker, outlet, or switch in your house? Do you have “nuisance” trips of some circuit breakers? Do you have some switches or outlets that don’t have power? Is your circuit breaker panel properly labeled? Do you know which circuit breakers control which circuits? Are you considering installing an emergency generator and want to know which critical circuits should be fed by the generator? Would you like to be able to know which breaker to turn off when you want to deenergize a circuit? Is your panel schedule out of date, and not helpful or wrong in determining which breaker to turn off? Are some circuit breakers not labeled? Are you considering a home improvement which will require rewiring and/or adding to your power panel and are not sure if your panel can accommodate the new/modified circuits?
Well, you’ve come to the right place! One of my passions is helping to teach and educate homeowners about their options when it comes to electrical repairs, and esp. when it comes to being better informed about how their house is powered electrically. And having a properly labeled electrical panel will make assessing electrical problems that much easier.
The benefits of a properly labeled electrical panel
The most important reason to label your electrical panel is for safety. In the event of an emergency, you may need to quickly shut the power off to an appliance or receptacle, and you need to know which circuit controls it. Seconds matter during an emergency, and you don’t want to be guessing which breaker or fuse to turn off. Of course, you could turn off the master breaker, but then your whole house would be without power (and without lights!).
Another reason for labeling your electrical panel is for clarity and ease of use. When each circuit breaker correctly points to an area of the house, or a particularly power-hungry appliance, spotting what went wrong can be much more straightforward. Additionally, if electrical repairs are needed, you can quickly turn off the affected areas without cutting off power from the rest of the house.
Perhaps you are considering installing an emergency generator for your home, and want to know which of your existing circuits are your “critical” circuits that you want to be powered in the event of a power failure. Since the generator output is limited to only 30A - 50A or so, you will want all circuits breakers turned off, except for the circuits that are your critical circuits so that you don’t overload and trip your generator. By having a detailed and up-to-date panel schedule, you will be able to readily determine which circuit breakers need to be on and which need to be off in the event of an emergency.
Of course, it is possible for you as a homeowner to identify which circuits go to which circuits breakers, but it takes lot of time and trial and error (and usually a second person to help), and most homeowners never do it. With special circuit tracing tools, though, the task can be completed in a lot less time, and you can have a clearly labeled panel schedule available at your fingertips. I have these tools, and would be glad to trace out the circuits in your home and create a detailed panel schedule for you!
SAMPLE BLANK PANEL SCHEDULE
What to do when outlets or switches don’t work?
Occasionally, switches or outlets fail to work. Usually, it is due to a switch or outlet that has something wrong with it and needs to be replaced. But sometimes, the circuit feeding the switch or outlet has stopped supplying power. The root causes of these issues can be harder to determine. Frequently, the cause can be traced to a tripped GFCI outlet. Sometimes, though, it is due to a bad connection somewhere in your house. Locating a bad connection can be especially difficult to troubleshoot. It is very helpful when troubleshooting these types of issues to have a properly labeled electrical panel. If you have an older home, or one that is susceptible to electrical issues, please make sure that your electrical panel is properly labeled.
If you have an electrical panel that is not adequately labeled, I’d be glad to trace your circuits and create a detailed panel schedule for you! If you have switches or outlets that have suddenly stopped working, I’d be glad to troubleshoot those for you!
CONTACT ME TODAY
You can contact me by filling out the form at this link, or you may call me at directly 859-227-8314 (if I don’t answer, please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can).
