| Analyzing the System |
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The first step is figuring out your current electrical system. The place to start the search is at the service panel. Electrical service comes in to your home as 240-volt electricity with two hot (electrified) wires and a neutral wire. Electric ranges and dryers use both hot wires for 240v service. Just about everything else in the home requires 120v service derived from one of the hot wires and the neutral wire. The neutral wire also is connected to a grounding system in the service panel, the box where electrical service comes into your home. Remodeling Words A service panel is box or panel where the electricity is distributed to the house circuits. It contains the circuit breakers and, usually, the main disconnect switch. The service panel may be part of or attached to the main breaker or fuse panel that distributes the electricity to individual circuits in your home. Circuit breakers or fuses are the weakest link in the circuit chain, designed to turn off the circuit if there is an overload in it. The breaker can be turned back on or the fuse replaced once the problem is solved. Remodeling Words A circuit breaker is a safety device used to interrupt the flow of power when the electricity exceeds a predetermined amount. Unlike a fuse, you can reset a circuit breaker. So your first task is to map the existing electrical system if it hasn’t already been done so. Professional electricians typically label all the breakers or fuses in the service panel. If not, or if you suspect that a circuit has been added or changed, you can map the existing circuits on paper. Indicate what the circuit controls (bedroom light, kitchen plugs) and their value, in amps, written on the breaker or fuse (15, 20, 30, 40). Remodeling Safety Uncomfortable working around electricity? You should be. Electricity can bite. However, if you follow common-sense rules—make sure the circuit is off before working on it, wear rubber-soled shoes, use the correct tools—you should be safe. Take your time and plan the job before doing it. Once done, if you’re still uncomfortable, have an electrician take a look at it before turning it on.
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