Electric meter
Service panel
Main electrical panel & circuit breakers
What to do when the electricity goes out
3- and 4-way switches
Light switches
Electrical receptacles
GFCI's
Ceiling fans
Smoke & fire detectors
Electricity is a wonder. Little more than a century ago, Alexander Graham Bell, Guglielmo Marconi, and Thomas Edison captured this force that is present in all matter and put it to work. Now electricity zings through wires to power the many conveniences that make our lives comfortable. A home's electrical system includes the incoming power lines, electric meter, service panel, subpanels, household wiring, electrical boxes, receptacles (or outlets), switches, and, of course, the appliances that put the power to work, such as fans. Other electrical systems in a house include communications wiring for audio, video, doorbells, telephones, security systems, and intercoms. |
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GFCI's (Ground-fault circuit interrupters)
A ground-fault circuit interrupter, also called a GFI or GFCI, shuts off a circuit instantly if it senses a hazardous short. The receptacle type looks like a regular receptacle except it has a reset button in the middle. In new construction, these are usually required in bathrooms, kitchens and outdoors. Often a GFCI is mounted as the first receptacle along a circuit (between the electrical panel and other receptacles on the same circuit), automatically protecting the others on the same line.
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When the Electricity Goes Out...
Nearly everyone has experienced a power failure once or twice. When this happens, the first thing to do is determine whether the problem lies in your house's system or is a utility company outage. If the whole house is out and it looks like your neighbors have lost power too, call the utility company. If any of your home's electrical power works-receptacles or lights in another room, for example, the problem is with your own system.
The problem is generally caused by an overloaded circuit, a short circuit or loose wiring. If the problem occurred when someone was using a hair dryer, electric heater or some other device that draws a lot of current, it was probably caused by a simple overload. If the circuit is overloaded, a circuit breaker should have tripped or a fuse should have blown. Check the sub-panel or main panel that serves the circuit.
If the problem isn't that simple, turn off or unplug everything from the troubled circuit. Then reset the breaker or replace the fuse. If the circuit blows immediately, there is probably a charred wire or defective device in the circuit that will require replacement. If it doesn't blow, turn lights back on and plug in appliances one by one to check for the overload or short circuit. If the lights or receptacles still don't work, there is probably a loose wire somewhere; call an electrician.
In the United States, most standard home electrical circuits are on a 120-volt line. All conventional duplex receptacles have two places to plug-in devices. As shown in the illustration, contemporary receptacles have a half-round hole that receives the grounding plug on an electrical cord. A contact leads from this hole to a green grounding screw that should be connected to the house ground (metal conduit or a green wire) to provide protection against shock when an appliance is plugged in. Some receptacles in older homes don't have grounding plugs-they have only the paired slots. If your home's receptacles are like these, you've probably discovered grounding adapters, those little plugs that convert the end of a three-pronged plug to two prongs. If you use one of these, be sure to attach the grounding metal flange or green wire to the wall receptacle's center screw (which must be grounded). Otherwise, you'll defeat your electrical system's safety grounding. Outdoor receptacles are mounted with special covers that seal the weather out (standard types are not safe for outdoor use). |
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