It’s time to become acquainted with your electrical panel in Lafayette or New Iberia! When you experience a power outage or flood, it’s great to have a little bit of knowledge about how your electrical panel operates. In an emergency, would you know how to shut off the power to your home? At Pipes & Plugs, our electrical technicians are here to help you during electrical emergencies and to provide any electrical service or electrical repairs you may need, but we’re also here to help you be an informed and savvy homeowner! Here are some of the most important things you need to know about your electric panel.
Where is my electrical panel and why might I need to access it?
Most electrical panels can be found in a basement or a utility room. Sometimes if you run too many electrical appliances at once, you may lose a portion of power in your home and will need to access the electrical panel to restore power. There is also the main shutoff switch that can be used to cut off the power from the entire home in case of an emergency.
What safety precautions should be taken when accessing my electrical panel?
Because electricity can be extremely dangerous, it is very important to call a licensed electrician if you’re ever not sure what to do. Don’t risk injury attempting to figure out an electrical problem by yourself.
Never let children near an electrical panel.
If you do attempt to work with your electrical panel, make sure that your hands are dry and that you are standing on a dry surface.
If your basement floods and you lose power, stay out of the water and do not touch the electrical panel! Call Pipes & Plugs for emergency electrical service right away!
What’s inside my electrical panel and how does it work?
Electrical panels contain circuits or fuses that each allow for power to be distributed to certain outlets of your home. To figure out which circuits control power to which outlets, look at your home’s electrical panel map. If you don’t have a map, you can switch off one breaker or fuse at a time and determine which outlets lose power each time. When you lose power to a part of your home, it can oftentimes be restored by resetting a breaker or a fuse. Again, because any electrical work can be dangerous, it’s best to contact a local electrician for help if you’re not sure what to do!
The licensed electricians at Pipes & Plugs hope that this information helps you to become a more informed homeowner in Lafayette or New Iberia. If you have more questions or need electrical repairs or electrical installations, call to speak with one of our friendly electrical technicians today! At Pipes and Plugs our #1 goal is to provide friendly, quality work 100% of the time.
