Which electric panel is best for your house, are you wondering? Homes with electric panels can easily control the electricity in any room of the house. Ensure safety and efficiency with the right electrical panel box. Find high-quality options for residential and commercial applications at competitive prices. A household electrical panel is an integral part of your property’s electrical distribution system and can be installed in different configurations depending on your property’s size. In this blog, we will learn what you need to know about household electrical panels and how they operate. So, let’s dive in!
What is an Electric Panel?
An electrical panel is the core of your home’s electrical system, with circuit breakers or fuses that can protect your home from electrical hazards. If you want to upgrade or replace the electrical panel of your home, you have to understand the entire electrical system of your home. Knowing how your electrical panel works is very important to prevent hazards from occurring. So, let’s see how electric panels work for homes.
How Does it Work?
An electrical panel is the main distribution point for electrical circuits in your home. It receives electricity from your local utility grid and distributes it throughout your home.
The electric panel for homes includes the main breaker panel with the main switch controlling all circuits. Therefore, if there is an electrical problem, you can use the main switch to manually turn off all electricity in your home and prevent further damage.
Which Electric Panel Types Are Available for Homes?
There are four main types of electrical panels that play an integral role in the home’s power distribution system. However, your home may not need to install all these electrical panels. However, you may need several electric panels depending on the home’s power requirements. Let’s learn about four types of electrical panels for household power distribution:
Main Breaker Panel
- The main breaker panel is the central component of the House’s electrical system and has two primary roles.
- It distributes electricity from the utility company to the circuit of your home.
- This protects them from overloads by turning off the power in the circuit when too much current flows into your home’s wiring.
Main Lug Panel
The main breaker panels and the main lug panels are similar. However, the main difference is that the main lug panel does not have main breakers. Therefore, they can only distribute electricity to your home’s electrical system. If your home has a main lug panel, you can install a main breaker separately for electrical protection.
Sub-Panels
You may have seen a small panel next to your main electrical panel. This small panel is called a sub-panel. It is usually used to power specific devices.
Subpanels rely on the main electrical panel as they distribute power from the main panel to various circuits in the House.
Fuse Box
You may have already heard about the fuse box. Most electrical panels of homes in India have a fuse box that controls the electric current. Its role is to prevent circuit overload by short-circuiting when excessive current flow is detected.
Which Electric Panel Capabilities Are Available for Homes?
- Which Electric Panel Capabilities Are Available for Homes? Electrical panels are of three main types depending on capacity –
- – 100, 125, or 150-amps: electric panels of these capacities are considered a better replacement for older 60 or 80-amps. However, they are still rarely used due to their incompatibility with AFCI breakers that can detect unsafe electric arcs.
- – 200-amps panels: 200-amps electric panels are the standard type which is the minimum requirement for most modern homes. Therefore, most homes in India have a 200-amp panel.
- – 400-amp panels: 400-amp electric panels are mostly required for large homes with high electrical requirements. Therefore, they are quite unusual for home use.
How Can I Pick the Right Electric Panels for My House?
When choosing an electric panel, you should consider the energy needs of your home. To run your electrical mechanism efficiently and safely, you must select an electrical panel with sufficient amperage. Choosing electrical panels with an amperage lower than the household requirement can cause damage to the electrical system and equipment.
How to Maintain Electric Panels for Home?
- The average lifespan of electrical panels is 25-40 years. However, periodically checking your electrical panels is important to ensure their smooth operation. Some other ways you can maintain your home’s electrical panels –
- – Check your electrical panels to see if they smell burning. If your electrical panels smell bad, consider replacing them.
- – Be sure to check the capacity of your electric panel before installing large equipment. If the capacity of your electrical panels is insufficient, be sure to upgrade them with a higher-capacity panel.
- – Electrical panels can use fuses or circuit breakers for electrical protection. However, maintenance of Fuse-based electrical panels is more complicated. The fuses of these electrical panels must be replaced by the correct fuse size.
- On the other hand, electrical panels with circuit breakers do not require replacement when tripped. Therefore, consider replacing fuse-based panels with circuit breaker panels for easier maintenance.
- – If your electrical panels show signs of rusting, replace them immediately and check for water leaks.
- – Most electrical panels work silently; therefore, if your electrical panels are making abnormally loud noises, get a technician to check them.
Conclusion
Electric panels for homes are an important part of the electrical system. They power all electrical circuits in your home. Proper maintenance of these panels is essential for better efficiency. Therefore, you must have a basic understanding of the electrical panel of your home. You should ensure that your electric panel is always ready for the task with sufficient knowledge.
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