What is the Importance of Circuit Breaker?
A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and, by interrupting continuity, to immediately discontinue electrical flow. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then has to be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation. Circuit breakers are made in varying sizes, from small devices that protect an individual household appliance up to large switchgear designed to protect high voltage circuits feeding an entire city or operation within an industry. A circuit breaker is an overcurrent device. It prevents fire and also protects someone from electrocution by automatically switching off if the link is strong and it detects electrical shock.
Today I learnt one very important thing from my Trainer during the Safety Level 1 training that “Circuit breakers” are put or installed for a purpose.
The very important function that I believe not many of us know either back at home or at work place.
When someone is electrocuted for example when toasting the bread the bread got stuck in the toaster and without switching the power off he/she uses the knife to remove the break. He/she gets electrical shock. How will this person be saved? Well, it was as simple as it is.
The Power trips or automatically switches off. Why because of the circuit breaker.
What causes the Electrical Circuit Breaker to trip?
The circuit breakers in our homes are designed to give us protection against 3 things, but this protective equipment has almost always been overlooked and taken for granted. 90% of house owners never bother to check if their circuit breaker is in good working condition regularly.
To prevent us from getting electrocuted in cases of electrical leakage
A Circuit breaker, if it is working properly, detects electrical leakages through the earthing of the equipment we are using, especially if the equipment is made of or encased with a metal body like a kettle. a refrigerator or an oven. It is of utmost importance that all electrical appliances with a metal body be properly earthed. This means there should be an earth wire (the green color one) attached to the body of the electrical equipment.
A lot of DIY enthusiast forgo this practice because they are ignorant of the consequences. Sometimes they just leave the earth wire disconnected. No doubt the equipment will work without a hitch without the earth wire. The problem is, if there is a leakage, it will also keep running. Only this time the whole metal body will be “electrified” and anyone who touches the apparatus when it is switched on will be electrocuted.
If the earth wire is properly attached, the circuit breaker will detect that there is current present at the earth source and the built in protective coils will automatically trips the circuit, preventing any mishaps.
Preventing the circuit from overloading
Circuit overload can happen from lightning strikes, or more commonly loose connections in electrical appliances, starters or fuses. Electrical connections can loosened over years of use. Once these terminals become loose, the contact points will gets heated up due to improper contact with each other. Most of the time, it will gets so hot that it will melt the part where the terminals are loose and in worse scenario, a small fire will start to burn. When that happens, the duty if the circuit breaker is to trip of the electrical supple automatically.
Preventing Damage to Appliances due to wrong connections
Many a times, if a cable is too short, we resort to joining the cables ourselves. If we are not careful or in many cases, they simply don’t know, they will twist the live wire and the neutral wire together. This will cause a serious short circuit and if the circuit breaker is not functioning, you will certainly experience a small explosion at the mains.
How to check if the Circuit Breaker is functioning
All main circuit breakers comes with a test button. Press that button regularly to check if the circuit breaker trips. Another way is to use a test lamp which you can make yourself. Use two strands of wires about 1/2 a meter long, connect one end to a simple lamp holder and plug in a 100 watt bulb. Leave the other ends bare with the copper wires exposed. Choose any socket outlet in your house. With the socket in “off” position, pry open the openings by inserting a screwdriver into “earth” terminal which the one on the top hand side. When you see the two small openings at the bottom opened, insert one strand of the test lamp’s wire inside the “live” terminal which is the one on the right. Insert the other end onto the other terminal on the left. Switch on the socket. If the circuit is alright, the bulb will light up. If not, he circuit breaker will trip.
Now, switch off the socket again. Remove your screwdriver from the earth terminal. Pull out the wire from the left side and stick it into the “earth” terminal. Switch on the socket. If the circuit breaker trips, then the circuit breaker is okay. If the bulb lights up again or nothing happen, then your circuit breaker needs to be replaced.
An electrical circuit is only as strong as its weakest link. When the voltage rating of a device is exceeded, it arcs. Current overloads are less obvious and easier to create. When the current rating of a device is overloaded, the device gets hot, eventually burning up. This can cause a fire.
You want your breaker to be your weakest link, because it is designed to safely handle overcurrent situations. If your breaker is not the weakest link, wiring or a wiring device in your home will fail first, possibly setting your home on fire.
Some things to remember:
· A breaker is a safety device. It is there to protect conductors and equipment.
· Only a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breaker will protect people from a shock or electrocution.
· If it pops, something is wrong. Chances are it is not the breaker! It is against the NEC to reset a breaker unless you know it was an overload condition. If it is a short-circuit, it must be fixed before resetting.
· Do not replace a breaker with a larger one. The circuit it is feeding cannot handle the extra current and will burn up before the new breaker trips.
· If a breaker trips frequently, chances are it is overloaded. Look into splitting the circuit it powers into multiple circuits on multiple breakers.
· If in doubt, call an electrician. Negligence is fatal with electricity.
