ROHNERT PARK — Your main electrical panel is the control center of your home’s electrical system. Not only does this panel provide power to your home, it also protects you from hazards by shutting off the power when something goes wrong (commonly known as “tripping a breaker”). For these reasons, it’s important to confirm that your panel is functioning properly and address any outdated, worn-out or improperly installed components. Here are seven common issues to look for in your electrical panel:
1. Double-lugged breakers 
A double-lugged circuit breaker means there are two wires (circuits) going into a single breaker. This is an example of improper wiring, typically done as an attempt to fit wires where space is limited. When a breaker is double-lugged, it can result in over-feeding of the wires, which can cause the breaker to trip prematurely. In contrast, a panel that’s wired correctly will have a designated breaker for each individual wire.
2. Incorrectly sized breakers/wires 
Different sizes of electrical wires correspond to specific breaker sizes, so when wires and breakers are incorrectly matched, it can lead to problems. For example, installing a size 14 wire into a size 20 amp breaker may seem like a good way to gain some additional power, but this will actually cause the wire to break down and short out prematurely.
3. Double-lugged neutral wires 
Just as with double-lugged breakers, it’s common for neutral wires to be incorrectly paired up when space is limited. However, each individual wire should have its own space on the neutral bar. There are approved methods to create more space for neutral wires without resorting to double-lugging.
4. Jumbled wiring 
A sloppy wiring job doesn’t just look bad, it also makes it difficult for you or your electrician to identify which wires go where. To avoid this, wires should be secured with zip ties to maintain a neat appearance.
5. Loose meter clamps 
Behind your panel, you’ll find the meter jaws, which are exterior connectors that send electricity from the panel into your home. Over time, a panel’s meter jaws can become loose, which can lead to problems like overheating and arcing. If left unresolved, this issue will eventually lead to power loss.
6. No Romex protection 
Romex is a composite cable that consists of several electrical wires bundled together by a plastic sheathing. To preserve Romex cables, protection like bushings and connectors should be in place at the holes where the cables exit the panel. Since these holes in the panel’s metallic box can be sharp, this protection will prevent deterioration from abrasion over time.
7. No grounding 
Grounding is a crucial aspect of any modern electrical system. However, it’s not uncommon for electricians to find panels and wiring that were installed before grounding was required by code, so make sure your panel contains proper grounding.

7 Common Electrical Panel Issues

Discover solutions to seven frequent electrical panel problems. Learn how to keep your home safe with expert tips on identifying and resolving these issues.

7 Common Electrical Panel Issues by Will Phinney

By Will Phinney of {BR} Reyff Electric, Inc.

Simple (But Impactful) Upgrades for Your Electrical System

Video: Products to Improve Your Electrical System


did you know there's a variety of
products that can improve the safety and
functionality of your electrical system
to learn more word Rohnert Park with Ben
graves of brief electric speaking on
behalf of our diamond certified expert
contributor will Finney today we're
going to go over some devices that may
inspire you to change in your home or
even upgrade to your in your home to
make your home safe and give you a
better value for your product the with
what you have here is you really want
your products to work best for you so in
here we have seen some items that can
help you clean the clutter in your home
so we have some USB devices over here
you have some HDMI devices there where
you can plug them into the wall so when
you move you just remove the device
instead some tamper-resistant receptacle
x' so your children are safe so you're
not plugging in devices that are
unwanted to the electrical plug itself
we have a media panel here this hides
all of your cords behind the TV or your
computer it also has a surge protector
that protects your media equipment so if
there's a surge or a spike in the system
it protects your equipment and will
alarm and actually trigger an alarm and
notify you that something is occurred
and then there's a reset button inside
over here we have some USB plugs if your
children are constantly losing your your
charging port like mine I always have
children that are constantly losing my
my my charging device so you just plug
it into the USB directly here is a basic
GFI receptacle tamper resistant tamper
resistant is code so you always have to
have a temporary zips resistant
receptacle when you're building a new
product or someone is installing those
over here we have a couple timer
functions for your restrooms
I recommend that the device on the left
you have a five minutes a four hour so
if you're wanting to have a room being
exhaust with a fan or if you're having
your children are constantly leaving the
lights on put it in a timer save your
energy bill how these products work for
you
not you work for your product then you
have an exterior timer that we recommend
you can kind of set it and forget it you
basically set it for astronomical time
clock and it will constantly change with
the timing of of the seasons and always
have your lights or whatever you may
have Christmas lights or exterior
lighting turn on and off on their own
over here we have a motion sensor which
is good for restrooms and different
occupancy levels like again again if
your kids always leaving the lights on
put in a motion sensor and your lights
will always shut off on a time frame
over here we have a humidity sensor it's
great for restrooms when they're taking
showers or whatnot
the humidity divide the humidity will be
picked up by that device and turn off
your fan the end result is that these
products start to save you money instead
of you constantly wasting your money so
get these things automatic which is a
best thing for you here we have a couple
of displays of dimmer functions a couple
different types and styles there's many
more to choose from just here's a few
here's a fan of light combination switch
the great thing about this device is it
fits into one switch you don't have two
switches you only have one with the fire
dangers that are in Northern California
we recommend these these smoke detectors
one's a kitty and the other one is a
First Alert the First Alert is a 10 year
battery life life life long life long
battery this is a kitty also has a 10
year lifespan so you really have to set
it and forget it and then also if you
want your home or business to go
wireless
if you like to control and see the
function of of what your usage may be or
if you like to control your products via
off your Bluetooth phone or tablet you
can do that you can make your entire
home smart home we just simply install
these products this is a hub if you
would also like to do a three-way switch
you have a hallway restroom bedroom
these are remote switches you can sync
up to 10 devices on this one switch and
so what this does is we have a hardwired
dimmer that can go that that will talk
to this we sync them instead of running
wires throughout your home we can just
put on these wireless devices and some
daylight sensors and some
sensors as well so these are some of the
the products that'll help you but we
want your products to work best for you
and I knew everybody
to learn more from local top rated
companies visit our diamond certified
expert reports at experts diamond
certified org


Will Phinney: From Brokering to Breakers

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