COMMENTARY: In the house I live in now I was in the panel and found that someone had wired up two recepticles to one 30 amp breaker and didn't use a fitting for the knock out. They also didn't guide the wires through the box. This caused the wires to rub on the Hot leg of the box. Needless to say the insulation was black and worn through. I had to install a fitting in the box, re-run the wire and put in a double mini 15 amp breaker to fix this problem. I also found that all my GFCI covered recepticles were being protected by one recepticle in the upstairs bathroom. I will say this is code, but I have had to replace these at work because they went bad. I just don't feel comfortable with single backup protection. I replaced the regular breaker with a GFCI breaker. I feel my family is safer and it was worth the time and $60.00. Some would say it is fine but I just faal better useing a breaker. To this point I thought all my outside recepticles were on this circuit but they weren't. One outside recepticle wasn't on that circuit and it didn't have a GFCI recepticle installed. Yes, I put one in and I felt better.
Installment 1: Breakers What do they do?
Commentary: You know the breakers in your breaker panel. You should have a listing of what is powered by each breaker. Usually you will have some listed as lighting. The only way to check it without buying equipment is to shut each one off and test them.
Standard Tools Required: Portable Radio or Light
Special Tools Required: N/A
Special Parts Required: N/A
NOTE: Although you will not be in contact with live electric wires electricity is dangerous and should be respected. This list and knowledge will help when you are working on electric in your house and need to remove power from a circuit. In my first house I borrowed a circuit tracer from work it made it alittle easier.
1a. Create a list that includes all breakers and leave room for what is powered by them.
1b. Create a crude drawing of your house room by room and make a mark for all recepticles and where they are located. This will be the point where I say that on some houses without overhead lights one half of one recepticle will be controlled by a switch on the wall.
1c. Generally the breakers labled stove or waterheater if electric will only handle those items and will not be listed. If you have an old home someone may have accidentally used that circuit to power something else.
2. Turn off one breaker and go room by room and check every recepticle and light to determine what is on that breaker (this is where the portable radio or lamp come in). Repeat this for each breaker until you have done all the breakers. You shouldn't have anything left on your list. Every electrical recepticle, light, and main appliance in your house should be on this list. If not then maybe you need to recheck it.
3. Now you are ready to do electrical work.