Keeping careful tabs on your building's electrical system is an essential part of being a facility manager. Oversights can lead to expensive property loss, serious injuries, or worse. Thankfully, electrical systems have circuit breakers—the safeguards of your electrical system that break the circuit when it becomes overloaded. Read on to discover the basics, how circuit breakers work, and what to do when they’re damaged.
Table of Contents
- What Are Circuit Breakers?
- How Do Circuit Breakers Work?
- Can Circuit Breakers Go Bad without Tripping?
- Types of Circuit Breakers
What Are Circuit Breakers?
A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to regulate the flow of electricity throughout your business. Just as the name implies, a circuit breaker is designed to cut or "break" the flow of electricity in the event of a fault or an overloaded current on a specific circuit. This is critical because it eliminates the risk of fires, burned wiring, and ruined appliances from an overloaded circuit.
Circuit breakers perform 3 key functions: protection, switching, and monitoring. Unlike a fuse, which must be replaced after it fails, a circuit breaker can be reset to resume normal operation. A fuse is the simplest circuit protection device; it has a thin wire, enclosed in a casing, that plugs into the circuit. All the electrical charge and current flow through the fuse wire when the circuit is closed. If the current in this circuit climbs too high and becomes too hot, it burns the wire in the fuse, cutting the current. A circuit breaker does the exact same thing but doesn't need replacing after it's tripped.
A tripped breaker is easily fixed by simply pushing the switch back to the "On" position in the breaker panel. A circuit breaker panel contains the circuit breakers for each of the electrical circuits within a building. Before flipping the breaker back on, be sure to turn off light switches and unplug major appliances in the affected location.
How Do Circuit Breakers Work?
Circuit breakers consist of a simple switch, connected to either a bimetallic strip or an electromagnet, with a hot wire within the circuit connecting the two ends of the switch. When the switch is flipped to the "On" position, electricity flows from the bottom terminal, through the electromagnet, up to a moving contact, and then across to a stationary contact and out to the upper terminal.
As it flows, electricity magnetizes the electromagnet and the increasing current boosts the electromagnet's magnetic force. Conversely, decreasing the current will lower the magnetism. If the current reaches unsafe levels, the electromagnet has enough strength to pull down a metal lever that's connected to the switch linkage. This causes the entire linkage to shift, which tilts the moving contact away from the stationary contact, breaking the circuit. With this break, the electricity shuts off, preventing an overloaded circuit and potential damage.
Can Circuit Breakers Go Bad without Tripping?
Circuit breakers can fail even without tripping. It's critical to replace a circuit breaker if there are any signs of malfunctioning. A hot-to-the-touch or visibly burned breaker panel is extremely dangerous and may be indicative of serious electrical problems. Additional signs that your breaker panel needs to be replaced are a burning smell, frequent tripping, rust, the breaker trips when you plug in a specific appliance, your electrical system works on fuses, incorrect amp wiring, melting wires, or your breaker panel is old. Make sure to call a qualified electrician in these situations. How long do circuit breakers last? The average circuit breaker should last 30–40 years.
Types of Circuit Breakers
There are 3 primary types of circuit breakers: Standard, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), and Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI).
| Standard Circuit Breaker | Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) | Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) |
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| Description: Monitors the electricity flow in equipment. Breaks the flow of electricity when there’s an overload or short circuit. | Description: Breaks the circuit when there’s an overload, short circuit, or line-to-ground fault. Municipal codes often require these breakers in areas where water is prevalent. | Description: Breaks the circuit if an immediate arc or surge is detected. Used to prevent fires. |
| Best used for small equipment and appliances. | Best used in kitchens, restrooms, garages, and within 6' of a sink. | Best used in common rooms, basements, and hallways. |
Circuit breakers are an essential part of every business’s electrical system. At Zoro, we carry all the electrical supplies building managers and electricians need to keep these systems working their best. Find everything else your business needs including office supplies and more at Zoro.
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