Home Electrical Systems: How Are Homes Wired?
Home Electrical Systems consist of a line, a meter, the main circuit breaker, separate wiring circuits to the rooms in the home, outlets, light fixture boxes and various appliances. Here is a short, easy guide to home electrical systems.
Home Electrical Systems: The Meter
Typically, the main line comes from a pole or underground. It connects to the home, where it meets the meter, which is usually on the exterior of the home. Most are mechanical and have a spinning wheel, as well as a mechanical display of numbers; some newer models have an LCD screen. This is utility company meter-readers use when visiting your home. The meter gathers data on the electricity used each month, measured in kilowatt hours. The increase each month is the number the utility company uses to generate your bill.
Home Electrical Systems: The Main Breaker Panel
Most main breaker panels in home electrical systems are inside the home, while it is possible to have weather-proof panels on the exterior. The main electric supply line moves from the meter to the main breaker panel when entering the home, at the main circuit breaker. The size of the main circuit breaker determines the maximum electricity that a home can use at any given time. It is a kind of switch that turns off in the event of an overload, which reduces the risk of fire or electrocution.
Most newer homes use a two hundred amp service, older ones might only use a one hundred amp service, and a larger home can use as much as four hundred amps. If you would like to know how much your home uses, you can just take a look at the main breaker panel. If you open it and look for the largest breaker switch (which is usually near the top), you will see the total amps of your home electrical systems.
Home Electrical Systems: The Circuits
After the home electrical systems distribute power through the circuit breakers, they run through bundles of wires in the walls, floors, and ceilings in each room and through to hard-wired appliances. Each bundle contains at least three wires two with plastic insulation and one which is bare. Black and red insulated wires are “hot” wires, which come directly from the circuit breaker. The white wire is the “neutral” which brings the current back to the electrical source in the panel. The bare wire is a copper ground wire, the safety part of the circuit. The ground wire is a direct path to the ground, acting with the circuit breaker if there should be a short circuit. It acts as a path of least resistance for excess electricity.
The insulated wires are attached to outlets or switches and when nothing is plugged in or the switch is off the wires do not meet. But, when you plug anything into an outlet or the switch is turned on, the circuit is complete and allows electricity to flow through a light or appliance.