Next, find the electrical panel in your home and determine which circuit breakers control your outlets. Look for a tripped breaker with a switch in between the "on" and "off" positions.

A 200-amp breaker is appropriate for a home upwards of 2000 square feet. Smaller buildings can use 150-amp or 100-amp; small homes and subpanels can use as little as 50-amp.

However, if your circuit breaker is tripping frequently — say several times in a day — that's not a random glitch, and you should have it checked. There are a host of reasons as to why your ...

Q: We are selling our house, and the new buyers had a home inspector check it out. One of the items he found was in the main electrical panel. He said there are two wires attached to one breaker ...

The temperature-sensing element of the circuit breaker consists of a bimetal strip with a heating coil. When current exceeds a threshold, the protective device generates heat in the coil, which ...