Breaker-panel literacy isn't only for voltage veterans who recite the National Electrical Code ... connects to a common terminal called a bus bar. This is the on/off switch to the entire breaker ...

Open an electrical panel and you will likely find a bus bar or two along with circuit breakers. Distributing large currents efficiently is more than just dropping a hunk of metal between two points.

That’s especially true with electrical distribution systems ... despite appearances. A stout bus bar is provided to link the RCDs to adjacent circuit breakers, forming two groups that are ...