Electrical
From the pole to the panel to the outlet, and the devices that keep it safe.
Household electricity is a loop: power comes in on two hot legs, returns on the neutral, and the ground sits ready for the moment something goes wrong. Breakers protect the wires. GFCIs protect people. AFCIs watch for the sparking that starts fires. These explainers cover what each one is doing when it trips.
How it works
Electrical
How a GFCI trips
The outlet that counts electrons in and out, and cuts the power when they do not match
Electrical
How a circuit breaker trips, and what an AFCI adds
Two trip mechanisms in one switch, and a third that listens for sparks
Electrical
How power gets into and around a house
From the transformer on the pole to the outlet behind the couch
On the almanac
- March: Fix a Leak Week, the clocks change, and the sump pump gets its first test of the year.
- May: National Electrical Safety Month, deck season and the start of the storm calendar.
- July: Peak heat. Give the outdoor unit room to breathe and keep the fans doing their job.
- October: Fire Prevention Week, the winterizing of outdoor water, and gutters after the leaves fall.
- November: Heating season begins. Clocks fall back, fans reverse, and the thermostat routine starts.
- December: Holiday lights, the cold-snap routine and a year-end look at what is aging.
Where the line is
Yours, and theirs. Pressing TEST and RESET, resetting a breaker once, replacing a bulb: homeowner work. Anything behind the panel cover, a breaker that keeps tripping, a GFCI that will not reset, warm outlets or a burning smell: a licensed electrician. Never put in a bigger breaker or fuse.