As a homeowner, it’s essential to be knowledgeable about the electrical panel in your home. One of the biggest parts of this knowing how to stay safe if you ever need to check anything on these panels. According to research, the average U.S. home uses 11,000 kWh of electricity every year. That’s a lot of electricity, so you must keep your electrical panel up-to-date. So, this is your homeowner’s guide to electrical panel safety when doing home electric panel inspections.
What is an Electrical Service Panel?
An electrical service panel is the central distribution point that connects all of your home wires to the external wires from the street. This panel connects the service wire to the exit wires, which go through different parts of your home. There are different types of electrical panels such as main breaker panels, fuse boxes, main lug panels, sub-panels, and transfer switches. Depending on the type of home and the use of electricity, your electrical panel can be different from your neighbor’s.
There are a few different places you can find your home’s electrical panel and it’s usually in a room that is away from the main areas of your household. Here are some of the most common places you can find your panel:
- Basement
- Garage
- Closet
- Hallways that lead to the garage or outdoors
- On an exterior wall (not common)
How to Stay Safe Near Electrical Panels
If you’re a single-family homeowner, you are in charge of your electric service panel, so it’s very important that you take care of it and know all of the safety measures. When it comes to your home’s electrical panels, you should always adhere to safety precautions. These panels have high voltages of electricity, so it’s important that you keep these safety measures in mind.
- You should never work on an open electrical panel when the front cover is removed. Since these panels have such a high voltage, you could become extremely hurt if you are shocked by any of the exposed wires.
- When you shut off the panel’s main circuit breaker switch, there is power still coming into the panel, so you should be cautious even after the circuit breaker is switched off.
- Ensure you are cautious when working on the panel with tools during home electric panel inspections. Just because you are not touching the wires yourself doesn’t mean this electrical shock can’t be transmitted to you through the tool you are using.
Electrical service panels can be very dangerous when you are not following safety measures. So, it’s important that if you require any electrical panel repairs or home electric panel inspections you hire local home electricians for the job. They are knowledgeable about all of the safety measures they need to follow to keep themselves, you, and your home safe.
