The main work of the breakers is to limit the current of the conductor upto a safe level.As we all know that there are always too many appliances plugged in together in one circuit,which occurs a load on the conductor. You trip a breaker, hopefully you then transfer load to another circuit.
Breakers use two different methods to accomplish tripping, one is a bimetallic strip.The current passes directly through it and when current crosses the highest limit according to the particular designed breaker it causes the strip to deflect. It acts on a mechanism much like the sear in a guns trigger, the deflection pulls the trigger causing a spring to open the contacts and turn off the circuit. Another type is thermal magnetic, current passing through the breaker causes a magnetic field to act on a coil tripping the breaker.
When breakers are wired and work properly they prevent fires.An electrical fire is any fire that is caused by electrical short circuits, overloaded circuits or faulty electrical equipment. Anything that causes excessive current flow has the ability to create fire, including lighting the number one cause of overloaded circuits. Make sure you don’t have an outdated circuit breaker box by finding an electrician to check it for you.
The Things Which You Can Do To Prevent An Electric Fire :
1. First of all keep this in your mind that the main reason of an electric fire is mostly an overloaded electrical circuits,so the first thing you can do is not to put an excessive load on one circuit.
2. Identify the circuits in the breaker box. The breaker box usually tells the amperage of each circuit as well as the outlets serviced by the circuit.
3. Maintain wiring’s, appliances and electrical fixtures.
Another thing to put on your list of things to do as a responsible homeowner is to maintain your appliances and make sure the wiring in your home is updated.
4. Ask an electrician about installing ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in your home. GFCIs quickly shut off power when problems occur, minimizing electrical shock hazards.
5. Appliances that malfunction may cause an electrical fire, so make sure your appliances are working properly. If you have an electrical appliance that you know is overheating or short-circuiting, shut off the breaker before you unplug the appliance. Electricity takes all paths to the ground, even if that means through you.
