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What’s the Difference Between Your Main Breaker and the Branch Breaker?

What’s the Difference Between Your Main Breaker and the Branch Breaker?

Posted by Breaker Outlet on Jul 8th 2019


Breaker Outlet helps keep your electricity flowing by offering the best circuit breakers for sale. We offer residential circuit breakers, industrial circuit breakers, breaker panels, and busway plugs all available online, which you can access from your computer thanks to electricity. In this blog post, we’ll review the difference between the main breaker and the branch breaker in your electrical control panel. Contact us today to get started!

MAIN BREAKER VS. BRANCH BREAKER

In your main electrical control panel, which is usually located in the garage or the basement of your home. It’s usually made of metal and is shaped like a box on your wall. Once you open it up (and, yes, you may have to pull hard since it’s not used very often), you’ll notice one or two rows of circuit breaker switches. Sometimes they are numbered or even labeled for you. These are what are called your branch circuit breakers. Each one controls a branch of your home, such as the kitchen, the bedrooms, or the basement.

Above these branch breakers is another switch that is larger than the others. This one is your main breaker, which controls all of the power coming into your home. When engaged, the main breaker shuts off all the power to every area in your home. It is oriented perpendicular to your branch breakers to further distinguish it from the rest. It can resemble a couple breakers together, but ultimately it’s only one switch. This is a nice feature to have, as say you’re working on an electrical project in your living room, you can just shut off the power to that one area so the rest of the house has power. This is especially important when laundry still needs to be done.

HOW BREAKER OUTLET CAN HELP

Breaker Outlet offers everything you need to repair your circuit breakers, electrical panels, and other electric projects, such as a shunt trip device, mounting hardware kits, and transformers. We offer pilot lights, electrical receptacles, 3 position selector switch, and an industrial control relay. We offer the best brands, from Allen-Bradley and Siemens to Westinghouse and GE Industrial. Most of our items are in stock, so you’ll receive the electrical component part when you need it. We offer the most breaker parts, safety switches, and fittings at the best prices anywhere. Shipping is fast, and our friendly customer service team is waiting to answer your questions.  Visit us online, and shop today!