What to Look for in the Breaker Box Unless your home is very old and has never had its electrical service updated, it has 240-volt service from the street and into the main electrical panel as well.

For example, a 12-gauge wire is normally rated for 20 amps. You then would use a 20-amp circuit breaker to protect the wires on this circuit. There are quite a few different circuit breakers.

Electrical panels haven’t changed fundamentally since the 1960s, when circuit breakers began replacing fuses. They are “dumb” tech because they are really designed purely for safety.

Is there a circuit breaker in your home that keeps tripping? It may need to be replaced. Fortunately, testing and replacing a breaker is something you can do.

Circuit breakers came into vogue around the 1940s and have become more or less the standard for electrical safety in all buildings. If you open up the electrical box in your home and see a bunch ...