The circuit breaker is designed to be the weak link in your electrical system. But that's a good thing as it's designed to fail safely. When a circuit draws more current than it is designed to handle, the wiring gets hot and problems can occur including fires. That's why excessive current in a circuit is prevented by the use of "overcurrent" safety devices such as the circuit breaker. Circuit breakers connect to the Hot bus bars and come in a variety of types and capacities.
- Single Pole Breakers provide 120 volts and typically come in ratings of 15 amps to 20 amps. These breakers make up most of the breakers in your home.
- Double Pole Breakers provide 240 volts and come in ratings from 15 amps to 50 amps. These breakers usually serve dedicated circuits for large appliances such as electric dryers, stoves, air conditioners, etc.
- Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Breakers protect an entire circuit from ground faults unlike the GFCI outlet which only protects at that location. With a GFCI Breaker you do not need local GFCI's. These are typically used on circuits where the likelihood of fatal shock is higher, such as bathrooms and can stop current flow within 25 milliseconds when detecting a ground fault condition.
