Your Circuit Breaker Box is Full — Now What?

Black tandem single pole 20-amp circuit breaker.

What is an easy way to add more circuit breakers to an electrical panel that’s already full? We’ll show you. In This Article: Tandem Circuit Breakers Adding a New Circuit The National Electrical Code, although sometimes a little fussy, is the reference book for all sorts of electrical specifications in a typical house. Among its […]

The Main Electrical Panel & Subpanels

Diagram of a house’s electrical panel, including color-coded connections to various subpanels and circuit breakers.

In This Article: Your Home Electrical Service Main Electrical Panel Circuit Breakers and Fuses Subpanels and Branch Circuits Outdoor Circuits A guide to how your home receives and distributes electrical current to lights, receptacles, and appliances.  Have you ever wondered how electricity is delivered to—and routed through—your house? Understanding how a home’s electrical system works […]

How to Upgrade Home Wiring

wire stripper and wire nuts

In This Article: Extending a Circuit Adding a New Circuit Adding a Subpanel New Service Considerations Need to add a little more juice to your home’s electrical system? Here’s expert advice on how you can upgrade your home wiring. There are three conventional and safe ways to expand the existing electrical system in your home: […]

Troubleshooting Home Electrical Problems

Man’s hands holding a neon tester’s insulated parts with red and black probe needle-tips inserted inside the slots of a T-shaped power outlet.

Is the power out in part or all of your house? This expert advice shows you how to diagnose the cause of a power outage and how to turn the power back on. When the electrical power goes out in all or part of your house, the first thing to do is determine the extent […]