The Flow of Electricity in your Home

It’s always good to know how things work and for many homeowners, it’s a necessity that they understand the nature of the things around them. Of course, one of the vital components in any home is the electricity and there are quite a few people who have an interest in having a passing acquaintance with this lifeblood of the house but really don’t know how to go about it. So here’s a little primer to help you along.

First off, there’s what is called the service head and it does exactly what you might imagine it would—it anchors the service wires ( if there are any) to the building. Three wires provide the necessary 120-volt service that is necessary for the average home. Next comes the dreaded electric meter that measures the amount of electricity consumed. Usually it is connected to the service head and is affixed to the side of the building. Contrary to popular misconception, this does not belong to the homeowner, but is the property of the utility company. As such, you should contact them in the event that something goes wrong with the meter and never try and fix it yourself.

The main service panel is that foreboding box on the wall in your basement. Unlike the meter outside, this does belong to you and its job is to deliver power to all the individual circuits in your home. This main service panel is connected to the electrical boxes that enclose all the wire connections that are in your home. According to the National Electrical Code, all wire splices or connections must be contained entirely in approved plastic or metal junction boxes.

The receptacles, which are sometimes called outlets, provide the plug-in access to the electricity. This is the point where the electrical system in the house becomes familiar to the average homeowner and most of these receptacles have two plug-in locations. As well, most of the ones that were made after 1965 have a 125-volt capacity that is now considered standard. Switches control hot wires and are the main controls for light fixtures, ceiling fans and all other sorts of other appliances. This is the point where the average do-it-yourselfer jumps in since the minor electrical work needed here is generally not that complicated and generally doesn’t need an electrician.

Fixtures are obviously what the name implies. These are, for the most part, the tail end of the process and the byproduct of electricity that most people enjoy.      

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