The different parts of the electrical panel of your house
Almost always covered or hidden, the electrical panel of a home is, however, an element that has to be known in detail. Its full name is the General Control and Protection Panel : this refers to its main functions, that of governing a well-made installation and that of protecting the people and devices connected to the installation.
1. Switches: which network each one controls
It's easy to know which switches are good for what, which will help you to overcome faults and to be able to manage the panel when making repairs, placing lamps, switches or plugs or making circuit extensions. Each switch controls a network or appliance:
- Lighting
- Two plug circuits
- Washing machine
- Dishwasher
- Term
- Kiln
- Air-conditioning
- Differential 1, 2, 3, whatever there is
2. The box or general box
In the electrical panel of the house (according to the regulations), the electrical installation must be placed inside a standardized box to put all the necessary mechanisms in it. Therefore, it must be large enough to accommodate all the switches that are planned to be installed, and even have enough capacity for future expansion. It is advisable to choose a box that can be closed to prevent dirt and protect the mechanisms. There are boxes for embedding and surface.
3. The ICP
The Power Control Switch (ICP) is the one that cuts off the energy input supply if the contract with the electric company is exceeded. It is mandatory that there is an ICP in every installation and it must be installed by an authorized installer, following the characteristics of the installation. If there were not, the company could penalize the consumption on the bill. In addition, it serves to prevent damage to the electrical system itself, by cutting off the current in the event of an overload or short circuit.
Where it is placed: It is the first switch that is placed inside the box. Sometimes and depending on how old the installation is, it can be out of it. It must be located before the General Automatic Switch (IGA). In a normal installation of a house it should be 25 amps (A).
When it goes offline:
- When there is more load than allowed . It usually happens if you have activated too many appliances with a high consumption. If this happens frequently, the most logical thing is that you contract more power. The alternative is to use appliances rationally, not all at the same time.
- When there is a short circuit . To find out in which circuit the problem is, one solution is to disconnect all the small automatic switches (PIAs, according to the nomenclature of the electric companies) and connect them: common switches, plugs, oven plug... So you can see which of them It is the one that causes the ICP to jump, to fix the fault.