The circuit breaker is one of the most important but least understood parts of your home electrical system, keeping you safe from electrical fires. Appliance Science looks at how they work.

It can be difficult to determine if you've got a bad circuit breaker. There are steps you can take before deciding to repair, replace, or call an electrician.

When you plug something in at home, you expect the receptacle (aka outlet) to have power. If it doesn’t, you probably know to check and reset the circuit breaker. But what if the breaker didn ...

An overloaded circuit breaker is dangerous and in addition to causing problems with your lights, could even damage your appliances.

If you routinely trip circuit breakers, or string extension cords to keep them from tripping, upgrading is essential. Homes even 20 years old can be short on circuits and outlets.