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Tips When Inspecting Circuit Breakers In Commercial Buildings

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There are bound to be circuit breakers in your commercial building, or at least just one. This component is a key management resource for electrical systems and to ensure it works how it's supposed to, you need to inspect it periodically. Use these tips when you inspect your circuit breaker.

Receive Proper Training First

Even if you have a pretty good idea of how circuit breakers in commercial buildings are laid out, you want to hold off on touching them until you have some proper training. You don't need to receive as much as an electrician if you're just inspecting these components, but having some formal knowledge will help you stay safe throughout the entire inspection. 

Go through training programs that break down the basic parts of circuit breakers and the problems they can sometimes experience over the years. This base knowledge should be enough to help you carry out most — if not all — of the necessary inspection steps.

Examine Breaker Panel Before Touching Anything 

Before you touch any parts of the circuit breaker that's in your commercial building, you want to perform a thorough examination of its current condition. You need to do this to see if there are signs of dangerous problems, which could include rust, water damage, and even signs of pest activity.

If you spot one or a couple of these problems before you go to touch the panel, it's just best to hold off on doing anything else until a qualified commercial electrician can come out and see what's wrong. That will keep you safe and prevent your circuit breaker from getting more damaged.

Make Sure Professional Performs Tests if Problems are Suspected

Throughout your inspection, you may get the feeling that something is majorly wrong with your circuit breaker. It may have sections that keep flipping off periodically throughout the day, or you may even feel excessive heat coming from the breaker.

Any of these problems will need to be examined by a commercial electrician quickly before you try to rely on the breaker again. The electrician has useful tools, such as receptacle testers, that they can use safely without the threat of electrocution.

Circuit breakers in commercial properties need your attention and time from an inspection standpoint. If you get good at inspecting these electrical components in your building, it's more likely that you'll be able to spot problems and then hire the appropriate professional before something really severe happens. 


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