At Whipple Service Champions, we’re also your go-to experts for all areas of electrical service. From electrical wiring to circuit repairs, our team of professionals has you covered. At the first sign of electrical issues in the home, give our team a call.

Being a responsible homeowner includes widening your base of knowledge on a few important areas, and we’re here to help. With that in mind, here are a few common terms within the electrical world, and what they mean.

Circuit and Current

A circuit is the closed loop around which an electrical current flows. Circuits are used to distribute current to electrical components. A circuit breaker is a switch that automatically shuts of a circuit in the case of a fault or some other disruption – circuit breakers are meant to protect devices attached to the circuit from damage, and to protect the circuit itself.

A current is the flow of charged particles through any type of material. Current is measured in a metric called amperes.

Fuse and Ground

A fuse is a device that eliminates the flow of current to a circuit once the current has exceeded a certain level, with the goal of protecting equipment from overloads. Most fuses are composed of metal wire designed to melt when the current reaches a certain threshold.

Ground refers to a wire that provides the easiest possible path for current to reach the earth. It reduces the potential for electric shock by siphoning off current that may build up on electrical equipment.

Short and Wattage

When a current finds an unintended route between nodes of a circuit and leaves some components of the circuit lacking current, this is known as a short circuit. “Wattage” refers to the amount of electrical power in a circuit, or the amount of work that can be done with electrical power. Wattage of a circuit is equal to the voltage multiplied by the current, or equal to the square of the current multiplied by the resistance.

Ground Fault and Overload

A ground-fault is a current deviation caused when current is diverted away from the circuit and into the ground. An overload occurs when a circuit carries more current than it was designed to.

For more information on electrical terms, or any of our electrical services, speak to the pros at Whipple Service Champions today.