I Want to Replace a Light Fixture in the Kitchen But I Can't Find the Breaker

Breaker Panel Explained

• A breaker panel is a box where the power enters the home from the utility company. From the breaker panel, electricity is distributed to the circuits throughout the house. The breaker panel may be recessed into a wall or attached to outside of a wall.

Panel Location

• Usually the panel is located somewhere discreet. This may be inside or outside the home, depending on the age of the house and the house layout. Older homes frequently have the panel inside the house, while newer homes usually have a panel outside the house. Look in the garage, basement, closets and circle the perimeter of your house. If your panel is recessed, you will see a door opening into a wall. If your panel is attached to the exterior of a wall, you will see a box attached to a wall.

Breaker Box Explained

• Open the panel and you'll see a row of switches down each side of the box, and a large switch at the top. Each switch is a breaker. The large switch at the top is the main switch -- it controls the entry of power into the home. The smaller switches control the power running to circuits within the home. Each switch controls a specific number of circuits around your house, often divided by room. Sometimes your larger electrical appliances, such as your electrical clothes dryer and hot tub, will have their own switch.

Finding the Right Breaker

• Your breaker box should have a diagram that explains which circuits each breaker controls. If it doesn't, you'll need to find the right breaker through some trial and error. Turn off all appliances in the house. Ask your partner to stand at the light switch that controls the light fixture you'd like to replace. Switch the first breaker in the panel into the "Off" position, then shout to your partner to turn on the light in the kitchen. If the light in the kitchen won't turn on, then you'll know you've found the correct breaker. If the light in the kitchen turns on, then switch your breaker back into the "On" position and repeat this process for the other breakers in the panel.

Tips

• If the breakers in your electrical panel aren't labeled, you should use this same process to make a diagram that shows which breakers control which circuits. Mapping your breaker box should be done during the day when you have natural daylight to see by. If the breaker box is located in a naturally dark area, use a battery powered flashlight. Do not do this while standing in a puddle or during a storm. Unplug computers and other sensitive electrical equipment when mapping the breakers.

Fuses

• In an older home, your electrical panel may have fuses instead of circuit breakers. A fuse box looks different from a breaker box on the inside because fuses are round. A fuse must screw into place, like a light bulb. To find the right fuse, you will follow the same procedure you would use to find the correct breaker. The biggest difference will be that to turn off a fuse, you twist it out of the socket.