What's a Watt, Anyway?

I'm seldom speechless, but when I have to charge to reset a breaker or replace a fuse, it's hard to know what to say to the blithe overloading homeowner. So all you fuse-blowers, breaker-trippers, lampcord staplers, plugstrip abusers, listen up!

You don't have to be a guy like me, compulsively adding up loads and anticipating what gets plugged into which outlet, to understand electrical loading.

Rule 1. trace your circuits. Plug in a vacuum cleaner, boom box or ask your beloved to shout when the lamp goes out. Go to the basement and try breakers or fuses until you hear the device/delovely signal you. Write that down. It's best to number your outlets with a pen or tape label. Write: breaker 1, outlets 1,2,5,9 and lights in family room. Like that. Mark the panel clearly with the circuits that feed the furnace, refrigerator, water pump, and other important loads you may need to find in a big fat hurry.

Rule 2. Count the devices plugged into your now tiresomely neat and labeled circuits, and count the watts. Don't even worry what they are. Just count. Light bulb? 50 to 100 watts, read the top of the bulb. Vacuum cleaner? Turn it over and read the label. The watts thing is there. Refrigerator? If it's not on its own circuit, enter 1200 watts. Blow Dryer? 1200-1500 watts. Read the label. And, armed with this data, limit the load on each circuit to 1500 watts or less. Especially in the kitchen where you (don't even try to shizzle me, I know better) plug in the toaster, coffee maker, bean grinder and small microwave into the same countertop circuit. It can't go over 1500 watts without putting you in danger of an overload or tripped breaker.

Ok. Enough for now. Here's a link, and we'll be back to talk more about loads.