Most people’s circuit breaker panels that I’ve seen (including my own) are poorly labeled regarding where each circuit breaker’s current actually goes. Many panel descriptions are either very vague about what circuits are on each breaker or they aren’t labeled at all. Usually, this happens because the person who installed the panel was in a hurry to finish the wiring and never returned to label them properly. When they did label them, it was often with something vague like “east half house” or “basement.” These descriptions aren’t very helpful when you’re trying to locate the specific breaker for a particular outlet or light fixture.
My first realization that my breaker panel needed better labeling came on a calm, sunny June day. It had been raining hard for the previous two days, with about seven inches of rainfall in total. As I sat in my living room enjoying the sun-filled room, I was startled when the usual background hums of the house fell silent. We had lost grid power.
Since the weather was nice, we figured the power company would fix the issue soon, so we decided to hold off on using our generator. I smiled, glad it hadn’t happened at night or during winter, and went back to reading my book. About 15 minutes later, a faint beeping sound interrupted the calm. We couldn’t figure out where it was coming from since the lights were out, and it wasn’t the smoke alarms.
We searched the house room by room until my daughter called from the basement, saying she found the source: a small battery-operated water leak detector in the basement bathroom. The basement floor was starting to get wet. I quickly realized the sump pump wasn’t running due to the power outage. With the ground saturated from the recent rain, I knew I had to act fast to get the pump working or risk the ruination of my food preps and other emergency items stored on the basement floor.
I own three backup generators of varying wattages, but since I was in a hurry, I grabbed my mid-sized 3500-watt generator instead of hooking up the larger 12-kilowatt one to the tractor, as that took too much time. I quickly connected the generator to my whole-house disconnect plug. The generator roared to life, and I ran to check the sump pump in the basement. It was running—briefly—but stopped after a minute when the generator’s circuit breaker tripped from pulling a too-heavy load.
I ran to the breaker panel and began flipping off other breakers, hoping none powered the sump pump. After resetting the generator and trying again, the sump pump still wasn’t running. One of the breakers I’d shut off earlier was powering the pump, but which one? Water was spreading to other rooms, and I started to panic, worrying about the potential damage. After about 20 frantic minutes, I got everything running correctly without the generator tripping again. It was during this ordeal that I made a mental note: I needed to improve my power outage preparedness, starting with proper breaker panel labeling.
Labeling the Breaker Panel
Seven months later, on a cold February day, I finally got to work. My first task was properly labeling my 200-amp breaker panel. Here’s what I did:
I numbered a sheet of paper from 1 to 30 (the number of circuit breakers in my panel), leaving space next to each number for detailed notes. I did this instead of using the label on the breaker panel door, because it doesn’t have enough room for much detail.
I created a rough blueprint of my house—one for the main floor and one for the basement. I marked every outlet and fixture on the blueprints.
Regular outlets were represented with small boxes.
220-volt outlets, like those for an electric oven or dryer, were marked with larger boxes and a diagonal line.
Ceiling light fixtures were labeled with small circles.
Note: If your house is relatively new, there may be an electricians blueprint of your house that you could use, that would have all the outlets and fixtures shown.
I began identifying which breaker powered each outlet or fixture. Starting with breaker #1, I turned it off and went through the house, checking for dead outlets or fixtures. (Now, if your breaker panel was labeled at all, you will get a rough idea where breakers go to. Otherwise, this is a much slower process.)
For each outlet or fixture without power, I marked the corresponding breaker number on the blueprint. I used a plug-in nightlight to test the outlets, though other tools may work better for you, such as circuit finder instruments.
Once I had identified all the outlets and fixtures on breaker #1, I turned it back on and repeated the process for breaker #2, and so forth.
Special Considerations for 220-Volt Outlets
Residential 220-volt AC outlets, such as those for electric ovens or dryers, typically use pairs of breakers—consecutive odd or even numbers (e.g., 1 and 3 or 22 and 24). I labeled these appropriately on the blueprint. That was why I put a slash through my square box on the 220- volt outlets on the blueprint, so I could put both breaker numbers in the box.
Finalizing the Blueprint
After a few days of work, I had labeled all the outlets and fixtures. I placed the blueprints in a clear plastic sleeve and attached them to the outside of the breaker panel with a magnet for easy access. I also kept extra copies in a safe location. Additionally, I attached a small battery-operated flashlight with a magnet to the breaker panel. This ensured I could read the blueprint and panel in the dark, as the basement lacks natural light during power outages.
Practical Uses of a Labeled Breaker Panel
A labeled panel is invaluable during power outages, especially when using a generator. Knowing which breakers power essential items like your fridge or furnace allows you to manage your generator’s load efficiently. You could even record the wattage that certain breakers might be using, such as breakers that are mostly dedicated to one thing. Ex; Freezer, refrigerator, furnace, well pump, sump pump, CPAP machine, or any essential appliance that you may need to use during a power outage. Having the wattage recorded will make it easier to decide which circuits you can run in combination without tripping the breaker on your generator, or worse yet, damaging it. It’s also useful for routine electrical work. Just ensure all lines are dead before touching bare wires. If you have other buildings on your property that have separate breaker panels from your house, I would recommend making a blueprint for each of those also.
Generator Maintenance
It is important to also mention at this point the need to keep your backup power source well maintained. Whether it is a solar panel system with batteries or a gas-powered generator, quarterly inspections should be performed and recorded on a chart. In the case of having a gas generator, I would recommend the following:
1. Run your generator about every 3 months for at least 20 minutes under somewhat of a load or according to your owner’s manual instructions.
2. Regularly change the oil, oil, and air filters, and spark plug according to your owners manual instructions.
3. Make sure the fuel in the tank is fresh with fuel stabilizer added. Also to have an adequate amount of extra fuel in storage with a fuel stabilizer added to it also. It would be good to note how much fuel your generator consumes so you can get an idea how much extra fuel you will need to store.
4. Be sure to have extra parts on hand for your generator such as spark plugs, filters, and oil. They may be hard to obtain in emergency situations.
5. If your generator isn’t a standalone unit, then it is imperative that you check the power source of your generator to make sure it is well maintained by following steps 2-4 above. In my case the power source for my larger generator is a power takeoff from any one of my tractors. However, I try to chose a tractor that is closest to the amount of horsepower that I need for my generator to run the most efficiently, so I don’t waste precious fuel. My 20 HP tractor runs my generator just fine so I don’t put my 65HP tractor on it.
6. One thing to be aware of with manually starting generators is that it can be real hard to pull the rope to start them if the generator has been sitting somewhere in freezing temperatures. Therefore I try to store mine in a somewhat warmer area such as my shop where I maintain a temperature of around 50 degrees in the winter.
Final Thoughts
If your breaker panel isn’t labeled at all, the process can take longer, especially without a helper. I recommend enlisting someone to assist and using walkie-talkies to communicate. While labeling your breaker panel may not seem urgent, it’s crucial to have during emergencies. Proper preparation can prevent costly mistakes and reduce stress. While reading this article, you may think that it’s not that big of a deal. However when unexpected things arise, as they did in my story, you want to have as many things organized and planned ahead of time as possible. It would also be worthwhile to practice for a power outage by maybe shutting your main power switch off in order to test how well and how long it takes to get essential appliances up and running with your backup generator. I would also recommend keeping extra breakers or fuses of various sizes near your breaker panel.
Hopefully, you find this information helpful.
Disclaimer: I’m not an electrician, but I believe the methods described are safe as long as the breaker panel remains intact. If you’re unsure about anything—especially hooking up a generator— then consult a licensed electrician. Improperly connected generators could backfeed and injure or kill power company linemen who are repairing lines. It could also potentially damage appliances in your house.