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Electrical
Technology
Quarter 1 – Module:3
Types of Circuit Breaker
TVE – Grade 7/8
Quarter 1 – Module: 1
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in
any work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the
government agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for
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impose as a condition the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand

names, trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective
copyright holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to
use these materials from their respective copyright owners. The publisher and
authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Development Team of the Module

Writers:
Editors: Ruth Eliezer Alcazar / Jovencio Cabalquinto
Reviewers: Rey D. Jamison
Illustrator:
Layout Artist:
Template Developer:
Management Team:

Printed in the Philippines by ________________________

Department of Education – Region XI

Office Address: ___________________________

Telefax: ___________________________

E-mail Address: ___________________________

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Electrical
Technology
Quarter 1 –Module:2

Types of Circuit Breaker

Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Electrical Technology Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Types
of Circuit Breaker.
This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators both
from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping the
learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their
personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of the
module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that will
help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module. You
also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage their
own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as
they do the tasks included in the module.

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At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in The

developing this module. following
are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate
to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain
deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

Learning Objective:

 After reading this information sheet, you should be able to know the types of
electrical protection device and its function.

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 Let Us Try!

Let us determine how much you already know about Types of Types of Conduit
Fitting. Take this test.

Matching Type: Direction . Read the statement carefully in the column A and choose the best
answer in the column B. Write your answer in the provided space.

Column A Column B
_______ 1. Tasks that needs to be done A. Non-urgent but important task
first. B. Safety shoes
C. Blueprint
_______ 2. A bag that contain common D. Floor plan
medicines use in case of lacerations or E. First Aid kit
wound in the field. F. Safety gloves
G. Urgent and important task
_______ 3. Use to protect your feet from H. Planning your work
sharp objects.

_______ 4. Use in making the complete

list of required tools, equipment and
materials of the project.

______ 5. It helps you to accomplish

more by managing your time, money and
effort.

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 Let Us Learn!
Types of Circuit Breaker
Electrical circuit breakers work as safety devices to protect your home from electrical
overloads and possible fires. The circuit breakers live inside your electrical panel, and
every electrical circuit originates and ends at a circuit breaker.

Circuit breakers have replaced old fashioned fuses which needed to be replaced when
they were overloaded. Breakers "trip", or open, the electrical connection when they sense
a power surge that is greater than the amperage that the breaker is designed to carry. If
a breaker trips, you can reset it by turning it to the 'off' position, then turning it back to
the 'on' position. If the circuit breaker trips again, then you need to troubleshoot
and find the cause of the overload. Circuit breakers can wear out and if you have a
breaker that repeatedly trips, but you do not have an overloaded circuit, replacing the
circuit breaker should solve your problem.
When older types of circuit breakers tripped they moved to a halfway position between
on and off, and were sometimes hard to determine if they had tripped, causing
frustration for the homeowner. Newer circuit breakers have lights that appear when the
breaker is tripped; making it easier to see which breaker has tripped.
Every company that makes an electrical panel makes circuit breakers designed to fit the
panel’s configuration and size. They are usually not interchangeable, so make sure that
the circuit breakers that you buy correspondent to the style and size of electrical panel
that you have in your house.
There are different types and amperage ratings for circuit breakers, each designed to do
a specific job.

Circuit Breaker Ratings:

15 Amps – Use with 14 gauge wire for lights and light duty appliances
20 Amps - Use with 12 gauge wire for heavier appliances and kitchens and baths
30 Amps - Use with 10 gauge wire for heavy duty appliances or rated heaters
40 Amps - Use for rated appliances or to supply a sub-panel, use appropriate wire
50 Amps - Supply sub-panel or use as main breaker in main panel, use appropriate
wire

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Note:
It is important to use the proper circuit breaker for each circuit that you run. Use the
proper circuit breaker to protect your house and family from possible electrical hazards.

A cool picture of the inside of a typical

circuit breaker.

SCHEMATIC SYMBOL

Types of Circuit Breakers:

Single-pole Circuit Breaker
Single-pole circuit breaker is designed to trip if the amperage rating labelled on the
handle is exceeded. This occurs when the circuit is either overloaded or a short circuit
occurs somewhere within the branch circuit that it is connected to.
An overload occurs when too many things or to great a load is connected to any
one circuit.
A short circuit occurs when the hot wire is forced to connect to either the neutral
or ground wire within a circuit. It could be a motor winding shorting two wires together
or as simple as a hot wire falling off of a terminal within an outlet box and hitting the
ground wire.
Single-pole circuit breakers supply many things throughout the home including
general lighting, outlets, furnaces, electric baseboard heaters, fans, all types of 220-volt
appliances, curling irons, hair dryers, vacuums and many other everyday 220-volt
electrical appliances. But the list doesn’t stop there. They control outdoor lighting,
electronic devices, air conditioners, and those power tools many of you use in garages
and out buildings.

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 So you see, single-pole circuit breakers are a very important part of your overall
electrical circuit protection safety devices and they do their job very well.
Many single-pole circuit breakers have a clear peep sight that shows red when the
circuit breaker has tripped. This along with the handle moving to a centre position gives
you a clear indication of which breaker has had trouble on it. The nice thing about
circuit breakers is that they can easily be reset from a tripped state.

Single Pole
Standard 120 volt
breaker used in house
wiring

Double-pole Circuit Breakers

Double-pole circuit breakers are used as a safety device to protect the circuit wiring from
drawing too much power. If the breaker senses excessive amperage draw, it shuts the
circuits off by tripping the breaker. If too much amperage flows through a wire that is
not rated for that amount of current, overheating of the wire is the result. This in turn
can lead to an electrical fire in your home.

Double pole circuit breakers feed household items like electric dryers, water heaters, well
pumps, electric ranges, central air conditioning, electric heating, welders, and subpanels. These
devices all require 240-volt power.

Double pole

often called two-pole breakers, are

used to supply 240-volt circuits with
power. These breakers have a
combination handle that enables both
legs of the circuit breaker to trip if
either side has a short.

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Tandem breakers

Often called split breakers or double breakers, provide two separate circuits in the space
of a regular sized breaker opening. Every circuit breaker

This type breaker is the same size as any other breaker, but it has its difference.
This breaker sports two smaller breakers built into one regular sized breaker. Each has
its own breaker switch and the breaker snaps in just like a regular breaker. With this
simple innovation, you can add a circuit and protect the circuit on its own dedicated
line.

Tandem
Also known as half size breakers, allow 2
circuits in the space of 1 standard sized
breaker

GFI's can be reset to restore power to the affected circuit. If the problem still exists,
though, the GFI will not reset.

Different types of GFI

1. GFI outlet
2. GFI circuit breaker
3. Portable GFI

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 The GFI outlet (shown above) is intended as a replacement for a standard
electrical outlet. It protects any appliance plugged into it, and can also be wired to
protect other outlets that are connected to it.

IMPORTANT: A GFI outlet is not difficult to install, but the instructions for
installation and testing must be followed precisely to insure the GFI works
properly!!

The GFI circuit breaker controls an entire circuit, and is installed as a

replacement for a circuit breaker on your home's main circuit board. Some homes are
wired so that all bathrooms or all outdoor fixtures are on the same circuit. Rather than
install multiple GFI outlets, one GFI circuit breaker can protect the entire circuit.

If you decide that the GFI circuit breaker is your best option, you must purchase one
that is a match for your main electrical panel. If you have an older panel that utilizes
fuses, you cannot use a GFI circuit breaker and must use GFI outlets instead.

Resetting a GFI circuit breaker is a little different than resetting an outlet-type GFI.
There is no "reset" switch. Instead, the GFI breaker is reset by first switching the
breaker to the full "off" position, then to the full "on" position to restore power.

GFCI Breaker
A circuit breaker which provides ground
fault protection for the whole circuit in
wet areas

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The connection of GFCI Circuit Breaker

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Main Breaker - The main breaker, through which all the electrical supply to the house
runs. It is a double pole 240v breaker, which acts as the main shutoff of electricity to the
entire house.

Residual Current Circuit Breaker

A residual-current device (RCD) is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit
whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the energized
conductor and the return neutral conductor. Such an imbalance is sometimes caused by
current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and accidentally touching
the energized part of the circuit. A lethal shock can result from these conditions. RCDs
are designed to disconnect quickly enough to prevent injury caused by such shocks.
They are not intended to provide protection against overload or short-circuit conditions.

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 ANSWER KEY

Self Check 2.1-1

1.G
2.E
3.B
4.C
5.H

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 References

 https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk01yVIGsFi1_tUi1GaWQmgaTYdgrpg
%3A1595760170254&source=hp&ei=Kl4dX-
SlDZeNoATSgYjABA&q=Electrical+conduit+purpose&oq=Electrical+conduit+purpose&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQ
AzICCAA6BAgjECc6BggAEBYQHlClB1iDPWDLQGgBcAB4AIABlwGIAaMKkgEDMC45mAEAoAECoAEBqgEHZ3dzL
Xdpeg&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwjk4t7w3erqAhWXBogKHdIAAkgQ4dUDCAc&uact=5
 https://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/raceway
 https://pvc4pipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Causes-and-Process-of-Fire.pdf

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Region XI

F. Torres St., Davao City

Telefax:

Email Address: [email protected]

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