House panel: main breaker and four branch circuits
A 60 A main, four branch breakers, two switched lights, an outlet with a TV and refrigerator, a 1 HP aircon and a 3.5 kW water heater. The service drop comes through the kWh meter to a 2-pole main breaker, then splits into branch circuits, each with its own breaker sized for its cable: lighting 10 A on 2.0 mm², outlets 20 A on 3.5 mm², the aircon 20 A on 3.5 mm² on its own, and the water heater 30 A on 5.5 mm² on its own. Philippine Electrical Code practice: lighting on 2.0 mm² (14 AWG) and a 15–20 A breaker (here 10 A), outlets on 3.5 mm² (12 AWG) and a 20 A breaker, big appliances on their own circuit.
Build it in the labGuided build, test sheet and fault finding, free in your browser.
Parts list
Test procedure
Each test has an expected value and a pass range, like a factory test sheet:
- Total house load through the main breaker
- Water heater circuit current
- Outlets breaker off: lights, aircon and heater carry on
- Short circuit at the aircon: its breaker trips
- Every cable rated for its breaker
How it works
What it does: A 60 A main, four branch breakers, two switched lights, an outlet with a TV and refrigerator, a 1 HP aircon and a 3.5 kW water heater.
Build it (guided or ready-made), then run its test procedure below. Every test has an expected value and a pass range, just like a factory test sheet.
Background
Separate circuits mean a fault in one room trips only that breaker. Big loads (aircon, water heater, range) get dedicated circuits so they never share a cable with anything else.
More builds: power, transformers and three-phase
- Adjustable bench supply 1.25–20 V
- Light with one switch
- Staircase light: two 3-way switches
- Fan and light on a 2-gang switch
- Outlet circuit: three outlets on a 20 A breaker
- RCD protection: someone touches a live wire
- Aircon branch circuit: 1.5 HP on 3.5 mm² and a 20 A breaker, on its own
- Water heater circuit: 3.5 kW on 5.5 mm² and a 30 A breaker