Breaker Box Heaven
I am so excited to share a very useful tip with you today, one that would be great for every home!
It will be three years in June since we moved into our house. We were so blessed because the previous owners were amazing people and made it perfect for us by adding finishing touches everywhere.
I would say that my favorite feature that we were blessed with was what I call “Breaker Box Heaven.”
Not only did he label all the breakers,
But he also provided a written description for each breaker. It tells you which outlets and switches are connected to that specific breaker and where they are located in the house.
And best of all…..An actual map of the main floor and basement labeling exactly where each outlet and switch and 3 way switch are in each room. Holy cow, this is just amazing! I am a visual person so this is my favorite part!
As you can see in the above photos our breaker box had been open without us knowing for a while one summer and the front pages faded. I used the written instructions to fill it back in, and now I store them in the plastic sleeves backwards, just in case it ever happens again, so no fading. Or you could just keep extra copies in the house, which is a good idea.
Can you imagine all the time this saves for DIY projects? I replaced the lights in my master bath and I knew exactly which breaker to flip in seconds! If you are working on a specific area, you can go to the map of that room and you will know all the breakers to flip so that each plug and outlet is switched off.
This would be a great summer project for the whole family! The more helpers to discover which plugs and switches go to which breaker the better. It would take some time I am sure, but I know from experience it is TOTALLY worth it!
So what do you think? Would you like to have a little Breaker Box Heaven at your house?
Hugs!!!
Mindi
I will be linking to these parties.
Great idea. It is on my long to do list to make labels and directions for stuff like that in our house. While the breaker box is pretty much done, I want to make labels for the furnace / gas shut off and water shut off. Could come in handy if a guest is over or babysitter. Thank you for the reminder. 🙂
Any woman who has ever had to visit her breaker box would love to have an breaker heaven box. I'm pinning this.
Bliss
I did this exact same project like two years ago, while working on my kitchen! It has saved us so much time! though my drawings are not as pretty as your husband's 🙂
great idea! I think our breaker is mainly labeled (from previous owner), but it's not as detailed…better get on it
Mindi, ok, this is pretty impressive! What a wonderful nudge to all of us to get to breaker box heaven! Thanks for sharing and am pinning! Have a wonderful week! ~Cindy@littlemisscelebration.com
Wow! I would have bought the house just for that! In each of the two houses we've bought, we had to turn them all on/off and work together to figure out what's what! I can't say we're leaving anything that detailed behind when/if we ever move, but at least they're labeled now. That's awesome!
This is so awesome!! It would be sooo helpful to have this much information all in one place, especially in an emergency. We'll be featuring this over at Someday Crafts tomorrow, so come take a look!
This is genius. No more guessing.
Sarah M Schultz
Wow, you're so organized! I'm impressed! Thanks for sharing at Give Me the Goods Monday link party!
http://www.marriedfiling-jointly.com/
Mindi, you are so very right… this is a lifesaver!! And how fabulous that the previous homeowner did that for you. When you move into a new home, just even finding the breaker box can be daunting, let alone what breaker goes to which outlet. Having moved so many times, I make sure, during inspection, that I am shown where this is and that it is understandable! Thanks for sharing!
That would indeed help tremendously during home improvement projects
stopping by to visit from Fluster’s Creative Muster Wednesday Linky Party
Carolyn @ iamthecraftylady.com
You should make copies (color copy of the floor plan one) and keep it in a binder in the house. Just in case. ;o)
My husband is an electrician and I can tell you one of his pet peeves is when people don't have their breaker box labeled. Thank you for sharing on Fluster's Creative Muster.
Robin
Fluster Buster
Wow! I have never seen such organization! How fantastic- maybe we'll have to plan to do this during the summer. . . Thanks for sharing!
This is a great idea. Our house is wired so funny that it's always a guessing game as to which switch goes where! Thank you for sharing it at to What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a great week!
Hugs,
Deborah
Oh, my gosh, that map is awesome!! I have no idea what we'd have to go through to make a map like that. We do have the breakers labeled – loosely. 🙂 Best wishes, Maybe you would like to share this at What to do Weekends? I'd love to have you share this. Best wishes, Linda
http://www.craftsalamode.com/2013/05/what-to-do-weekends-18.html
So clever and useful – thanks for sharing at Monday Funday! Take care, Laura
This has got to be done in my house. When I need to flip a breaker I generally just flip them all. They are labeled sorta by this homes previous owner but don't really line up and don't include everything just mainly where they go to. . I am pinning. Thanks so much for sharing your Breaker Box Heaven.
This is great! I can just imagine what a time saver this must be, among other benefits!
Such a great idea! You really save time with this! I am new from southern charm! I would love for you to check out my blog and follow me back! Have a great day,Nicole
I love this idea! I have mine labeled, but now will add where the outlets are located.
Holy cow! Is that awesome!! Do you know how many times my husband is downstairs yelling up to me "is this the one" no…and on and on! Ha! This would save us so much time!!! I hope that you had a beautiful Mother's Day friend! You so deserve it!!! Have a lovely week! Nicole xoxo
Ours is marked, but not with as many details!
So Detailed!Thanks for sharing & linking up @ DearCreatives.com Theresa PS Hope to see you again soon!
Mindi, this is SO smart! Totally showing this to my husband tonight! Thanks for the great idea! 🙂
We have our breaker box set up similarly too. It has saved me countless headaches knowing exactly which breaker to work on when a light goes out. Thank you so much for sharing this with Saturday Spotlight. Hope to see you at this weeks party!
April
Angels Homestead
Such a great idea! Thank you for coming to share at Super Saturday Show & Tell last week.. stop on by and share again today! http://www.whatscookingwithruthie.com I hope you have wonderful weekend! xoxo~ Ruthie
What a fabulous idea! I found you through Pinterest and pinned this great idea again. Thanks you for the clear instructions and great photographs! ~Thea
As an electrician I LOVE this, it makes troubleshooting SOOOO much easier and CHEAPER for the homeowner. The only thing I DON"T like is the amount of rust I'm seeing on the face of the panel. I would check to make sure your not getting water in the panel. It could just be from humidity but it looks like more than that to me. Be on the safe side!!!Pat
Thanks Pat! I will check it out! It probably from when the box got left open and I wasn't aware…but you are right better safe than sorry!