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The life expectancy of a circuit breaker is 30 to 40 years. However, how long your circuit breaker lasts depends on the condition of your electrical equipment, the amperage, your electrical consumption, and more. A breaker box that frequently trips from overload will last much shorter than a breaker box with the proper amperage for the number of devices and appliances in use. If your circuit breaker trips frequently, and you have also increased your electrical consumption, it may be worth upgrading your electrical panel to extend your electrical system’s lifespan—and save you the hassle of frequent power trips.

A ground wire is not required for GFCI to work. A ground is a third wire in an outlet in addition to the live and neutral wires. It serves as an escape conduit for electricity in case of a short circuit. If a ground wire is present, installers should connect it to the appropriate terminal. Otherwise, a GFCI will work fine without it.

While most electrical items can be plugged into a GFCI outlet, some appliances with internal or stationary motors, such as refrigerators, vent fans, and fluorescent lighting, can cause nuisance tripping. This happens because they experience a small, normal amount of current leakage, which can cause the GFCI to trip even when the appliance is working correctly. Although this is not a safety hazard, it can be inconvenient and may cause the GFCI outlet to wear out faster. For this reason, it is often better to plug these types of appliances into a standard outlet. Additionally, electrical circuits over 100 feet long can sometimes cause tripping. Some appliances, like hair dryers, have their own built-in GFCI protection, so connecting them to a standard outlet is fine.

A water heater is one of the heaviest hitters in your home, and it needs as much power as possible to help it run efficiently and effectively.

Your water heater should be on its own dedicated circuit breaker, with no other power sources running to it. This is required to meet the National Electric Code–and to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.