Home Security: Breaker Box

[Great-Kazoo]

Our supply / box is 50' inside the perimeter. What is everyone concerned about, you do have a flashlight next to or on a home defense firearm, YES? Or did Being able to ID a threat get lost among the rest of one's safety plans.

[gnihcraes]

Meter and "fuse" box was on the inside. Power company wants access to the meter for their reasons.

Upgraded my service a couple times, all of it got moved outdoors. Most installations I've seen are outside. Newer homes have them inside I believe.

One reason I can think of is that my hood is fed from above ground lines/poles, vs below fed in the new subdivisions. It would make it easier to get power inside from those underground feed points.

Having a mast going straight to the meter and breaker box with overhead feed setups.



Make sure power required security items are on a UPS or similar device.

[rbeau30]

My sentry guns are off-grid so they will still work.

[clublights]

Mine is in the garage, 21 year old house, or thereabouts.

Burglars turn off the power to disable landline phones, (doesn't work, only turns off the ringer, but hey, they're not the brightest bulb in the box), burglar alarms, and generally discumbobulate the residents.

Or so I'm told.

uhhh landline phones are powered off the phone line itself. This does not include cordless or other phones that have an AC plug in normally a wall wart of some sort. When the phone is not in use, this is a constant DC signal (about 50-60 volts). When the phone rings, the signal is a 20 hertz AC signal (about 90 volts). When in use it is a modulated DC signal (between 6 and 12 volts). The phones lines even have power during a blackout in most cases.

[clodhopper]

uhhh landline phones are powered off the phone line itself. This does not include cordless or other phones that have an AC plug in normally a wall wart of some sort. When the phone is not in use, this is a constant DC signal (about 50-60 volts). When the phone rings, the signal is a 20 hertz AC signal (about 90 volts). When in use it is a modulated DC signal (between 6 and 12 volts). The phones lines even have power during a blackout in most cases.

Yep, but most people don't use an unpowered phone anymore. Usually some sort of remote or built in answering machine requiring wall power. BUT, on the other side of things, more and more people are dropping the land line completely and just using a cell. Problem eliminated. Even home security systems are starting to use cellular.


The breaker on the outside is required by building code. Allows the fire responders to kill power prior to dumping water on a fire and trooping around in puddles....and it also allows the power company to kill power if the payment is behind. Usually it is just a main cutoff outside and the rest of the breakers are in the garage.

[KestrelBike]

In the basement in these parts!

[clublights]

Yep, but most people don't use an unpowered phone anymore. Usually some sort of remote or built in answering machine requiring wall power. BUT, on the other side of things, more and more people are dropping the land line completely and just using a cell. Problem eliminated. Even home security systems are starting to use cellular.

True however the phone would likely not work more then just not ringing if it required ac power of any sort.

[GilpinGuy]

Mine is outside, too, along with the meter. It caught on fire in September 2012. I'd LOVE to know the logic behind having it outside.

If mine caught fire, I think I'd want it to be outside.

FWIW, I have two: one inside the laundry room from the original house and one outside for the addition we did. I guess I'm f-ed either way.

[Brian]

Man I thought I was the only one this annoyed. Moved into this new house probably about 8 years ago and all the electrical stuff is outside, downstairs, in the farthest corner from any door.

[Irving]

If mine caught fire, I think I'd want it to be outside.

FWIW, I have two: one inside the laundry room from the original house and one outside for the addition we did. I guess I'm f-ed either way.

+1 to both statements. Good thing that fire was outside.