Guys…I’m here…I promise!
Summertime is such a dead zone for me. Not too many holidays to decorate for, and the majority of my days are spent working on house projects for later posts, but something I recently completed while organizing our garage was color coding our circuit breaker box!
This has been on my “to-do” list ever since we moved in. Sure, it’s not something anyone other than our electrician and us will see, but it definitely does make me happy knowing which switch goes to what. You know what I mean? How many of you stare blankly for 15 minutes and then do the switch and yell when you need to flip the breaker?
“Honey, is it off?!”
“….No”
“How about that one?”
“……….Noooo”
“Now?!”
“NOOOOOO”
Yeah, I see you over there laughing…You totally have done it…We did too, once too many times, and that’s why it feels so good to have it finally color coded. Here’s how…
Before, whenever we had to switch the breaker off we wasted at least 10 minutes fidgeting with different switches. The previous owners did write it down, but the sticker was peeling away, it was faded, and super hard to read.
I knew I wanted to somehow color code the box…At first I thought about using nail polish. But didn’t want to go out and buy 20+ different colors.
So I did what any DIYer does. Improvise, and use whatcha got.
The first thing I did to figure out which switch went to what room was turn on EVERY LIGHT, ELECTRONIC, AND APPLIANCE IN THE HOUSE AT NIGHT. Then while I stood in the garage with a pen and paper flipping switches, I had my husband telling me what went off inside the house so I could write it down. Then I typed my notes up in a way it would fit onto the door of the breaker box. (You could totally use a label maker too for this, but I wanted to cover up the stickers that were on the door, and thought this would be a neater approach.)
Next up was figuring out how to color code it, and excuse me for tooting my own horn, but I thought it was pretty genius… 😉
Paint swatches.
Every time I go to the home improvement store I pick up a few multi colored swatches. You never know when you might need then, and this is a perfect example!
The only other thing you’re going to need is a circle hole punch. I picked mine up at Michaels for less than three dollars, but I found a similar one on Amazon for you here.
Then punch out your circles (enough for each switch and one to put by your list).
I say that because some of my switches we double, and others were single. Your box might look completely different so do what works for you in a way your comfortable with.
I used good old fashioned Scotch tape to stick the punches out to the door and switches. It’s been over a week now and everything is holding up fine.
When I got to the last 5 or 6 switches I realized I was going to have to duplicate colors because I ran out of paint swatches. So I thought adding a painted dot on those last few would make them separate enough where it wasn’t confusing.
Ta da!
Step back and admire your handy work….
It’s almost like a functional piece of art isn’t it? I feel like I want to hang it on my fridge for everyone to see!
And now if you’re like me, you can rest assure that when it comes to switch out the light fixture…the correct switch will be turned off.
Oh and if you happen to know me outside of this little ol’ blog, than don’t be surprised if the next time you come over I’m escorting you to the garage to admire my shockingly beautiful rainbow box. (See what I did there?) 😉
Talk to you soon everyone. Take care!
XO
Linking up to: House of Rose, Setting for Four, Tatertots&Jello
**This post is not a sponsored post, but it does contain an Amazon link which I am an affiliate of. For more information on First Home…Love Life’s disclosure and privacy policy click here.
This would come in very handy for me. I live alone and no matter how loud I yell, no one tells me if it’s on yet. lol
Maureen recently posted…How Easy Is Making Jam?
Oh no Maureen! Yes, this is definitely something you should do! It will save you time and hassle next time you need to flip the switch 🙂
Yep, it’s genius. And I want to copy it immediately.
Mindy recently posted…The Last Week Of June In The Garden
Haha 😉 Thanks Mindy!
Super Brill. And Love the “this one….no. This one…” hehehe.
You know we have ALL done that!!!
Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage recently posted…Six Super Summer Wreaths {Fun In The Sun Party Highlights and Kindle Fire HD Winner}
Lol! We’ve all had that conversation! Thanks so much Shannon 🙂
This is so stinkin’ smart!!! I love it! Pinned it a few times because it is soooo worth sharing!
Kim @ Sand & Sisal recently posted…15+ Easy Rope Crafts
Ahhh thanks so much Kim!! XO
I featured your fab Tip here – I’ll be doing this myself!!: http://www.settingforfour.com/2013/07/10-tips-tricks-printables.html Pinned to our group pinboard for some extra luv!
Heather recently posted…10 Tips, Tricks, Printables, Cleaning,Organizing and How To’s – Features from Project Inspire{d}
This is a great idea!!!! now why didn’t I think of that?
If you wish not to use scotch tape, Peak Candle Supply has these wick tabs that have adhesive on both sides…for about $2 you get a zip lock type bag with about 50 – 100 of these things. they are easy to use & in most cases, totally invisible( or rather hidden behind the colored dots that you would used to color code the electrical box.
These wick tabs are meant to hold during candle making, so they can take the heat/cold & still stick like crazy.
Great tip James! I will definitely look into those! The tape has been holding up fine so far, but the wick tabs sound great!
GREAT IDEA!! I once had a brother in law that was doing some electrical work in his kitchen and he was alone. So he turned on the kitchen light and would then go to the basement and start flipping breakers until the light went out. When it did .. he thought he had finally found the right one….. WRONG … the light bulb burned out! He got KNOCKED on his butt when he started working with the wires.
Yikes! Electrical work always makes me nervous! Glad your brother is okay!
Love this idea! I can’t wait to do this. I was als thinking of putting one of those wall push lights next to the breaker. That way if something does happen and u can’t see u don’t have to look for a flash light. 😉 also u might want to put this up in your post in case they don’t read through the comments If U Have a WELL make sure u don’t turn the pump off trying to figure out which switch it is. Some wells have a default that if u turn it off that way u have to have some one come out and turn it back on for you. Ugh!
Great advice! If I have time, I will definitely update the post! Thank you!!
I actually did something similar years ago with nail polish and various stickies that I’d collected, but I think I may need to revisit it with some nicely printed labels instead of my chicken scrawl. I love the concept of recycling those paint swatches that we ALL have. 🙂 Brilliant!
Just love that info so much , that I will take your advice and do this project this coming
this coming week~~~Thanks a bunch~~~<:))
Good afternoon Christine,
I’m a Realtor based out of Pennsylvania whom very much enjoys your blog and would like permission to link to this page and pass this idea on to my customers. But only if that’s okay with you.
This is something every home owner needs to do, even renters..Did I see where somebody had a photo of a flashlight beside the circuit breaker..It was attached to the wall somehow..maybe velcro? I’ll have to find the photo on pinterest again.Even if it isn’t attached to the wall, have it somewhere by the circuit breaker/with fresh batteries that are good. My Dear Father-in-law had a habit of throwing the “dead” batteries back in the drawer and they would get mixed up with “good” batteries and my MIL would get so furious with him. My DH uses a lot of different batteries while he is listening to an audio book on tape or CD..Seems like my little CD player gets more use from him then it did for me. I had bought it to use while walking. I need to add AAA batteries to my next grocery store list. Went to use my digital timer last night and it was dead as a doorknob..took the back off and it needed AAA and he didn’t have any in his stash. I forgot to add it to today’s list..
Use a black fine tip Sharpie to add a letter or number to the center of the circle so there’s both a color and letter associated with the circuits. A lot of guys have partial color blindness and wouldn’t be able to tell the colors apart.