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Moving into a new house is equal parts thrilling adventure and unsettling mystery. You’re taking on a space crammed with unknowns, some of which won’t manifest until you’re comfortably settled. We try to mitigate those unknowns in various ways—home inspections and maintenance checklists, for example—but there’s one mystery too many homeowners leave unsolved until it’s too late: labeling your circuit breakers.

The worst time to figure out which breaker controls what is when there’s an emergency. And clearly labeled breakers save time and effort when you or an electrician is performing maintenance or repairs. Plus, it might actually be required by your local building codes. So if you’ve been living with a mysterious breaker panel since you

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