In a post-pandemic world, it isn't all that surprising to hear about things like shortages. Many industries worldwide are facing supply shortages for various reasons. Dealing with shortages is difficult, frustrating, and scary, especially when you are a business owner. For many electricians, shortages can be challenging because, without parts, they can’t do the work they need to do.
As shortages continue to be a problem, it can be hard to know where to look for parts. A recent problem that electricians have been running into is a shortage of circuit breakers. Let's take a closer look at this shortage and what you can do to face it.
Why There’s a Circuit Breaker Shortage
We all know that the pandemic is a big reason for a lot of shortages at the moment. With many companies facing temporary shutdowns and fewer people being able to work last year, raw materials quickly became more and more scarce. And, with fewer raw materials to go around, the products made by the raw materials also became scarce.
As this continued, the shortages affected more and more industries. For example, our market is currently in a state where construction materials, in particular, are difficult to obtain. As a result, the housing market has become more intense than it has been in years.
That being said, it isn't always necessary to assume that because there's a supply shortage you won't be able to get the supplies you need. On the contrary, the supplies you need may be more available than you think. Let's take a look at what you can do to get the supplies you need for you and your business during the shortage.
What to Do When Shortages Happen
One of the first things you should remember when shortages occur is that it's better not to panic. Not panicking is, of course, easier if you generally maintain a good supply of parts on your own. Preparation and storage can keep you going for a while, whether there’s a shortage or not. Even then, shortages can still be highly stressful to deal with.
What you really need to focus on, when shortages happen with parts like circuit breakers, is finding where you can still get supplies. It's best to go to reputable businesses to ensure that you are still getting high-quality, new parts. Start with familiar businesses, and if their supply is low, begin searching online for other companies. A good online store to start with is Big Electric Supply, but we’ll touch on that more in a minute.
When you're looking for circuit breakers during a shortage, you need to be wary of counterfeit products as well as used products. These products can be sold under the name of a familiar brand, but they will often be lower-quality and can quickly wear out and become a safety hazard. It's best to avoid using counterfeit or used parts at all. At times, it may be tempting to purchase counterfeits or used products because they might be more readily available. But if you recognize counterfeits on the market, avoid them for your sake and for the sake of your customers. And installing a used breaker that may be more than 50 years old is never a good idea.
Just because counterfeit or used circuit breakers may be more available does not, however, mean that they are the only option. It's better to do what you can to look for companies that are selling non-counterfeit circuit breakers during shortages. And you may be surprised to find that the companies you know to be reputable actually have a better supply of circuit breakers than you might expect.
Purchasing only from reputable companies may mean needing to purchase different brands of circuit breakers than you have in the past, and it may mean shopping at different companies than you have in the past. But if doing so means that you have high-quality circuit breakers to use in your business, it will be worth it.
Big Electric Supply’s Circuit Breakers
Despite the shortage of circuit breakers, Big Electric Supply is fortunate to still have a good supply of circuit breakers available. If you have been struggling to find circuit breakers in your normal places, you’ll want to look at Big Electric Supply’s inventory. We have a large variety of circuit breakers available, and we are ready to help.
Our inventory of circuit breakers includes well-known brands like GE, Eaton, Square D, among others. We also carry Connecticut Electric products. They manufacture new listed replacement breakers for obsolete brands such as Federal Pacific, Eaton, Challenger, Pushmatic, and Zinsco. Each of these circuit breakers is high-quality and currently available. If you don’t see your favorite brands listed here, don’t worry. This list is not comprehensive, so we still might have what you want. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions as well.
Our job at Big Electric Supply is to make sure you have the supplies and parts you need to handle your needs as an electrician. We're ready to help you restock your supply of circuit breakers in spite of this shortage that the market is currently facing. Additionally, we have plenty of other electric supplies still available as well, so no matter what you're looking for when you come to Big Electric Supply, we can help you find it.
While it’s certainly true that supply shortages are stressful and even scary at times, knowing there is someone you can go to to get help can make all the difference. You can recover your supply of circuit breakers and other electrical parts when you shop at Big Electric Supply today. Once you do, you can rest easy, knowing that you are prepared to deal with this shortage.