identifying a electical circuit

Feel free to stop over and check out my actual breaker box layout. You'll see that it is no where as simple as you are trying to make it. The house was built in 1956 with just a few fuses and some shared neutral circuits. Over the years, the upgrade to breakers, the splitting of circuits and the addition of new circuits, overhead lights, etc. have resulted in rooms with multiple circuits that don't fit into a simple N-S-E-W, 1st floor, 2nd floor pattern.

There's also a serious hazard associated with your suggestion.

Let's say the Mstr Bed Computer is on the W side. A user, wanting to kill the power on the W side of the house, reads the Breaker 9 label (W pwr) and says "That's what I'm looking for" and shuts it off. Now he thinks the west side is dead because there was no indication on the

Besides, how do I know there will always be a computer plugged into that outlet? Noting the location is much better than noting the use, except obviously for cases like "bathroom exhaust fan". The dedicated GFCI I installed for the fish tank in the living room years ago now powers the flat screen and sound system. It's always been labeled as Living Room - North Wall, never as Fish Tank receptacle. It's also mentioned (by breaker number) on the listing for the breaker that controls most of the first floor as an "exception". (see listing examples below)

My simplest entry reads: Garbage Disposal

My most complicated reads: Basement, First Floor, Second Floor Landing Light, Front House Lights - Exceptions: See Brkrs 1-7, 17-19, 22,

This cross-referencing takes care of dedicated receptacles for microwaves, computers, *fish tanks*, etc. when they are on the same floor/same wall as a number of other receptacles controlled by different breakers.

Start out by numbering the breakers on each panel. Allow for expansion of the panel isn't already maxed out. On a sunny day, turn off all breakers except for the main and one load. Then search around for anything that has power. Make a note of which circuit the load is on. If the cover plates aren't painted in place you can note the circuit number on the inside of the plate -- or even on the outside if aesthetically acceptable. Then keep a list or chart of what load is protected by what breaker.