What is the difference between a fuse box and an electrical panel?
Sometimes a simple blown fuse can annoy us by leading to a power outage. This is an easy problem to solve when you have some basic knowledge of how to fix it.
In residential homes or other buildings, electrical panel (also known as a circuit breaker box) or fuse box are one of the most important parts of the electrical installation. This is where all the circuits join together in one place.
An electrical panel is an electronic system formed by circuit breakers, capable of switching off the electric flow in case of an incident on an electric circuit (overload or short-circuit). When it is turned on, current flows through it and when it is turned off the current does not flow. Circuit breakers are therefore not damaged during this process.
While a fuse box is formed by metal filaments that melt when overheated to prevent the electricity from circulating and therefore needs to be replaced, whereas electrical panel can simply be reset.
At the end of the day, the purpose is the same. Fuse boxes and electrical panels are both designed to prevent overloading of the electrical circuit by interrupting the power supply to protect your home and your family. Good electricians normally place them in a clear, dry working space, easily accessible and out of reach of children. Both must meet the current safety guidelines set by the CER to avoid electrical incidents, which can be very dangerous. Therefore, it is important to contact a licensed electrical company, such as VARG Inc, to make sure everything is in order.
Find out where the blown fuses are
If you connect too many devices to your circuit at the same time, this will cause an electrical overcurrent. In the case of an electrical panel, the circuit breaker will automatically switch off and cut off the power. This means that in case of a power failure, you can reset the circuit breaker to the “on” position after having solved the problem, for example by disconnecting some electric appliances from the circuit. If you cannot fix the problem, it is preferable to call an electrician.
However, if you live in an older house, you may have a fuse box instead of an electrical panel and it is a bit more complex. The first step is to locate your fuse box and to properly inspect all fuses. Use a torch to make it easier! A broken metal line or opaque looks in the upper part of the glass represents a blown fuse.
The second step, after you have located the blown fuse, is to make sure that the whole house is out of power. To do this, pull out the main fuse block. Then you should replace the blown fuse with a new one having the same electronic characteristics. Finally, all you need to do is to replace the main fuse block. If you still have no power after doing so, perhaps it is time to call an electrician to examine the issue.
How to keep your house safe?
Here are a few recommendations to keep your house safe.
We recommend replacing fuses box with an electrical panel to secure your electrical installation. In fact, circuit breakers in electrical panel have many advantages: they can be reset at any time, they do not have to be replaced and they allow the electricity to be immediately restored. Your electrical installation will be safer, and you will no longer need to handle the fuses yourself. Of course, this depends on the cause of the power cut.
Another thing that can help is to label each circuit breaker according to the part of the house it controls. This makes repair easier and helps you recognize the right circuit breaker in case of a problem.
But the most important thing is to periodically have the electrical installations checked by an electrician to make sure that everything is in order. Especially when you move to a new house or make major changes to an existing electrical system.
Call us if you have any problems, we will be glad to help you, in less time.
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