Most modern homes come with circuit breakers located inside of their electrical panels. However, homes that were built 50 or more years ago may have a fuse box instead of a circuit breaker.
Although the two items are designed to prevent surges that could cause electrical fires, they work in completely different ways.
What Is a Fuse Box?
As the name suggests, fuse boxes contain single-use fuse cylinders that provide the amps necessary to power an appliance, the kitchen lights or other objects in your home. If a fuse blows, it will no longer provide power to whatever object it was connected to.
Fuses may blow because there is too much power flowing through it or because of old age. If a fuse does blow, you’ll need to replace it with another one that can be purchased at a hardware store or online retailer. Replacement fuses typically cost a few cents to a few dollars depending on the size and quality of the product. They typically only take a few seconds to replace, and in most cases, you don’t need any specialized tools to do so.
It’s critical that you replace the fuse with one that has the same amperage to minimize the risk of a fire. It’s also important to have someone inspect the fuse box if a number of fuses fail at the same time. This is because it could be a sign that the electrical panel itself has reached the end of its useful life.
As there is an elevated risk of fires in homes with fuse boxes, you may need to remove it to qualify for home insurance. In addition to potential risks using the wrong fuses, the fuse box itself has exposed live wires that could spark, short or otherwise catch fire.
What Is a Circuit Breaker?
A circuit breaker contains a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) for each item that it powers. For instance, the circuit for the air conditioner will trip if there is a ground fault that could create a surge of electricity to that component.
As with the fuse box, if a circuit is tripped, it will no longer provide power to that item. However, resetting a circuit breaker is considered to be much easier than replacing a fuse. This is because you simply go to the electrical box, find the circuit that tripped and turn it back on again.
In most cases, this will reset the circuit without causing any noticeable damage to the circuit or the item it was powering. However, if the circuit is tripped often, resetting it could cause damage to wires or other components. Furthermore, having to reset the circuit breaker on a regular basis indicates a larger electrical problem that needs to be rectified quickly.
Other advantages of a circuit breaker include ease of maintenance as well as their ability to provide greater amounts of power to your home. It’s not uncommon for a circuit breaker to provide up to 300 amps or more. Finally, a circuit breaker may come in a variety of designs that better fit your home’s overall aesthetic. The only potential downside is that they tend to last for about 40 years while a fuse box may last for 50 years or more.
Call Mister Sparky for Assistance Today
If you need help deciding whether to keep your fuse box in favor of a circuit breaker, call our team today. We can also repair a fuse box or circuit breaker or provide insight into whether your electrical box needs to be upgraded or replaced. Any work that we do on your home will be performed in a timely, professional and affordable manner.