The Importance of Electricity & Fuse Boxes
There you are just sitting there engaging in your favorite hobby in the mid-evening (watching TV for a lot of us) when suddenly everything goes dark around you. You go to your light switch and flick it on and off to no avail. You’ll probably realize there must be something wrong with your electricity and then head to your fuse box.
This is where an average person will probably find themselves divided into two categories: those who know what’s going on in their fuse box and those who don’t. Electricity is such an integral part of most people’s lives, and yet a significant number of people don’t actually really know how it works in their house.
While you might know how to save as much battery as possible on your smartphone, you might not know how to keep the electricity flowing so you can charge said smartphone. This article will tell you how to remove and fix fuses in your fuse box to keep the electricity coming into your home. It will also discuss the benefits of upgrading your fuse box.
How to Remove Damaged Fuses
Usually, when your electricity stops working, there’s a high chance of a blown fuse involved. If you’ve blown a fuse, you will need to know how to remove the blown fuse.Because there are so many different types of fuses, this article will focus on the fuse most commonly used in homes before circuit breakers, the plug fuse. You can tell this fuse has blown when the glass in front of it becomes cloudy, or when you can see a piece of metal has broken off in the fuse.
Before removing the fuse, you should make sure to turn off the main power supply and should probably wear gloves and safety glasses to protect against any electric sparks. To remove a plug fuse, you simply use a screwdriver to unscrew the fuse. Doing this yourself can be dangerous because of the sparks, even more so if you don’t quite know how to handle it. If you have any doubts, it is best to call a technician.
Fixing Your Fuse Box Issues
After removing the fuse, you can use a screwdriver to screw in the new one. Make sure you are using a fuse with the same amperage, or ability to use electricity, as the previous fuse.
If the fuse is hard to take out, you can use pliers to gently take out the fuse. In either case, it is a good idea to let a technician do it because you could possibly injure yourself or crush the fuse while trying to take it out and put the new one in.
After this, make sure to not turn all of your appliances on at once or you might blow the fuse again. If the fuse goes again, you should call in a professional so they can take a look at it. For a circuit breaker system, the fuse might have just tripped. To fix this, switch the fuses all to the opposite side then back to the side they started on.
Should You Upgrade?
Fuse boxes are circa 1960s and really old, and therefore really dangerous. They don’t have the safety countermeasures that have been put into newer circuit breakers.For the safest electrical panel, and to avoid overheating, it’s best to upgrade to a circuit breaker board. Also, the latest electrical panels have been built to withstand greater amounts of electrical output.
In this day of increasing technology use, the immense electrical demand will cause older circuit breakers and fuse boxes to trip or blow a fuse often because they aren’t built to withstand the output. This is why it is a good idea to upgrade your electrical panel if it’s from before the 80s.
About Swick Home Services
If you need help fixing your fuse box or feel it’s time for an upgrade while you’re living in Marquette, call Swick Home Services. Not only are they quick to fix any of your electrical needs on a 24- hour basis. Contact them today for help with your breaker panel and keep the lights on in your home.
