Ceramic Fuses

The dangers of ceramic fuses can be quite hazardous and some Sutherland Shire homes today still have these old fuses protecting their homes. These type of fuses only protect against short circuit and overload protection and do NOT protect against electric shock which can be quite fatal. They have a bi metal element which is basically a small piece of wire wrapped around two screws and will heat up and melt when the circuit draws to much current from appliances or devices on a overload fault.

Why Does a Fuse Blow?

When short circuit occurs the piece of wire is designed to break immediately and disconnect the circuit. Using oversized wire on a circuit could become catastrophe causing damage to your electrical wiring and even starting a fire. Some fuse sizes will be different and the correct wire size must be used and installed by a licensed electrician.

Over time as ceramic fuses age and become brittle, hot joints will form and loose connections will start appearing on the switchboard leading to power failure or even fire damage to your electrical circuits and home. Update your switchboard before its too late.

Ceramic Fuses & Old Wiring need to be replaced immediately. Signs of hazards to look out for are black smolder or any sign of melting around the ceramic fuse and cabling entering the fuse holder. If black smolder marks are spotted in your home wiring, the wiring and switchboard must be upgraded to a safety switch immediately. With modern appliances requiring more wattage, your old switchboard was never equipped to deal with the new power consumption demands and over time appliances will trip or overload and possibly short circuit, resulting in damaged cabling.

When My Fuse Explodes, What Do I Do?

First of all, make sure that you deal with a blown fuse and not a widespread power outage. Take a peek to check if the lights are still on for your neighbor. Next, all appliances that are connected to the circuit affected need to be switched off. Overload could have activated the circuit, but turning off your appliances means that it will not reoccur as soon as the power comes back on. First, locate your switchboard and mark your switchboard’s affected breaker. Look for the switch that faces the others in a different direction and just switch it back on again.

Can a Circuit Breaker Tripped Cause Damage?

A Circuit breaker trips as its identified a hard fault in your homes electrical system. In reality, before any real harm is done to your electical cable only, a circuit fuses are built to trip. However, circuit breakers do not protect people from risk of electric shocks. You should ensure that your switchboard is updated to meet the demand of your modern appliances and not overload your current system.

Learn How to Stop Blown Fuses

The culprit behind several blown fuses is an overloaded circuit. An overload happens when too many devices, causing the fuse to blow. For example, a blown fuse may result from using your washing machine, hair dryer and electric oven all being used at the same time – try to spread usage. You should also look to limit overuse of power boards as well.

Contact the Professionals

The friendly team at True Local Electricians can assist you with advice on preventing blown fuses, and a FREE safety inspection quote on how we can upgrade your Switchboard. Call us on 0423 562 257 any time.