It’s easy to forget about your fuse board – it’s probably buried in a cupboard under the stairs. But modern homes and all their extra power demands could mean your old-style fuse board is no longer safe. Having an effective fuse board is crucial from a safety perspective. And to be honest, having a fuse board that trips constantly because it can’t handle the load anymore, is just annoying.
What is a fuse board?
A fuse board is connected to the electric supply and is the central point for electrical circuits in a property. Your electrical wires run from the fuse board to different electrical appliances, such as lights and sockets.
The fuse board contains the electrical fuses or circuit breakers that protect the electrical circuits from overloading.
How does a fuse board work?
A fuse board contains residual current device (RCD), circuit breakers or fuses and a mains switch to disconnect the entire supply.
A fuse or circuit breaker is designed to break the connection when the electrical current flowing through the circuit gets too much to be safe. It’s to prevent a potential fire or other safety hazard. The fuse or circuit breaker can be reset once the cause of the overload is corrected.
So, for example a plugboard with too many plugs or plugs with too much amperage can cause a circuit breaker to trip. Otherwise the current may become excessive and cause a fire.
Residual current devices trip a circuit and instantly disconnect the electricity when the conditions become unsafe.
Your RCD constantly monitors the electric current flowing through one or more protected circuits. If it detects electricity flowing down an unintended path, such as through a person who has touched a live part, the RCD will quickly switch off the circuit. This quick response significantly reduces the risk of death or serious injury.
Fuses and circuit breakers
When an electrical circuit is overloaded, the flow of current increases, causing the fuse or circuit breaker to heat up. In older style fuse boards the fuse wire would melt if the current became too much, effectively breaking the circuit. In modern fuse boards the circuit breaker will break the supply and the switch for that circuit will flick from ‘on’ to ‘off’.
To restore power, you’ll need to replace the blown fuse wire or reset the tripped circuit breaker. But if the problem hasn’t been sorted – i.e if you are still trying to overload that plugboard, the circuit will trip again.
Potential Fuseboard Problems
- Overloading – when too many electrical appliances are used simultaneously, the flow of current in the circuit can increase, causing the fuse to blow or the circuit breaker to trip. An older fuse board may not be able to reliably handle the increased demands of a modern property.
- Damaged electrical appliances can cause fuse boards to trip regularly.
- Old components – this can lead to issues such as arcing and sparking where the current ‘jumps’ to try to maintain the connection between damaged areas. Obviously this can be a fire hazard. Loose connections can also cause a spark and result in a fire.
- Old or damaged fuses – these can trip more frequently or worse, not work at all. You get an unprotected home and a fire risk.
- Electrical surges from lightning strikes or power outages can damage the fuse board and the electrical appliances connected to it. There’s a reason why the advice is to disconnect your appliances during a thunderstorm.
Does mine need replacing?
If it’s old, then it might well do. If your fuse board is more than 30 years old you should definitely consider replacing it with something that is more modern and fit for the demands of today’s energy needs. Older fuse boxes can be perfectly compliant, but if you have an old one you should get it checked over.
And without doubt, if your fuse board is showing signs of wear and tear, or damaged, get it replaced for safety reasons.
A quick search for a local electrician near me will give you a list of qualified engineers to help you.
There may also have been a regulation change that requires you to make changes – this is especially relevant if you are a private landlord.
Final Thoughts
Your home needs electricity. So, if it’s old, get your fuse board inspected by a qualified electrician. Updating your fuse board can mean better safety and better use of your electrical system. Ultimately your fuse board is there to prevent potential fire hazards, so that’s what it needs to do.
