A blown fuse or a blown circuit breaker can render a device or appliance useless until corrected. However, in most cases, a homeowner does not need to hire a technician to change a blown fuse in the house that won’t reset. Instead, a blown fuse in the circuit breaker can be fixed manually as well. A fuse blown can be changed easily by following the necessary steps that are required to replace it. Here, the article will focus on how to fix a fuse, including:
- What causes a blown fuse?
- How to fix a fuse?
- Inside the electric panel
- An electric panel with a fuse box
What causes a blown fuse?
Before you fix a blown fuse, you must know the reasons that cause a fuse to blow up. The circuit breaker or fuse in your home is designed to trip or blow if the maximum amps rated for is exceeded. Usually, when multiple appliances are run throughout the house, the burden on the fuse increases massively. As such, the fuse wiring burns and breaks down. Similarly, a blown circuit breaker occurs when the load on the circuit breaker exceeds its predetermined limit. Otherwise, the excessive load can result in serious and lasting damage to your home and appliances. A blown fuse in the circuit breaker prevents it by protecting the appliances from excessive electric load. Without a blown fuse, the excess load may lead to a fire.
How to fix a fuse?
Following the right procedure in fuse blown replacement ensures that minimal damage occurs to any other components, and your blown circuit breaker gets back to full functionality in no time.
First, it is important to respond to the initial cause that caused the blown fuse. Try unplugging some of the heavier electrical appliances in the rooms where power is gone. If your entire home is affected, turn the appliances off throughout your home. Usually, the appliances plugged right before the fuse blew off must be unplugged first. Without turning off the appliances, the replaced fuse will likely blow off as well.
Then, locate your utility room’s electrical panel. In some homes, the circuit breaker is in the basement. Try looking for it in your garage or storeroom. Usually, the electrical panel is behind a metal box on the wall. In old houses, it is located near the electric box meter. If you still fail to find the electric panel, refer to your home inspection report or hire a professional electrician. They can help locate your electric panel if it is covered by boxes or furniture.
Before touching anything, ensure that you have taken every safety measure. Otherwise, contact with a direct electric supply can prove fatal or extremely harmful. First, stand on the dry floor and wear rubber-soled shoes. Additionally, wear rubber gloves if available. Never stand on a metal box when fixing your fuse. Metal is an electric conductor, increasing the possibility of you receiving a severe electric shock.
Once the electric panel is opened, look for the circuit breaker consisting of switches and levers. Multiple fuses present in the circuit breaker affect different areas of your house. If you have a fuse box, you have to check each fuse until you find the one that is no longer functional. However, this exercise is only required the first time. If you label each fuse side by side, you will know which fuse pertains to which room when you are in a similar situation the next time.
Inside the electric panel
Once the fuse is determined and replaced, it is time to reset the circuit breaker. There is usually a row of breakers present inside the electric panel. Check for the ones that are in the off position and turn them back on. There are two situations:
- If the circuit breaker was struck between the off and on position, turn it off first before turning it on.
- If the circuit breaker was struck in the off position, turn it on directly.
An electric panel with a fuse box
In some cases, the electronic panel consists only of the fuse box, with no circuit breakers. Turn off the main power before changing the fuse. Use a battery-powered flashlight to check the fuse. Only replace the fuse with a similar fuse having similar amperage, size, and rating. If the fuse is replaced with a higher amperage fuse, it can damage the wiring of your entire home. In extreme cases, it may damage the home appliances permanently. Most fuses are rated between 15 and 30 amps. The rating is based on the wires used in your home. After fixing the fuse, reset the breaker and test the fuse to check if everything is back to normal.
Conclusion
Changing a fuse is an easy task if done properly. Let us know in the comments section if our article helped you out.
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