If the lights went out in the middle of cooking dinner, would you know how to change a fuse to get the power back on again? Do you even know where your fuse box is and whether it has fuses or circuit breakers? Most modern or renovated houses will have their fuse boxes replaced with circuit breakers. If your house has circuit breakers, you don’t need to know how to change a fuse, you just reset the trip switch.
Finding the fuse box
Finding the fuse box and fuse that needs changing in the dark can be a challenge so it’s always a good idea to keep a torch in the cupboard where the spare fuse wire is kept. The fuse board can be found in the same box where the electricity metre is found, usually on the outside of your home, often near the front door.
Working out which fuse has blown
If it’s just a case of a blown fuse, power will only be affected in certain parts of the house. If there’s no electricity in any part of the house then chances are there’s a power outage that’s coming from outside your home. Use your smartphone to check for power outages in your area.
When you open the fuse box, the fuses are a series of white porcelain ‘plugs’ in row on the fuse board. Fuses should be labelled to tell you what parts of the house they supply power to. A standard home will usually have one fuse for an electric stove, one for electric hot water systems, two for appliances and one for the lights. Remember to turn off the main power switch before pulling out any fuses to inspect them.
How to change the fuse
Whether you need to change a fuse that’s blown or reset the circuit breaker, before even opening the fuse box it’s important to turn off any electrical appliances that were running when the power went out. You’ll need a flathead screwdriver and fuse wire to change a fuse. Make sure you’ve turned off the main power switch. Here’s how you change a fuse:
• Pull out the fuses one at a time and inspect the wire to see if it has blown. Apply gentle pressure to the fuse wire to see whether it has broken.
• Once you’ve identified the fuse that’s blown you’ll need fuse wire with the same amp rating as the one that’s blown. It’s important that you use fuse wire with the same amp rating. If you use the wrong fuse wire, you risk starting a house fire.
• Replace the fuse in the fuse board and then turn the power back on. If the fuse blows again as soon as you turn the power on, it’s time to call an electrician.
When to call an expert
It’s not only against the law to carry out any repairs on your fuse box, whether your own or rent, it’s also downright dangerous. Here’s when you need to call in an expert electrician.
• If you have to keep changing a blown fuse. This could signal wiring problems and if it’s not addressed could potentially lead to a house fire.
• If you have a circuit breaker instead of a fuse box and resetting the trip switch doesn’t bring the power back on – there are no fuses that can be changed and you run a serious risk of electrocution attempting to fix any problem.
• If the same fuse keeps blowing or the circuit breaker tripping it can mean you’ve got too many appliances plugged into power boards and you should ask an electrician to put in some extra power points.
Fuse boxes can be potentially dangerous and not using the correct fuse can lead to house fires.
If you’re not sure how to change a fuse or your fuse box needs repairing or replacing, call the friendly and qualified staff at Bevan Robinson Electrical . Call Bevan or Robyn on (07) 3893 2792.