Understanding Your Electrical System

OAKLAND — There are two types of electrical systems found in homes today: fuse boxes and circuit breaker panels. Regardless of which you have in your home, it’s beneficial to gain an understanding of how each functions.

Fuse box
As the precursor to modern circuitry, fuse boxes are commonly found in older homes. There are two kinds: plug fuses and cartridge fuses. Plug fuses are short, mushroom-shaped fuses that are designed to conduct a maximum of 125 volts. Cartridge fuses are cylindrical in appearance (with contact points on each end) and have a higher power capacity: up to 600 volts, depending on the design.

When a fuse is subjected to an excess amount of electrical current for an extended period of time, this commonly results in what’s known as a “blown” fuse. While a blown plug fuse can easily be replaced, you need to be careful when replacing a cartridge fuse because they have more exposed parts. However, since fuse boxes weren’t designed to meet the electrical needs of today, if you find yourself having to continually replace fuses, you should consider upgrading to a circuit breaker panel.

Circuit breaker panel
This more modern style of electrical system relies on circuit breakers rather than fuses. Besides being more suited to modern power needs, the main benefit of circuit breakers is that instead of burning out like a fuse, they simply switch off, or “trip,” when overloaded. Not only does this function help protect against overheating, it also makes restoring power much easier: instead of replacing the breaker, all you have to do is flip it back up to the “on” position. Keep in mind that you need to use the correct procedure of turning the switch all the way off and back up; otherwise, it may not reset.