Fuses and Circuit Breakers

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The size of a fuse or breaker in your service panel is determined by the expected load on a circuit and the size of the wires in the circuit. Fuses and breakers are designed to blow or trip when the demand for electricity is excessive, before wiring gets dangerously hot. Never replace a fuse with one of larger amperage. Doing so creates a fire hazard. If electrical use exceeds the capacity of a fuse or breaker, the breaker will trip or the fuse will blow, stopping the flow of electricity in the circuit. When that happens, try to figure out what caused the overload before resetting the breaker or replacing the fuse. Most likely, you have too many appliances drawing current on the same circuit. Try plugging some of them into receptacles on another circuit. If that doesn’t work, one of the appliances on the circuit may need repair.

If you have circuit breakers in your service panel then chances are you have at least 100-amp service. Older fuse boxes are usually rated at 60 or 100 amps. The amp rating is typically marked somewhere on the panel, it indicates the maximum amount of electrical services that the house can be wired for. Today new houses are most often provided with 200 amps but 100 amps will do for most people. Many people are living just fine with their 60-amp service. Old wiring can be a hazard. If your wiring has frayed or brittle insulation then you may want to consider having your house rewired.