WHY DO THE FUSES SOMETIMES BLOW IN MY HOUSE?

Timothy Ball

When a certain amount of current being drawn from a plug socket is exceeded, the fuse is designed to ‘blow’ to protect the wiring in the house and the appliances connected to that specific circuit. Electricians install fuses as a safety feature so that a large surge in power doesn’t cause an electrical fire. A fuse is simply a small wire running from one electrode to another, encapsulated in some kind of fireproof casing. An appliance that needs more power than a fuse can supply will ultimately blow the fuse. Most houses use circuit breakers that operate by similar means, though these differ from fuses in that they can be reset. If too many appliances try to draw power from a wiring system at once, switching on a new one can ‘trip’ the breaker and cut power, which is why switching on an appliance can cut the power in a house.