If you're here because you already know you want to upgrade your cermic fuses to circuit breakers then click away right here...
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When you check cermamic fuses, you’ll find the brand Federal is very common. (As are the words vintage fuses.) You’ll likely see Federal embossed in your ceramic fuses. See below for some pictures of Federal fuses.
Before we move on….
Ceramic fuses are the sort of fuses that suspend a wire between two screws, with the wire passing through a ceramic ceramic holder. You wedge this holder into your home’s switchboard.
The fuse wire is rated according to the load that circuit is designed for. If it goes over, the fuse wire burns out and the circuit stops working.
Changing fuse wire is an operation often performed in the dark while holding a torch.
We really think you should be replacing those old ceramic fuses with modern circuit breakers. But that’s no help to you when you’ve just tripped a fuse and need to turn the lights back on. Below is a short description of how to get replace your fuse wire.
It’s important to know what rating of fuse wire is required. Different fuses in the same fuse box will have different fuse wire ratings. This is mentioned in step 3. I’m pre-empting it here because it really is very important. If you’re unsure, call an electrician.
From time to time these to fuses can blow and it is useful to know how to replace the fuse
The video below does a good job of demonstrating how to change a fuse wire in a ceramic fuse.
You can see in this image that one of the ceramic fuses is broken. That is clearly unsafe. If you have broken, cracked or damaged fuses, get them replaced.
Circuit breakers are safer than ceramic fuses. For instance, a fuse will only blow when it reaches maximum capacity. A circuit breaker is much more sensitive. For instance, it will trip from an earth leak.
What this means in effect is, if you have ceramic fuses, your switchboard is unsafe. Ceramic fuses should be upgraded.
If you have fuses, it can be hard to tell if your board isn’t coping. Unless you’re blowing fuses (a bad sign that you’re over-capacity) then you may not know whether you’re over-capacity or not. Chances are, if you have ceramic fuses, then circuitry in your home is out-dated (and therefore likely not meeting modern demands).
You’ve probably added numerous appliances and lights since your wiring was first designed and installed.
If this is you then it’s time to have your switchboard looked at. We’ll upgrade it to circuit breakers and do any other work required to make it safe.
If you’re adding major current draws (like large appliances, pool or irrigation pumps) then you want to make sure that the circuit can cope.
If you’ve still got ceramic fuses then that’s already a really good indication that the circuit isn’t ready for it. Have the switchboard inspected by licensed electricians.
Circuit breakers respond faster than fuses. They’re also more sensitive. These can be very important considerations if you’ve come in contact with a live wire.
Circuit breakers also respond to problems that a fuse will not. For instance, on our circuit breaker page, we give the case study of a home with a frayed wire. The fuse did not react to this problem. When we upgraded to a circuit breaker it did. A fuse will never detect a problem like this because it only reacts to an overload.
If you plug-in your old drill and trip the house circuit, do you want the convenience of flicking a switch? Or do you want to pull an old ceramic fuses, unscrew the wire, only to find you don’t have the correct fuse wire spare? Circuit breakers are loads handier than ceramic fuses.
If your house is 25 plus years you probably have the old ceramic fuses with fuse wire in the fuse box. If this is the case, it is definitely time to upgrade your fuse box to one with circuit breakers that better protect both people and your property.
Modern circuit breakers are combination safety switches and circuit breakers.
To explain briefly, these protect single circuits from shorts, overloads, and electric shocks. This means any problem is confined to that one circuit and will not take out the circuits for the rest of your house.
And remember, only safety switches save lives.
Circuit breakers and surge protectors protect appliances, not people. By installing a modern fuse box you are saving both yourself and your buildings.
Fuse boxes, like most things to do with old houses, vary from house to house.
Get your switchboard updated by certified Gold Coast and Brisbane electricians, just click the link below and send us your details.
