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| An essential guide to fuses in the home |
By:
Richard E Davies |
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When a fuse short circuits in the home it can be nightmare trying to understand what type of replacement fuse is needed.
With this in mind we've produced an "essential guide" to ensure that you can differentiate your standard fuse from your Wylex MCB; and most importantly avoid any potential DIY electricity disasters.
In their simplest form, a fuse is a component that contains a wire or strip, made of metal, which will melt when the current flowing in a circuit is too excessive.
Although only a small component, fuses play a vital role in keeping electrical currents from overheating - which could potentially cause a fire.
Most homes will contain a consumer unit, also referred to as a fuse box. In the United Kingdom one of the most common types of fuse box are the MEM Consumer Unit and the Wylex Standard.
In some cases as well as containing rewirable fuses, these boxes can also be fitted with Wylex MCB's (miniature circuit breakers).
These Wylex MCB's, and in fact all circuit breakers, were designed primarily to protect electrical circuits from the potential damage that could be caused by an overload of power or a short circuit - in the same way that fuses were.
Miniature circuit breakers (such as the Wylex MCB ) operate in low voltage circuits (the types used in domestic and commercial property).
The MEM consumer unit is an enclosure that is designed in a way that allows for the easy removal and replacement of both fuses and circuit breakers - without having to go through the painstaking process of taking the fuse box to pieces and then reassembling.
Rather than assuming that knowledge will be high, MEM consumer units have simplicity in mind and making locating and solving a fuse related problem stress free.
Although they are essentially fulfilling the same role fuses and for example Wylex MCB's offer different advantages and disadvantages.
Standard fuses (for MEM consumer units) are often inexpensive and much simpler in their design than circuit breakers. When a fuse is blown, it must be replaced - which may seem like a disadvantage - however it means that any fault is addressed rather than ignored.
In some cases replacing fuses can be dangerous, especially if the circuit is not isolated first.
In the case of a short-circuited current with a Wylex MCB, the miniature circuit breaker simply needs to be reset rather than replaced. This is useful if you operate a large property.
Like fuses though, miniature circuit breakers also have their own disadvantages. For example some circuit breakers need regular maintenance to ensure they operate correctly during any interruptions.
Though it might seem a specific DIY area, having a basic knowledge of fuses and how they operate can be extremely useful in domestic life.
You don't have to be an experienced electrician to replace a fuse in an MEM consumer unit; and taking the information of this guide into account will see you some way towards understanding the fuses and circuit breakers that are used in the home.
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Richard E.Davies - Neweys Online offers a range of standard consumer products from Wylex consumer units to SP&N switch fuses and a range of other products and accessories such as wylex mcb and mem consumer unit. |
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