What is Electric Fuse? How does it work? Why does it blown?

Excessive current in electrical circuits can damage electronic devices and even cause fires. For this reason, an electrical enclosure is used to protect against an adverse situation at the crossing points of the electric current.

What is Electric Fuse?

Electrical fuses; These are parts that eliminate protection hazards such as electrical load, high temperatures, short circuits and power fluctuations, and protect people who use the supply lines and fuses against possible accidents. Fuses are usually rated in Amps. The housing of the tools determines the temperature depending on their own production, thanks to the electricity consumption they have developed. This can usually be achieved by keeping the fuse wire length as short as possible. However, the wire length does not depend on the current values; The minimum wire length can be expressed as the minimum valuer. Hose fuses in series to the circuit are rising from a weak place in the circuit. Thus, it enables the circuit to be opened as defined according to its structure, in case of high current passing through the circuit due to overload or short circuit. This way the circuit becomes one of the potential dangers of overrunning. The electrical fuse box, on the other hand, is a metal box, separating the incoming various circuits, the central task area of ​​​​the electrical system. The main board, also called the switchboard or circuit board, provides power to all electrical systems to which it is connected.

What Is Electrical Fuse Used For?

After the widespread use of electricity, the electrical fuse was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1890. Although many types of fuse have been developed since this date, the function of all these fuses is the same. Fuses; It has the functions of preventing the ignition and breaking of wires, limiting the current, terminating the current in case of overload or short circuit, and protecting the devices against power cuts. Fuses are used to prevent malfunctions in electrical installations and to prevent electrical appliances from being damaged by high current. When a fuse blows or is damaged, a sudden spark is produced that can directly damage household appliances. There are many different types of fuses to protect devices against the risk of fire and similar overload damage.

How Does Electrical Fuse Work?

Fuses consist of a metallic low resistance wire enclosed in a fireproof material. It is used by connecting a circuit or device in series that must be protected from short circuit and over current. In the absence of a fuse or circuit breaker, electrical devices may be damaged as they cannot withstand the electric current. The working principle of a fuse is based on the heat effect of electric current. When a short circuit, excessive current or incompatible connection occurs, the thin wire inside the fuse melts due to the heat generated by the heavy current passing through it and prevents the supply. Thus, it disconnects the power supply from the circuit. While the circuit is running the fuse wire is only a very low resistance component and does not affect the normal operation of the system connected to the power supply. In the event of a fault, a short circuit current occurs in the devices. This current is greater than the current in a circuit operating in its normal course. This means that there is overheating in the fuse box. The fuse, on the other hand, provides protection against factors such as short circuit and overcurrent.

What Happens If Electric Fuse Is Not Used?

A fuse is a means of protecting electrical circuits against short circuits and overloading of circuits. It consists of a low melting point metal wire or thin metal strip inserted into the electrical circuit as a protective device. If this element is not used, electrical devices may draw current above normal values. Highly heated devices may malfunction or burn. At the same time, there is a risk of shock to people who come into contact with devices loaded with excessive current.

Why Does the Electric Fuse Blow?

One common situation that can cause a fuse to blow is too much power being drawn from the circuit for lighting products or plug-in devices. These devices may cause the capacity of the fuse to be forced more than normal and cause the wires in the box to melt or be damaged. As a result, all lights, outlets, and appliances powered by the circuit stop working. In this case, it is necessary to replace the fuse with one of the same power rating. Another cause is when a hot wire anywhere in the system touches the ground bus or neutral wire. This situation, also known as a short circuit; Loose wiring is caused by damaged wires anywhere along the circuit, or by internal wiring in some devices attached to the circuit. An example of this is a light source. When a light bulb with incorrectly wired wires is plugged into the socket, it will blow the fuse or cause a short circuit. Wires damaged and snapped by rodents can cause a hot wire to touch a ground path or neutral wire. In these cases, the first symptom is the same as overload. The metal strip inside the fuse will light up and all the lights and bulbs will go out throughout the circuit. However, if the short circuit is not eliminated, replacing the fuse may not be the solution. The same problem may occur with the new fuse connected to the circuit. Diagnosing the location of the short circuit can be difficult. Since there are many short circuits in plug-in lamps or appliances, each lamp and appliance must be unplugged and then the blown fuse must be replaced. If the new fuse does not blow, the wiring problem is most likely caused by unplugged lamps or appliances. Otherwise the problem is in the circuit wiring itself.

How to Prevent Electric Fuse Blown?

In order to prevent the fuse from blowing, the overload must be prevented first. For this, it would be beneficial to move some plug-in devices used in homes and workplaces to other circuits. Household appliances such as toasters, vacuum cleaners or irons tend to cause overloads, especially when they are first started, as their power draw is quite high. To avoid this, products should not be plugged in at the same time or different sockets should be used. For this, the total power consumed by electrical devices can be calculated. During the calculation, the highest current drawn by the products should also be taken into account. It is also helpful to calculate how many Amps each circuit can handle without overloading. Attention can also be paid to the use of an extension cable to prevent the fuse from blowing. Although extension cords provide temporary relief of the circuit, it may not be an effective solution in the long run. Therefore, restricting its use is one of the effective methods. It is common for fuses to blow due to damage to the cables. Electrical inspections, which must be carried out at least once a year to determine whether there is a problem in the wiring, should not be skipped.

What are the Types of Electrical Fuse?

Electrical fuses are basically divided into two as AC and DC fuses. Regardless of whether they are AC or DC, MCBs are generally used for safety purposes today. Overload protection in automatic fuses; It is performed with magnetic circuit breaker against short circuits and with thermal circuit breaker against overload. The circuit breaker can be easily reset after an interruption. For this reason, fuses are increasingly being replaced by automatic circuit breakers. As Brio Europe, you can find all types of fuse in our range.