For many decades after the introduction of electrical power into homes, the fuse box served as the center of a house’s electrical system. Whenever an appliance placed too much demand on a circuit, a fuse would blow to prevent damage from electrocution or a fire.
The fuse box is now an old-fashioned concept, superseded by the circuit breaker panel. If you live in an older home that still uses a fuse box, the question has probably crossed your mind: “Should I replace it with an upgraded service panel?” The answer is simple: “Yes.” We’ll explain why below.
Upgrading your electric service panel is not difficult: you need only to call a skilled electrician in Aberdeen, WA and schedule an appointment to have the work done. The experienced team at Sunset Air can handle the job for you that will keep your home safe and your lights and appliances running without interruption.
Why Upgrade From a Fuse Box
Fifty years ago, the average electrical use in a house rarely exceeded 60 amps at any time, and consequently, fuse boxes were designed with this amount of power in mind. Most fuse boxes contained only four fuses, each capable of sustaining 15 amps. As power use increased in homes, fuse boxes were either enlarged to handle more circuits, or people placed larger capacity fuses into the fuse box—a potentially dangerous situation.
A modern home uses 150–220 amps due to the increased use of computers, monitors, and more powerful appliances. Fuse boxes do not have the capacity to handle this amount of amperage without constantly shorting out. This is both inconvenient and dangerous. Although you can continue to repair the fuse box and replace burnt-out fuses, you put your home at greater risk of an electrical fire.
A circuit breaker panel is much safer for your home. You will have lowered risk of electrocution and fires. Circuit breakers are also less of a hassle than fuse boxes: you only need to flip a circuit to restore power, while you have to replace fuses and risk running out of them.
So if you still have an aged fuse box in your home, it’s time to call for an electrician in Aberdeen, WA to swap it out for a modern service panel. Call Sunset Air today to arrange for the new installation that will protect your home and family. You can trust to our more than 35 years of experience.
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Tags: Aberdeen, Service Panel Upgrades
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on Should I Upgrade My Fuse Box?
