Replacing an old-style fusebox with a modern circuit breaker system is a relatively simple job that offers a big boost to both safety and convenience. We can assess your current system and install a new consumer unit that meets the latest safety standards, greatly reducing the risk of fire and electric shock. Your home is in safe hands with Dreamy Electrics.
Known in the trade as a Consumer Unit, your fuse board is a vital piece of safety equipment designed to rapidly disconnect your power supply in the event of a fault or surge. In doing so, the fuse board guards against electrical fires and shocks.
Old fuse boards use metal filament wires of specific thicknesses, which melt if the current goes above a safe level. However, these have been superseded by modern circuit breaking systems, which flip instantly in the event of a problem.
As well as being safer, a modern consumer unit is more convenient to manage because it has no wires to replace.
Electricity is very safe for something so potentially dangerous, thanks to clever safety mechanisms like the fuse. However, old fuse boards are less safe than modern RCD units for the following reasons:
When replacing a fuse, there is the possibility of using the wrong amperage of wire, which would then fail to shut off correctly in the event of a problem. Sometimes this happens accidentally, but it can also result from cutting corners (e.g. using wire available in a moment of “that’ll do”). This is extremely dangerous, and modern consumer units eliminate this risk.
Everyone knows fuses blow, but from time to time they do just that – they spark and blast out of their container like a mini firework. Should this land on a flammable surface, there is a risk of fire.
An old style fuse has to heat up and physically melt to break the circuit, which – as well as carrying an inherent fire risk – means that the overloaded circuit remains live for a fraction of a second longer. A modern circuit breaker unit uses electromagnetic sensors to kill the power instantly.