These have many names. They go by circuit breaker, breaker panel, or circuit breaker panel. Before circuit breakers, there was something called a fuse box. The difference is not in function per se, but in repeatable use. Circuit breaker boxes or panels are the gateway for power into your home. After this, it goes into the circuit breaker. From there, it gets distributed throughout your home as electricity in lamps and toasters and everything else.
Jeremy KC reports that there are three primary components to every breaker box. First, there is the obvious: circuit breakers. Second, there are service disconnect switches. And last, there are expansion slots. Without going into too much of a physics lesson, a circuit breaker has one essential function. The second piece, the service disconnect switch, is very much like the breaker itself. There is one major difference: it needs manual operation.
In the unlikely event that you must shut off the power to your home, you can do this by using the service disconnect. Last, there are the expansion slots. If you ever have major renovations done on your home, you might add extra rooms. Thomas Edison must have gotten the idea to patent the fuse after watching all of those early light bulb filaments melt before his eyes. With both of these types of circuit protection being around since the post-U. Civil War reconstruction era, which one is better?
If you read the literature from a company that primarily makes electrical fuses for industrial applications, the fuse is a superior solution. So, which is it?
After reading a lot of literature on both sides of the argument, the answer is both, or neither. If one was the runaway winner for all applications, we would know by now. A circuit breaker is an electromechanical device.
Even the simplest circuit breaker is more complicated than the most complicated fuse. Where does this leave us? Fuses offer circuit protection that is inexpensive, straightforward and fast protection.
Their faster circuit protection time is perhaps their biggest benefit over circuit breakers. This is important when protecting sensitive electronic equipment. Circuit breakers provide better protection for three-phase applications. Because circuit breakers are NOT sacrificial, do not require replacement, as a fuse does, power can be more quickly restored without the need to hunt down a spare fuse. Consider the application , where it will be located, remote or local , and the operating environment.
Both fuses and circuit breakers will continue to have their place in electrical equipment installations. Disclaimer: The content provided is intended solely for general information purposes and is provided with the understanding that the authors and publishers are not herein engaged in rendering engineering or other professional advice or services. The practice of engineering is driven by site-specific circumstances unique to each project.
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Circuit Breaker or Fuse? Reliable short circuit and overload protection for all your branch and downstream device circuit protection. Shop Miniature Circuit Breakers! Introduction Thomas Edison patented a fuse for his electrical distribution system in In either case, the basic design is the same: when turned on, the breaker allows electrical current to pass from a bottom to an upper terminal across the solenoid or strip.
When the current reaches unsafe levels, the magnetic force of the solenoid becomes so strong that a metal lever within the switch mechanism is thrown, and the current is broken. Alternately, the metal strip bends, throwing the switch and breaking the connection.
To reset the flow of electricity after the problem is resolved, the switch can simply be turned back on, reconnecting the circuit. Circuit breakers are often found in a cabinet of individual switches, called a breaker box. The simple switch action of a circuit breaker also makes it easy to turn off an individual circuit in a house if it's necessary to work on the wiring in that location.
Another use of the circuit breaker is a ground fault circuit interrupter GFCI outlet, which functions to prevent electric shock instead of overheating. It works by breaking the circuit in an outlet if the current becomes unbalanced, and can be reset by the push of a button. This technology is particularly useful in bathrooms or kitchens where electrocution is a risk due to the frequent use of electric appliances near a source of water.
The fuse and circuit breaker both have advantages and disadvantages, each of which can depend on the situation in which they are used. Fuses are inexpensive and can be purchased from any hardware store. They also tend to react very quickly to overloading, which means that they can offer more protection to sensitive electronic devices. This quick reaction can be a disadvantage, however, if the circuit is prone to surges that regularly cause fuses to blow.
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