WHAT IS A FUSE BOARD?
A typical fuse board consumer unit is usually made up of three components. The main switch, a Residual Current Device (RCD) and either Mini Circuit Breakers (MCBs) or Fuses depending on the age of the unit.
The main switch can turn off the electricity supply if needed. This is helpful as it allows the electricity to be shut off when fuses need resetting. It can also prevent incidents such as electric shocks when changing bulbs.
An RCD is a safety measure that trips the circuit, shutting off electricity in the case of an overload, lightning strike, fault etc. An RCD constantly measures the electric current flowing through circuits. If the RCD detects any sudden change current, it instantly shuts off the electricity. This measure can be life saving and guards against electrocutions.
Depending on the model of fuse board, you should either have Mini Circuit Breakers or Fuses. MCBs are a lot more common in today’s fuse boards whereas fuses were likely to be found in older models. Before Circuit Breaker’s were introduced, fuses could fry and disconnect the circuit if an overload occurred. Once fried, fuses have to be replaced. Circuit Breakers are designed to turn themselves off whenever a fault occurs. This lowers the chance of them melting, meaning that circuit breakers are able to be reused .