Fuse Box Dangers

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 9:15am

Understanding electrical wiring and the type that is present in your home is key to protecting your safety and the safety of the wiring in your home.

The presence of fuses indicates that your electrical service was installed over 30 years ago. This wiring was installed to meet the electrical needs at that time. With the added power demands in today’s world, such as appliances, and office and audio visual equipment, this older wiring may not be adequate. A certified electrician or licensed electrical contractor should be hired to inspect the electrical system. This inspection will identify the electrical demands needed and any corrections that are necessary. This should be completed, at a minimum, once every three years.

When a fuse blows, more often than not, the blown fuse is the result of an overloaded circuit. This means that there is too much electrical demand on the circuit. If the fuse is continually blowing, there is a much more serious problem and a certified electrician or licensed electrical contractor should be hired to correct the problem.

An all too common practice to stop a fuse from continually blowing is to install a higher rated fuse in the circuit. For example, replacing a 15-amp fuse with a 20-amp fuse. This is a recipe for disaster, as this allows for more current into the circuit than it was designed for. This can lead to overheating of the wire and probably fire.

Another extremely dangerous situation is inserting copper / metal tubes (fake fuses) with cartridge style fuses since this does not provide protection from current overload. If the circuit is not protected properly, you are increasing the potential for a fire to occur as well as electrical arcing and electrical shock.

If a fuse needs to be replaced, always install properly matched fuses. If the fuse is continually blowing, do not hesitate to contact an electrician. John's Electric, Birmingham's #1 electrician, will provide you with solutions to protect your home and family from electrical dangers.

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Latest Tips

New homeowners should never ignore these electrical responsibilities.

Monday, August 9, 2021

Whether the issue is large or small, problems with electricity are often ignored until they become apparent. It's easy to avoid thinking about problems that can occur in our appliances, circuit breakers, wall outlets, and even light bulbs. But often, ignoring issues while they are small leads to more significant problems and the necessity for the help of an electrician.

Finish reading New homeowners should never ignore these electrical responsibilities....

About John's Electric

John's Electric Inc. is a family owned and operated electrical contractor business that proudly provides electrician services in Birmingham, AL and the surrounding areas such as Hoover, Homewood, Chelsea, Vestavia Hills, Pelham, Alabaster, Trussville, and Mountain Brook. John's Electric provides residential and commercial electrical solutions at competitive rates. We have been in this line of work for 30 years, giving us not only experience but expertise as well. You can depend on us. We are a state licensed electrician (#03875) for your protection.

What others say about John's Electric Service

Aubrey showed up within 30 minutes of my call. Very friendly and great service! I highly recommend Aubrey and John's Electric.

Jerry Mcgalliard

Mr. Teele arrived quickly, diagnosed our outage problem and fixed it that same afternoon. We have an older electrical system that many other electricians simply won't work with. But Mr. Teele confidently made repairs and even called to check on us the next day to ensure all was working well.

Danielle H Plott

The service and professionalism was exceptional. They responded in a timely manner and had our problem resolved quickly. I highly recommend John's Electric !

Glen Slavich

Very dependable, professional, friendly and just good at what he does. John wired an addition for us and repaired my breaker box. He is friendly and trust worthy. I had no problem leaving full access to our home while we were away. I highly recommend him and his phone number will remain in my contacts. Job well done! Thanks again.

chrisandkisha.gruhn

Solved a problem thus restoring my power to some areas of my house

Had a number of outlets not working and lost AC in 97 degree weather--he came twice the 1st time approx 1hr 20 minutes--wasn't able to locate problem---this I put on myself as I was unaware of putting a breaker box behind a vanity that hadn't been move since purchase of my house. Second visit after some search found problem 1hr

OK the skinny--I think he was professional--on time

Was upfront on costs

Problem once the second box was located was an easy fix so thought a touch high on price--that said it was upfront and had I had the answer to location as I should have I think the billing would be much lower so will put this on myself. In other words I don't think he would have ripped me off

Bonus was after having 4 others trying to blame AC and being told I needed a new one---he said everything in my problems was electrical--and viewing my AC said it was fine--no need of new unit--for the moment if right saving me $$$$

Angie's List Member

Aubrey, the owner, came out and explained everything clearly. He had honest prices and great work.

Rachael Anne Lee

Aubrey upgraded our electrical fuse panel, put in an updated outside service panel, replaced the main service line from the outside panel to the inside fuse box, and installed several outlets. His original estimate was complete and accurate. He brought our electrical system up to code and made several recommendations for changes and upgrades that we had not thought of. He worked with our schedule, was on time and very professional, and left our home as clean as when he arrived. He was extremely conscientious and reliable. We very highly recommend John's Electric and will definitely use them again.

Debbie S. Dumas

Aubrey was here less than half an hour after I called, had the problem identified within 5 minutes and had the problem solved within 15 minutes. He was friendly and professional.

Richard Walston