Limited Time Offer – Ends 26 Mar ‘24
Blowing a fuse or tripping a fuse switch is easily done – especially if you’re one of those people that likes to multi-task with their electricals. We’re talking ironing while watching the TV, charging your phone and microwaving your lunch. Unfortunately, powering several electrical appliances at the same time can overload your circuits and cause a fuse to blow. The good news is a blown fuse is pretty easy to replace.
Sometimes you may find that a fuse has blown in the plug of an appliance, rather than in your fuse box. This is often caused by an electrical fault in an old or damaged device. Again, changing the fuse is relatively straightforward. We would, however, suggest getting a qualified electrician to take a look at your appliance. Faulty devices can be dangerous so it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Our aim with this article is to first explain how fuses work – after all, it’s always good to know the basics. We’ll then provide a full rundown of how to change a fuse. So whether you are dealing with an old fashioned fuse box, a trip switch fuse box or a blown fuse in a plug, by the time you’re finished reading, you’ll know exactly what you need to do.
Please remember that electrics are dangerous. Although changing a fuse is a task you can do yourself at home, if you are not confident in your ability to do so or are concerned about faulty electrics, it’s always best to get in touch with a qualified electrician.
A fuse is an important safety component that makes up part of an electric circuit. It is designed to interrupt and eliminate the flow of electric current if it’s voltage exceeds what the circuit can handle. Essentially, the fuse wire ‘blows’ by heating up and melting, creating a gap in the circuit and shutting off the electric.
You will know if a fuse has blown if your lights suddenly go out or your electrical appliances stop working. As we mentioned in the intro, it could be down to you plugging in too many appliances at one time (i.e. overloading your circuits) or a fault in the wiring of one of your devices. Either way, it can be a real inconvenience, so it’s good to know how to replace a blown fuse so you can solve the problem quickly and get on with your day.
Below, we’ve provided steps on how to repair a blown fuse in a trip switch fuse box, a traditional wire fuse box and an electrical plug.
Today most houses have a modern fuse box that uses trip switches, rather than carriers containing fuse wire. They are much more convenient to repair, as if you blow a fuse, it’s a case of flicking a switch back up, rather than replacing a fuse wire. Follow these simple steps:
Keep in mind that if you overload your circuits (either by using all of the sockets in an extension lead or plugging in too many devices in a single room) your switch is likely to trip again. If it appears to be one appliance tripping the switch (you’ll know if you plug it in and the power goes off) then you’ll need to unplug it, reset your switch and get the device looked at by a qualified electrician. Don’t keep using the appliance as it’ll keep tripping your fuse switch and could be a potential hazard.
If this does not fix the problem, there may be a fault with the fuse box itself. This will need to be examined and repaired by an electrician. If the issue is terminal, you will need to speak to them about fuse box replacement cost and installation.
If you live in an old property, it may still have a traditional fuse box that contains fuse carriers and wire. If you blow a fuse, you’ll need to replace the wire. You can buy fuse wire from a hardware store. Just make sure it’s the same amperage as the fuse wire you’re replacing. To change a fuse:
If the fuse blows immediately after you plug one of your devices back in, the circuit is likely shorting or you have a faulty appliance. Seek advice from an electrician.
Has one of your electrical appliances stopped working when you plug it in? You have likely blown a fuse in the plug itself. Luckily fuse replacement is easy. Follow the steps below:
Unfortunately, some devices have internal fuses, as well as plug fuses. These aren’t nearly as easy to locate and fix, so if you are having trouble with something like an oven fuse, we recommend calling a qualified electrician to carry out the work on your behalf.
Electrical problems can be a nuisance, which is why we suggest taking out home cover. Our comprehensive home cover includes repairs to your home’s main electrical wiring, by a qualified and experienced electrician, at a time that’s convenient for you. We also have a handy 24/7 helpline to guide you through quick fixes like replacing a fuse and troubleshooting why a fuse switch has tripped.
For more information and to get a quote, take a look at our home care plans. Prefer to speak to a real person? Give our friendly team a call on 0330 912 4843 today.
We Beat or Match Any Quote
Call 0330 912 4843 and we’ll beat or match any quote.
Serious About Service
24/7 claims support & rated Excellent on Trustpilot
Cover Match Guarantee
Get a £50 gift card if you find something we don’t cover
All Gas Boilers Covered
All makes and models, regardless of age
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__cfruid | session | Cloudflare sets this cookie to identify trusted web traffic. |
AWSALBCORS | 7 days | This cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement | 1 year | Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
CookieLawInfoConsent | 1 year | Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. |
PHPSESSID | session | This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_uetsid | 1 day | Bing Ads sets this cookie to engage with a user that has previously visited the website. |
_uetvid | 1 year 24 days | Bing Ads sets this cookie to engage with a user that has previously visited the website. |
AWSALB | 7 days | AWSALB is an application load balancer cookie set by Amazon Web Services to map the session to the target. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_ga | 2 years | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. |
_ga_X89BZ20HEM | 2 years | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. |
_gat_UA-77274851-4 | 1 minute | A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. |
_gcl_au | 3 months | Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. |
_gid | 1 day | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | 30 minutes | Hotjar sets this cookie to detect the first pageview session of a user. This is a True/False flag set by the cookie. |
_hjFirstSeen | 30 minutes | Hotjar sets this cookie to identify a new user’s first session. It stores a true/false value, indicating whether it was the first time Hotjar saw this user. |
_hjIncludedInPageviewSample | 2 minutes | Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's pageview limit. |
_hjIncludedInSessionSample | 2 minutes | Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's daily session limit. |
_hjTLDTest | session | To determine the most generic cookie path that has to be used instead of the page hostname, Hotjar sets the _hjTLDTest cookie to store different URL substring alternatives until it fails. |
CONSENT | 2 years | YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. |
MR | 7 days | This cookie, set by Bing, is used to collect user information for analytics purposes. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__qca | 1 year 26 days | The __qca cookie is associated with Quantcast. This anonymous data helps us to better understand users' needs and customize the website accordingly. |
_fbp | 3 months | This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website. |
IDE | 1 year 24 days | Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile. |
mc | 1 year 1 month | Quantserve sets the mc cookie to anonymously track user behaviour on the website. |
MUID | 1 year 24 days | Bing sets this cookie to recognize unique web browsers visiting Microsoft sites. This cookie is used for advertising, site analytics, and other operations. |
test_cookie | 15 minutes | The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | 5 months 27 days | A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. |
YSC | session | YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. |
yt-remote-connected-devices | never | YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. |
yt-remote-device-id | never | YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_dlt | 1 day | No description |
_hjSession_549866 | 30 minutes | No description |
_hjSessionUser_549866 | 1 year | No description |
hometree_landing | session | No description |
hometree_qs | session | No description |
hometree_referer | session | No description |
outbrain_cid_fetch | 5 minutes | No description available. |
wisepops | 2 years | No description available. |
wisepops_activity_session | session | No description |
wisepops_session | session | No description available. |
wisepops_visits | 2 years | No description available. |