How to Tell if You Have Blown a Fuse

It is important to know where your breaker box to your home or outdoor building is, because many times fuses will blow and suddenly you have no power.

Most modern breaker boxes are equipped with circuit breakers, which are more advanced than those with fuses, but there are still some boxes that require fuse replacement.

The first thing that you should do if you blow a fuse is to unplug all of the power equipment or appliances that are on the overloaded circuit. For example, if you are cooking and the stove suddenly quits, you either have a blown fuse, or a tripped circuit breaker. The same is true if you are welding or using power tools that are plugged in with several other devices on the same circuit. If you have fuses, first make sure that you turn off the main breaker and then look to see if the metal lines inside of the glass top are broken.on the fuse. If so, you will need to replace the fuse. If the breaker is tripped, then you need to flip it back in the on position.

After you have replaced the fuse or flipped the breaker back to the on position, turn the main power back on. If it blows again, you have too much electrical current going through, and you will need to put some of the devices on another breaker, or call a professional.

To save some time and hassle, it is a good idea to keep extra fuses on hand. This way you are not caught short when you are using your power equipment or power tools on a project, and have to make a special trip to the hardware store to buy fuses.