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Electrical
Fuse breaker, tripping on high demand
Anonymous user 9 March 2024 - 3.36 PM
Dear Team
Briefly the problem :
8 years ago I had to have my electricity meter moved to the front of the house. I did not really consider this an issue at the time.
The problem.
Next to the main meter at the front of the house I have next to the meter a separate fuse box which contains 3 x 16amp fuses.
In the previous meter place I have another fuse box which contains 4 fuses. 3x 10amp and 1x20amp.
When to much electricity is required the fuse 16amp) at the front of the house trips.
My question is , as the original old fuse box at the rear of the house has a 20amp fuse can I change ( on same circuit) the newly installed 16amp fuse to a 20 amp fuse ?
The tripping 16amp fuse, is due to over the limit for the 16amp. For example to many electrical items used at the same time. If a 20 amp fuse was installed, as per the other fuse box, then tripping wod be avoided. But also with safety in mind, I assume the 20amp fuse would trip if over loaded ?
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
The short answer is no it’s not a good idea to change it to a 20amp,
best option would be to have an electrician assess the whole installation and see if there is any alterations that can be made to prevent nuisance tripping.
No. I don't think it's a good idea to simply change the 16A breaker to the 20A breaker. The rating of the breaker is determined by a number of factors. Si, it is good to get a qualified electrician to asses the installation and investigate the tripping issue.
Answered8 January 2024
2
Anonymous user
Yes.
Edit:Putting in a 20A mcb may not be sufficient if you suspect that overloading is the issue. 20A mcb's are safe to use on cable that is at least 2.5mm2 but you must not go any higher than that without increasing the cable size. Fuses/mcbs are protecting the cable.
hi there, your best course of action is to get an electrician out to ascertain weather or not the circuit is capable of safely taking the additional load, without it in font of you its hard to tell yes or no without seeing it! we are assuming you have an old installation, so getting a professional put to look into it for you is the best way forward, it could mean you need an additional/new circuit wired to help with loading, or possibly rewiring depending on the situation at the property, the electrician on site will be the best to take advice from as they have better situational awareness than us reading a description.
good luck in getting your problem solved
Nicki (admin team)
