Residential Fuse Box
The panel door must be able to open at least 90 degrees.
Residential fuse box. Breaker panel must be at least 4 feet off the ground but no higher than 6 feet. The fuse box a fuse box is a type of electrical service panel which is a sort of control board for the entire electrical system of a house. These standards set the minimum safety standards for panel boxes. Getting them repaired can be risky and they should be replaced only by a qualified electrician or electrical contractor.
If theres plumbing nearby the box should be weatherproofed. The national electric code nec includes the minimum standards for installing a circuit breaker panel box. For one the old fuse box likely has damage or corrosion making it difficult to safely disconnect everything and indicating that you need repairs other than simply switching out to a breaker panel. Residential fuse box replacement many homes in the san francisco bay area still have old fashioned fuse boxes or fuse panels.
The electrical service panel provides 100 200 or more amps of power to a home. A typical service upgrade from a fuse panel to a breaker panel will be in the 1500 2000 range. Although made of older technology a properly used fuse box can be as safe as a circuit breaker panel. The box contains little screw in glass or porcelain.
Three of these standards concern the box location clearance and space around the box and box height. Circuit breakers are part of the main electricity distribution system within your home. The fuse box found in older homes is a protective device that cuts off the electric current to a circuit that has shorted out or is overloaded. Doing the fuse box replacement yourself really isnt worth the risk to your home or your family.
The electrical system of many older homes may still use fuses but all new homes have circuit breakers installed. Between the safety hazards of the task and the absolute need for proper wiring this job should be left to a professional residential electrician. The price will continue to go up if new circuits are added to the home or other wiring upgrades. Working space around the breaker panel must be at least 30 inches wide and 72 inches from the ground up.
Homes built between 1950 and 1965 may have these 60 ampere fuse boxes often with four fuses.