5 Reasons to Choose Circuit Breakers over Fuses
Gone are the days when only fuses were used in electrical distribution panels to prevent any accidents and protect people and equipment in case of any short circuits or circuit overloads. Nowadays, circuit breakers do the job and that too brilliantly. There are many types of circuit breakers available in the market such as square d circuit breakers and others. However, the advantages they offer are unparalleled. In recent years, due to these advantages, circuit breakers have completely replaced fuses in the modern electrical distribution panels. If we compare both, we can figure out how circuit breakers are better compared to fuses. Consistent performance One of the drawbacks of fuses is that their performance cannot be trusted fully. They are not reliable as they can degrade due to aging or other conditions. Also, damaged fuses can open even in normal conditions, jeopardizing security and safety of people. Furthermore, there is no way to test a fuse and you don't have any way to evaluate its efficiency. This pain point is perfectly addressed by circuit breakers. Circuit breakers can offer reliable and consistent performance for a long period. In addition to that, they are tested during manufacturing and they can be tested during their operation life too. Extended protection The name circuit breaker comes from its ability to break the circuit. This breaking capacity is far greater than fuses and it makes circuit breakers a perfect choice. When under overload conditions, a circuit breaker can trip up 1000 times faster than a fuse. Moreover, some circuit breakers such as square d circuit breakers can provide fault current limitation which reduces asset aging and extends service life. Another thing to mention here is that only one