Fuses
A fuse breaks the circuit if a fault in an appliance causes too much current to flow.
This protects the wiring and the appliance from overheating, and possibly starting a fire, if something goes wrong.
The fuse contains a piece of wire that melts easily.
If the current going through the fuse is too great, the wire heats up until it melts and breaks the circuit.
A fuse contains a low melting point wire
Fuses in plugs are made in standard ratings.
The most common are 3 A, 5 A and 13 A.
The fuse should be rated at a slightly higher current than the device needs:
- if the device works below 3 A, use a 3 A fuse;
- if the device works above 3 A but below 5 A, use a 5 A fuse;
- if the device works above 5 A, but below 13 A, use a 13 A fuse.