Should I install a fuse or circuit breaker?

Fuses and circuit breakers are both forms of overcurrent protection that help you keep you and your equipment safe in the event of an electrical fault. A fuse contains a thin piece of wire that is designed to melt in the event that too much current passes through it. A circuit breaker works similarly, except it will separate a pair of contacts using either an electromagnet or a bimetallic strip. While both of these devices serve the same purpose, they each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Fuses

Fuses are the most popular form of overcurrent protection for DC electrical systems because they are cost effective and space efficient. Fuses come in a variety of styles and amperage ratings, which means that you can find a fuse to suit any application in your electrical system. Fuse blocks also allow multiple fuses to be connected at a single point, keeping your system tidy and compact.

The main disadvantage of fuses is that they are only single use. This can cause headaches if you are travelling somewhere remote or camping off-grid and do not have spare fuses on hand. If you want to intentionally interrupt a circuit for maintenance or long term storage, you will also need to remove the fuse completely from its block or holder.

Circuit Breakers

Circuit breakers are more costly than fuses, but come with a few significant advantages. The first advantage of a circuit breaker is that it is resettable. This means that if you are camping off-grid or traveling in a remote area and your electrical system has a fault, you can quickly and easily reset the breaker. That being said, a circuit breaker that trips continuously indicates a fault somewhere in your electrical system that will need to be corrected for safety and performance reasons.

Some circuit breakers, such as rocker style or surface mount, can also be used as an isolation switch. This allows you to quickly and easily isolate a portion of your electrical system for the purposes of testing equipment, performing maintenance, or placing your electrical system into long-term storage.

You should avoid automatic reset circuit breakers in your electrical system, as they are known to cause problems for many types of electrical equipment. Their ability to automatically reset also makes fault finding difficult and can allow dangerous electrical issues to go undetected.

For more information on how to choose the correct size of fuse or circuit breaker, click here.