Question

Draw an appropriate schematic diagram showing common domestic circuits and discuss the importance of fuse. Why is it that a burnt-out fuse should be replaced by another fuse of identical rating?

Answer 1

Household circuit and its diagram:

1. A household circuit helps us to understand how electricity is supplied to various electric devices in a house.
2. The household circuit consists of earth wire, live wire, and a neutral wire.
3. The earth wire is green in color and placed near a metallic plate on the earth.
4. It prevents electric shock in case there is a current leakage in the appliance.
5. The neutral wire is black in color and is the negative terminal of the circuit
6. The live wire is red in color and the positive terminal of the circuit.
7. The other components of the household circuit include the electricity meter, distribution box, etc.
8. The electric meter measures the total consumption of electricity during a specific period of time.
9. The distribution box distributes the incoming energy to various switches and also contains fuses.
10. Every switch in a house has a parallel connection.
11. Given below is the diagram for a household circuit.

Importance of fuse and replacement of fuse with an identical rating:

1. Fuse is used as a safety measure in a household circuit.
2. It prevents any damage caused to the appliance due to overloading.
3. Fuse has a wire with a specific melting point and breaks off due to the heating effect of current when a high current flows through it.
4. The fuse prevents any accidental fire which may occur due to a short circuit.
5. A fuse of a specific rating is used for a specific appliance.
6. A fuse that has a lower rating would result in a problem as one may need to frequently change it.
7. A fuse that has a higher rating would not melt at higher currents too .this may lead to damage to the appliance.
8. Therefore, the fuse should be replaced with that of an identical rating.