Glossary
Fuse (fusible)
A protective device with a calibrated wire that melts and opens the circuit when the current exceeds its rating. In Spain it is still found in the building main fuse box (CGP) and in old fuse boards.
How a fuse works
Inside the cartridge there is a conductor designed to be the weakest point of the circuit. If more current flows than intended, through an overload or a short circuit, that conductor heats up, melts and opens the circuit. Once blown it cannot be reset: it must be replaced with another of the same rating.
Where fuses are still found
- The building main fuse box. The CGP (caja general de protección), on the façade or in the entrance, protects the building supply line with fuses. Only the distributor or a registered installer should touch it.
- The meter room. Fuses protect each home’s line before its meter.
- Very old fuse boards. Flats that have never been rewired may still have porcelain fuses (plomos) instead of MCBs.
- Specific equipment. Some appliances and industrial panels use them internally.
Fuse or MCB
An MCB (magnetotérmico) does the same job but resets with a lever and responds more precisely. Also, an old fuse board usually has no RCD, the device that protects people.
When to replace it
If your board still uses fuses, it is a clear sign the installation needs rewiring. Never replace a blown fuse with a higher rated one or a piece of copper wire: the cable would be left unprotected. If the whole stairwell or building goes dark, the fault may be in the CGP fuses, which the homeowners’ association or the distributor must deal with in Seville, Spain.
Related services
Rewiring old apartments
Rewiring an apartment in Seville, Spain is the answer when the installation is more than 25 or 30 years old: fabric or dried-out cables, no earthing, a single RCD and a supply that cannot run the air conditioning and the induction hob at once. We renew cables, conduits, fuse board, earthing and fittings and hand you the boletín.
Communal electrical faults 24 h
We provide communal electrical fault repair in Seville, Spain at any hour, because a fault in the building leaves the staircase in the dark, the garage without light or the entrance without an intercom. We find the cause, repair it and, if the fault comes from the grid, handle the report to the distribution company.
Need an electrician in Seville, Spain?
Call us or send a WhatsApp message with a photo of the job. You get a fixed quote before any work starts.