Is it Safe to Turn off the Power at the Fuse Box?

The fuse box (also known as the fuse board, consumer unit, main electrical panel, circuit breaker panel or distribution board) is the central part of your electrical system or 'the brains' if you like. Fuse boxes are responsible for a variety of tasks including short circuit protection (fault between Line and Neutral or Hot and Neutral (USA)), electric shock protection, some degree of fire prevention, ground faults and more.

1) Main Switch or Main Circuit Breaker

Each fuse box should have a Main Linked Switch which disconnects the power to the whole box on all incoming cables except the earth or ground. This switch can be used for emergency switching where required such as if there was a fire or overheating. Older homes may contain an older fuse box that does not have a labelled main switch but the switch is often to the far left hand side or right hand side of the fuse box and is normally a different physical size to all the other switches. 

Turning off the main switch should disconnect the power supply from the entire home at once. If you have more than one fuse box, ensure that you have turned off main switch at all fuse boxes. If in doubt, it is best to call an electrician who will prove the supply is dead with specialist equipment.

2) Turning off the Main Switch Safely

In order to safely disconnect the power to your fuse box, it’s better to turn off each switch individually BEFORE turning off the main switch. The reason for this is to prevent arcing inside the contacts of the main power switch where there are many electrical loads present (stuff still turned on in your home). If there is a genuine emergency and the power needs to be shut off immediately, then it’s fine to turn the power off at the main switch without disconnecting loads as its often worth the risk of damage to the main switch to prevent greater damage caused by an electrical fire or fire hazard.

3) Fuse Box Main Switch Keeps Tripping?

Most main switches are not designed to trip unless they are of the following type:

• GFCI
• RCD
• RCCB
• ELCB
• VOELCB

These letters are often written on the main switch which may also contain a test button to indicate that the device is designed to trip. If your main switch is tripping off then a handy self-help diagnosis is to unplug all your electrical equipment to rule out a faulty appliance before turning the main switch back on. If the main switch stays on then plug your appliances back in one by one, if the switch trips again whilst doing this then note which appliance was plugged in last and this is likely to be faulty.

4) Individual Circuit Breaker Tripped?

If one of the individual switches has tripped then take note of the electrical circuit which it is protecting. If the circuit happens to be socket outlets, then unplug all the equipment from the socket outlets and try turning the switch back on. It is more common to have faulty equipment connected than faulty electrics such as wiring damage or a faulty trip switch. 

It is very important not to reset a tripped circuit breaker more than a couple of times as these breakers contain many electrical components which will not withstand constant tripping, disposing of continued overloads and constant resetting. If your home has older circuit breakers then these may be particularly vulnerable to damage and can also be difficult to replace due to availability of parts.

5) Fuse Box Turned Off and Won't Turn On

If you now find that the entire house is without power when you have tried to turn the fuse box back on, there could be power cuts in the area that have occurred whilst your power was off. A quick call to your local utility company or local network provider (UK) should establish if there are local electrical issues that may be affecting your supply. Check your electric meter for signs of life, modern meters often have lights on them to indicate there is an electrical supply present.

If you are in the UK, you can check the local area for power cuts by calling 105 freephone and asking if there are any issues. If there are no issues known, then ring your electricity supply company (the company that you pay your electric bill to), and they should be able to remotely check your electric meter to establish if there are faults.

Still no power? Call a local Emergency Electrician to attend.

6) When to call an electrician?

You may require professional assistance from a licensed electrician if you have tried the above steps and have had no luck. If the power into your property is ok, the supply to your meter is ok and there is still no power in your home then it is definitely time to call an electrician to investigate the issue.

It’s important not to attempt electrical repairs yourself as fatal injuries can occur when dealing with electricity. Most electrical tasks should be left to a qualified professional.

You should call an electrician if:

• There are electrical problems not solved by removing appliances
• There is a burning smell from electrical equipment
• The Main Isolator or Switch does not turn off the power supply
• An electrical fault is causing buzzing sounds
• You have a blown fuse in the main panel and replaced it once or more
• You have a tripped circuit breaker and have reset it more than once

You can check our step-by-step guide to diagnosing a tripped switch before calling an electrician out. The guide has some simple steps to assist you to safely investigate any issues.

7) Summary

​It is safe to disconnect the power supply to your Fuse Box, Electrical Service Panel, Consumer Unit or Distribution Board by using the main switch, but this only should be done in an emergency. Where there are many electrical loads present and in operation at the time of Main Switch operation, it is likely to cause some damage to the main switch especially if the process is repeated.

It is more sensible to turn off individual circuits using their circuit breakers to limit the load which the main switch has to break. If you are switching the power off for non-emergency reasons, then this method will help elongate the life of your main switch.