How the old-style electrical plug is arranged and where it is used

There are several types of fuses that are used in household electrical networks. The most common types installed in apartments, country houses and summer cottages are fuse-links, ceramic and automatic plugs. Despite the differences in design and technical characteristics, their main task is to protect household appliances and internal networks from sudden voltage surges.

How old electrical plugs work

Conventional electrical ceramic plugs are outdated models and are used less and less at home. Visually, they represent a cylindrical porcelain shell, the inner part is equipped with a glass tube with contacts at the ends and a thin conductor. They are screwed in near the electricity meter in the switchboard. The base has many similarities with the base for ordinary incandescent lamps.

When a high voltage current passes through a thin conductor inside the glass tube, it melts, therefore, the electrical circuit is broken. At the same time, the plug fails - it burns out and cannot be repaired. This electrical device has one indisputable advantage: its operation does not depend on the operability and performance of household appliances and electrical appliances, but on the physical properties of materials. The disadvantage is non-repairability: having triggered once, it requires disposal.

The principle of operation of a button plug for an electric meter

The fuse cover is equipped with several buttons. When you press the big button, the device turns on, the small one turns off. Protection against voltage surges and short circuits is carried out due to the action of the bimetallic plate. The principle of operation is similar to the relay, the circuit opens with minor but prolonged overloads. Short-circuit protection of the electric line occurs thanks to an electromagnetic relay.

The electromagnetic and bimetallic relays are connected in series in an electrical circuit. If the threaded fuse fails, a new one must be installed, since the electrical structure cannot be repaired.

Advantages and disadvantages of fuses

Properly selected fuses have many advantages over their counterparts. Main advantages:

• Long service life. According to statistics, the life of the fuse is 15 years.
• Capable of withstanding significant overloads and voltage surges.
• Ease of use combined with high functionality.
• Fast response time as well as accuracy.
• Reliability of construction.
• With a competent distribution of loads with optimal parameters of the electrical circuit, plugs have a tangible selectivity.
  
• The presence of blocking from the secondary connection of the defective section of the circuit.
• By visual inspection, you can determine whether the device is turned on or not.
• Electrical plugs have multiple effects.
• Possibility to manually set the response speed and the duration of the response delay.

Another significant advantage of the design is safety of use.Of the shortcomings, only one should be highlighted - the devices cannot be repaired, you just need to install a new fuse.

Automatic plug

Electric automatic plugs visually resemble outdated ceramic models. The main difference lies in the design features and the principle of operation. The operation of the device is based not on thermal releases, as in the previous case, but on fuses. They are removable.

If, during a power surge or short circuit, the automatic plug has de-energized the entire room, it is enough to bring it back into working condition by pressing only one button. Failed cores, as in conventional fuses, are not required.

Replacing electrical plugs with automatic machines

Outdated models of electrical plugs can be called disposable, since they are able to withstand small loads (no more than 5A). Some people additionally equip the system with "bugs", which allows the electrical device to withstand heavy loads, but this is fraught with a short circuit and fire.

Automatic fuses are capable of withstanding heavy loads of household appliances and electrical appliances. In case of prolonged overloads or short circuits, they are disconnected.

Despite the large number of advantages, these designs have disadvantages.

• If you buy models of questionable quality, they will not turn on and off poorly.
• Limited safety margin of the mechanism.

Parts are constantly loosened in cork holders and fail. As a result of poor connections, wires overheat and begin to melt, producing unpleasant odors, crackles, hiss and sparks.

Algorithm of actions

For personal safety, work is required in personal protective equipment. Wear rubber gloves and goggles in case sparks fly out of the switchboard. Difficulties in replacing old plugs should not arise. First of all, you need to de-energize the room, this can be done using a switch installed on the switchboard. Further, depending on the characteristics of the fuse, they are unscrewed or removed with special tongs. These pliers can also be used to remove the insert from the plug-in units.

Finally, new fully functional plugs are installed in the place where the outdated structures previously stood.

Simple recommendations that all electricians are advised to read when choosing and installing new electrical plugs:

• • You should only purchase high-quality machines from reputable manufacturers and in reliable places.
  • It is forbidden to install machines with a higher permissible power.

• Fuses cannot be used as switches.

In place of four plugs, only two machines are installed, in place of two plugs - one, and instead of three - also three.