While it presents some problems, by itself, a fuse panel is not a reason to walk away from buying a house. But here are several issues to consider:

•• If the panel was manufactured in the 1940s or earlier, it may still have the type of fuse base that will accept a fuse rated for more amps than the circuit can handle—which is a fire hazard. See our blog post Why is an old fuse panel dangerous? for more on this.

•• Because fuses were superseded by circuit breakers and no longer installed in new homes by the mid-1960s, any home with a fuse panel is at least 50+ years old and so is all, or most, of the electrical system. This means the home may also have ungrounded two-slot receptacles, cloth-covered or knob-and-tube wiring, and possibly the service is undersized for current usage. So, the fuse panel is just part of the obsolescence problem. Our article Why are old electrical components not always "grandfathered" as acceptable by home inspectors? explains this issue further.

•• Many insurance companies will not accept homes with fuse panel, so acquiring homeowners insurance may be difficult. To learn more, go to Why is a fuse box/panel an insurance problem for homebuyers?

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about ELECTRIC PANELS:

• What causes copper wires to turn green or black in an electric panel?  

• What is the maximum number of circuit breakers allowed in an electric panel?

• When should a corroded or damaged electric panel cabinet or disconnect box be replaced? 

• What is a tandem circuit breaker? 

• When did arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) breakers first become required?

• Can an electric panel be located in a closet? 

• Can an electric panel be located in a bathroom? 

• Can you add circuit breakers by different manufacturers to an electric panel if they fit?

• My circuit breaker won't reset. What's wrong?  

• What is a split bus electric panel?

• How do I identify a combination AFCI (CAFCI) circuit breaker? 

• What does a circuit breaker with a yellow or white test button indicate? 

• What is the maximum gap allowed between the front of a recessed electric panel box and the wall surface surrounding it? 

• What are the requirements for NM-cables entering an electric panel box? 

• Why is bundled wiring in an electric panel a defect?

• What is the difference between GFCI and AFCI circuit breakers?  

• What happens when you press the "TEST" button on a circuit breaker in an electric panel?

• What is a Dual Function Circuit Interrupter (DFCI)? 

• What is the difference between a Combination Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (CAFCI) and an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) circuit breaker?  

• What is the difference between "grounded" and "grounding" electrical conductors? 

• What does it mean when a wire is "overstripped" at a circuit breaker?  

• Who is the manufacturer of those "bad" electric panels?

• Why is the circuit breaker stuck in the middle? 

• What is a double tap at a circuit breaker?

• What is the right electric wire size for a circuit breaker in an electric panel?

• What is the life expectancy of a circuit breaker? 

• My circuit breaker won't reset. What's wrong? 

• Why do some breakers in my electric panel have a "TEST" button on them?

• What is the right size electric panel for a house? 

• What do I need to know about buying a whole house surge protector? 

• What is the maximum allowed height of a circuit breaker (OCPD) above the floor?

• What is the maximum height you can mount an electric panel above the floor? 

• What is the code required clearance in front of an electric panel?

• What is the main bonding jumper and where do it find it in an electric panel? 

   Visit our ELECTRIC PANELS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.