The history of the fusebox?

D

DIYedboy

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I've just bought a 1906 house complete with (I assume) original electrics. It doesn't have a fusebox, just 3 cast iron isolators like you'd see in old factories and rubber wiring. I think the service head has a fuse in the phase and one in the neutral.
1930's houses had rewirable fuseholders (from day 1 I assume), so when did fuseboxes in homes first start?
 
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The brown Wylex box was the earliest fusebox I could recall (Year unknown, but used for a really long period), perhaps someone else knows better?
 
I can remember my grand fathers house had two fuse boxes from the days when the lighting supply and power supply had two different tariffs. The power was all radial and each of the 3 sockets had it's own fuse holder blade type which was a flat bit of insulator with two spring clips on to which one put the fuse wire between and the bit one gripped to remove it had a provision to store the spare fuse wire.
So his house had more fuses than my dads house built 1954 which only had 4 fuses and 5 sockets even though it was a smaller house.
 
Consumer units came in as part of the modernisation of the Electricity industry after WW2.

The standardised 3-square-pin plug and the wonderful ring final circuit were part of the same modernisation, as was standardised supply voltage.

Prior to WW2 it was usual to have a main switch (usually cast-iron) and one or more wooden fuseboxes, with both L & N fused :eek:

Due to shortage of skilled men, materials and manufacturing capacity, work did not really take off until the late 1950's

DIYedboy, your house will not have has electricity in 1906. It may, if in a town, have had gaslight. Electricity will have been installed at some time during or after the 1920s. I take it you are aware that rubber cables mean your installation is dangerous and should not be used, since it will be perished and unstable due to age. This is in addition to the risk from probable fused neutrals, inadequate earthing and bonding, and poor protection at fittings. Your cast iron isolators are probably switchfuses containing rewirable porcelain fuseholders, probably designed for 15A and 5A but possibly containing knitting needles or fence wire.
 
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DIYedboy said:
I've just bought a 1906 house complete with (I assume) original electrics. It doesn't have a fusebox, just 3 cast iron isolators like you'd see in old factories and rubber wiring. I think the service head has a fuse in the phase and one in the neutral.
1930's houses had rewirable fuseholders (from day 1 I assume), so when did fuseboxes in homes first start?
Click to expand...

Any chance of some pictures of that lot please??

We like pictures,........
 
These are the oldest fuse boxes I've seen.

Townendsfusebox.jpg


kitchenfusebox.jpg


Top one was left in for show but long since disconnected.

The bottom one was still live and in service :eek:
 
It was rubber insulated in very bad condition.

It was all fed from this

IMGP1916.jpg


IMGP1917.jpg


The DNO left it disconnected. They had to come out when their cutout fell off the wall. You can see the replacement in the background.
 
RF Lighting said:
It was rubber insulated in very bad condition.

It was all fed from this

IMGP1916.jpg


IMGP1917.jpg


The DNO left it disconnected. They had to come out when their cutout fell off the wall. You can see the replacement in the background.
Click to expand...

Awesome...!!!

:D
 
Very informative JohnD Thanks, the house is in Epsom, so as you have said, it must have been gaslight only.

Funnily enough, someone has been in and replaced the tails from the meter as it goes black red brown blue and the tails go into sealed 'connectors of some type.

All wiring will be ripped out shortly. The cables look like black rubber (VIR?)

A photo?..........fudge me, I can take the picture easily, but I have no idea how to get the sucker onto this forum (sadly, my computer skills are not much better than a hamsters!)
 
D

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