About the house with Francis Brennan: how to check a fuse

His new book The Homekeeper’s Diary is full of tips and tricks to looking after your home, and we've got the inside track.

Francis Brennan

Check a fuse 

1. Most of us have ‘trip-switch’ fuses nowadays, instead of the old white fuse box.

2. Turn off your electricity at the mains before you do anything.

You’ll see it in your fuse box – a larger switch to the side which you pull down into the ‘off’ position.

3. Now look along the fuses in the fuse box. If you notice that one of the switches is down, it’s been ‘tripped’, or overloaded.

4. Flip the switch back up to reset it – if it doesn’t work, check locally to see if there has been a power-cut. If there hasn’t been a power-cut, call an electrician to be on the safe side.

The Homekeeper’s Diary 2021 by Francis Brennan, published by Gill Books, is out now, priced €19.99.