Fuse panels were once popular in home construction, but they are not seen very often anymore, and most new homes now have a breaker panel. It is easy to visually tell the two apart, because the circuit breaker panel has small switches inside. They are typically labeled to show which circuit belongs to which switch. A fuse box has small circular fuses instead of switches, one for each circuit in the home. One of the main issues with fuse panels is that they are less convenient than breaker panels. The switches inside a breaker panel can be flipped to reset them as many times as needed. But once a fuse panel has tripped, the fuse in question requires replacement before the circuit can be used again. Another issue with fuse panels is they can only offer a limited amount of power, which is typically not enough to operate a modern home with all of the electronics and appliances inside. In some cases, homeowners will have a hard time getting the home insured if a fuse panel exists, because insurance companies view them as a potential hazard. For all of these reasons, it is best to upgrade to a breaker panel in your home.
