Fuses and RDC

If a fuse blows in your apartment, you will lose power in parts of the apartment. The purpose of a fuse is to protect you from hazards potentially caused by faulty appliances. A fuse may also blow if you overload it. For example, extra heaters can cause it to blow. Overloading the system can cause the electrical wiring to heat up, which in turn could lead to a fire. Electricity can also be restricted, if your home-away switch is in the wrong position, or if the bathroom circuit breaker has tripped.

Replacing the fuse and setting it back to working state is the tenant's responsibility. If you repeatedly blow a fuse, disconnect all appliances and lights from their power sockets and try adding them back one by one. If the problem is not caused by any individual appliance, reconnect all appliances and check if your fuses are too small for the number of devices connected. Often extra heaters will cause fuses to blow. If you cannot identify the reason why your fuses blow repeatedly, please send a fault report to Hoas.

Fuses in the fuse box

Tenants can change the fuses in the fuse box themselves. If you have a fuse box in your apartment, it's a good idea to check the fuses before any of them blow, so you can buy a few fuses ahead of time. You can buy fuses in any supermarket.

Instructions for checking and changing a fuse

First, check which fuse has blown. Often the indicator on the end of the fuse will fall off when the fuse blows. The indicator is normally red. Sometimes, the indicator will not fall off, and you have to find the blown fuse by testing them.
Turn power off at the main switch in the fuse box.
Check that the protective cover of the fuse is not cracked. If it is cracked, send Hoas a fault report mentioning that the cover is cracked. Do not change the fuse yourself in such cases.
Unscrew the fuse with its protective cover. If the fuse does not come out with the protective cover, screw the cover back on and try again.
Check the rating of the fuse and replace it with one that has the same rating: Fuse power rating/ Maximum load / color: 6 A / 1400 W / Green; 10 A / 2300 W / Red; 16 A / 3700 W / Grey; 20 A / 4600 W / Blue
Screw the fuse and the protective cover back on.
Switch power back on from the main switch.

The fuses are usually labelled to show which space or appliance they are for. Sometimes, especially in older properties, the labels may not be correct. Therefore, even if the blown fuse is not for the area where power is off, it's still worth trying a new fuse.

More information can be found on the Tukes website (in Finnish).

Automatic fuse

Newer or recently renovated properties may have automatic fuses. If an automatic fuse blows, the fuse box switch will change position. Power will be restored when you set the switch back to the "I" position, and the fuse will be operational again. A fuse in the "0" position has blown.

If the automatic fuse blew due to overload, the fuse may not work right away. You should let the fuse device cool down for a moment before setting it back on.

Home/away switch

When no one is living in the apartment or the tenants are away for a long time, for example travelling, you can limit the electricity and energy used in the apartment with the Home/away switch.

Home/away switches are present in newer apartments and in some renovated properties. If you move into a new apartment and there is no power, you should check this switch.

If your apartment does have a home/away switch, you should also check it when the power doesn't seem to be fully on, even though the fuses and the RCD are working. The home/away switch usually looks like a light switch.

RCD

A residual-current device (RCD) is a safety device that may be installed in your apartment in addition to fuses. Often the RCD will be installed in your bathroom power socket. There is normally an RCD installed in apartments built after 1998, but they are less common in buildings older than that.

If for example your washing machine isn't powering up, it maybe be because the RCD has tripped. Therefore, in addition to checking the fuses, you should also check the RCD. If the RCD trips again, check which device is causing the problem, just as you would with fuses.

You should test the RCD regularly, for example quarterly. There is a test button on the power socket. Pressing it should trip the switch. When you have tested the socket, set the RCD back to the "I" position.

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Fuses and RDC