eli5 : Circuit breakers and how they protect your electronics, from the theoretical aspect.

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I have some very basic understanding of current, voltage, resistance and that circuit breakers have fuses which blow if a current threshold is surpassed. But I don’t understand how putting multiple devices connected to your wall outlets, especially if they’re connected to the same fuse, would trigger this. Isn’t the voltage allocated to each circuit the same?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Technically, circuit breakers do not protect your devices. They protect the wiring itself in your walls. If your devices are pulling too much current without a breaker (or the wrong size breaker), the wires can overheat and start a fire.

It is a common misconception that circuit breakers protect your devices.

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