Robert Green wrote:

That site also goes on to say:

Fuses are prone to explode under extremely high overload. When
a fuse explodes, the metallic vapor cloud becomes a conducting
path. Result? From complete meltdown of the electrical panel,
melted service wiring, through fires in the electrical
distribution transformer and having your house burn down.
[This author has seen it happen.] Breakers won't do this.


Breakers can explode under extremely high overload. They can cause the
same arc flash and burn down.

If you have a solid short at a panel, the current is the "available
fault current". (For a house service it is likely 5,000 - 10,000A).

Electrical apparatus, particularly fuses and breakers, has a rating for
the "available fault current" of the source. If you use a fuse or
breaker (or motor starter...) at a point where the available fault
current is higher than the rating for the fuse or breaker it can explode.

Fuses are readily and cheaply available for circuits with available
fault currents of 200,000A. Breakers are not readily or cheaply
available with that rating.

If apparatus is applied within its rating - current, voltage, available
fault current - it doesn't explode. The NEC requires apparatus be used
withing its rating - including available fault current. I expect the
"site" knows nothing about this.

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