Can Older Panels and Fuse Boxes be Dangerous?
Well. Yes.
The point of an electrical panel is to cut power when it looks like your home is going to suffer an electrical overload or power surge.
Power surges have been known to release sparks that can cause fires. They’ve also been known to fry electronics and appliances that are still plugged in when a house undergoes a power surge.
Older panels won’t always work correctly, and even when they do, some people will remove circuit breakers or fuses with low amperage from their panels and fuse boxes and replace them with breakers and fuses with higher amperages that the panel or box is unable to support. This may stop the breaker from flipping, but it also prevents it from doing its job of stopping power surges. It’s much safer to update your home’s panel and wiring.