Before central air-conditioning, electric ranges, and large refrigerators, single-family residences were built with a 30A service that used fuses. When a fuse would blow, the “savvy” homeowners would stick a penny in the fuse slot until they could swing by the hardware store and buy a replacement fuse. Not being as savvy as they imagined themselves to be, they would sometimes forget about this temporary fix and ultimately need to call an electrician to replace the damaged wiring.
A similar temporary quick fix often takes place in industrial settings due to pressure to get equipment running. When you don’t have the correct overcurrent protection device (OCPD) in stock, going the next size up can protect against a fault but not against an overload.
If the OCPD is expected later in the day, this may be an acceptable risk; just don’t use something that can handle more current than the conductors can handle. To prevent the forgetting part, set up a DMM or other instrument to measure the current and task someone with recording its readings hourly.
