Rewirable Cartridge Fuses

[oilman]

breezer wrote

leaving the flexi hose in place is a "safety feature" if your house catches fire the hose melts letting out all the water putting out the fire
__________________

So il78's oven runs on water gas then?

 

[il78]

I wasn't going to say anythink

 

[BR]

BR, perhaps YOU would like to explain what is the function of a fuse and how it accomplishes its function. Who said the lights kept blowing fuses? All mains fuses are miles too big for Christmas tree lights, but they DO have "fuse bulbs".

I agree totally that 30A mains fuses are very different but paulh53 did ask about "rewirable cartridge fuses". We know about rewirable fuses, and we know about cartridge fuses, and my reply was to this specific point. As for desoldering and replacing the wire in cartridge fuses, how do you think they were made in the first place.

Firstly oilman, would you kindly explain to me what a "rewirable cartridge fuse" is: Please excuse my ignorance, but despite my honours degree in Electrical/electronic engineering, The fact that I am a qualified industrial electrician AND have almost 20 years experience working with the electric company in Ireland, have never heard the term. I can relate to the fuses you are talking about and although have heard of people "rewiring" them with various 'devices' (for specific purposes i.e. to give false readings on a harmonics equalisation meter used by the electric company to test the installation (industrial). This would be done to conceal faulty wiring). But they certainly were not designed for rewiring. I notice you are reluctant to address the issue of why you used the RESISTOR. What was the purpose of this?

I had done the calculations, and then carried out tests including those to establish what the worst case failure would be.

How long did you spend doing this?? Did it not occur to you that your time might be better spent finding the original fault in the lights, there not that complicated (not for such an intelligent man as yourself) OR even, to do things your way , install an ordinary bulb. It would be better than a resistor.

 

[oilman]

......would you kindly explain to me what a "rewirable cartridge fuse" is

Well I think paulh53 was giving a hint by asking the question in that it is a contradiction in terms.

....despite my honours degree in Electrical/electronic engineering

Excellent, keep waving the flags.

But they certainly were not designed for rewiring.

I know, but it's handy when you need to insert a temporary component isn't it?

I notice you are reluctant to address the issue of why you used the RESISTOR. What was the purpose of this?

No I wasn't, just interesting watching people drawing inferences. I put it in the plug top as it was made the same size as a standard fuse. Purpose, to limit current.

How long did you spend doing this??

I think 2 or 3 hours, but it was more than 15 years ago.

Did it not occur to you that your time might be better spent finding the original fault in the lights,

Yes, but I knew what that was, I wanted a solution to the problem. Even that was nothing compared to the time I spend on these forums being a really sad git answering peoples questions. And how would you justify that as a good way of spending time?

(not for such an intelligent man as yourself)

Have we met somewhere?

....., install an ordinary bulb. It would be better than a resistor.

If you mean one that looks like , no it wouldn't, it would spoil the effect of the pretty Christmas tree lights, and it would have such a high startup current, the Christmas tree bulbs would fuse. oops!

And, by the way, I had one of the fusable bulbs in circuit too.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Funny........I remember you having a go at me for connecting a flexible hose to my oven saying it was "illegal" and not good practice. .......

My cooker is connected with a flexible hose and a bayonet connection. If you don't have a flexible hose, how do you pull the thing out to clean, decorate etc?

 

[BR]

I put it in the plug top as it was made the same size as a standard fuse. Purpose, to limit current.

why would you want to do this, were your pretty little Christmas tree lights too bright?

Yes, but I knew what that was, I wanted a solution to the problem.

and what was it?

If you mean one that looks like , no it wouldn't, it would spoil the effect of the pretty Christmas tree lights, and it would have such a high startup current, the Christmas tree bulbs would fuse.

No, I was in fact referring to an ordinary Christmas tree bulb, in place of the fuse bulb, which I thought was the problem, but you didn’t make it very clear what was exactly was "blowing"

Who said the lights kept blowing fuses?

Have we met somewhere?

Without a doubt, I meet you in every days work?

that was nothing compared to the time I spend on these forums being a really sad git answering peoples questions. And how would you justify that as a good way of spending time?

I won’t even try to justify it but I suppose the difference between you and me being, I'm being paid for it, between the hours between the hours of 5 and 12am anyway!

 

[oilman]

why would you want to do this, were your pretty little Christmas tree lights too bright?

..............

and what was it?

Did you read the earlier posts?, I have already said the problem was the lights kept failing, nothing about them being too bright, so you would do better employing comprehension than sarcasm in this instance.

......I'm being paid for it, between the hours between the hours of 5 and 12am anyway!

I doubt your employer would agree, I suspect you are being paid for something else.

 

[il78]

Funny........I remember you having a go at me for connecting a flexible hose to my oven saying it was "illegal" and not good practice. .......

My cooker is connected with a flexible hose and a bayonet connection. If you don't have a flexible hose, how do you pull the thing out to clean, decorate etc?

Sorry should of said gas hob.........same thing to me

 

[ban-all-sheds]

OK - I can see why you don't need a flexible hose for a gas hob, but if they're allowed for cookers then they must be safe for cookers.

If they're safe for cookers they must be safe for hobs.

If they're safe for hobs, why aren't they allowed?


Don't tell me - the gas regs will withstand rational analysis no better than the electric ones...

 

[BR]

Oilman a final 3 questions,
Yes, I have read all your other posts and yes I understand why you did it, you wanted to make the lights work, but what I do not understand is how you can justify that what you did was correct and safe.

Christmas tree lights don’t "keep failing" for no reason. A fault has developed which has either interrupted the circuit or is causing a fuse to blow? WHICH FUSE EXACTLY IN YOUR CASE.

My original question was, why did you not get to the root of the problem, i.e. WHY the lights kept failing and put right this fault rather than trying to bypass the protective devices?

AND

WHY THE RESISTOR, Why would you want to resist current??????
I feel that there is no justification for your actions (perhaps I am wrong), You simply wanted the lights to work and this was the simplest and quickest way of getting this to happen. And as for spending 2-3 hours doing the “calculations” and then “carrying out tests to establish what the worst case failure would be”. How could you possibly determine what the worst-case failure would be? The company who provides the distribution transformers to the ESB in Ireland send a sample trafo to UL laboratories in the USA to determine what as you put it “The worst case failure would be” It costs approx $70,000 and takes I believe, on average, a year and a half to complete. I know that this is on a different scale but could you honestly say that you had taken account of every possible scenario. You must have had a hell of a lot of resistors, and Christmas tree lights each with the same fault present!

 

[oilman]

.....but what I do not understand is how you can justify that what you did was correct and safe.

The current was reduced to a low enough value to run the lights, the heat generated in the resistor did not exceed its rated value.

WHICH FUSE EXACTLY IN YOUR CASE.

WHY DON'T YOU READ? I SAID IT WAS THE FUSE BULB. YOU KNOW THE ONE WHICH PRETENDS TO BE A LIGHT BUT WHICH ISN'T. JUST STOP SHOUTING, THERE'S NO NEED.

It didn't bypass the protective devices (god! how much explanation does it take) I added an extra one.

Why should I justify my use of MY time to you? From what you said last night, YOU are using your EMPLOYER'S time to conduct this "discussion"

The worst case failure would be overheating of the resistor and what would be the problems if it did, given the enclosure it was in etc.

As for comparing this to the testing required to test a distribution transformer, if I was your employer I would be wondering if the stress of the job (or perhaps internet forums) had got the better of you.

 

[BR]

From the beginning you have ignored my base question, shouting or otherwise. I'll put it differently,

Your found your lights are repeatly blowing a fuse. did you know exactly what was wrong with the lights that caused this to keep happening? (the fuse blowing)(e.g damaged flex)

 

[oilman]

......did you know exactly what was wrong with the lights that caused this to keep happening?

I really can't remember details of everything over 15 years ago, I can remember some of what I did to cure whatever it was, but from what I recollect I was not the only person who found similar problems. It wasn't something as mundane as damaged insulation as that would have been an easy fix.

 

[securespark]

To Paulh53


Rewireable fuses have been in existance as long as electricity!!

AKA a BS3036 fuse....

as used in wylex boards the country over.

 

[BR]

Securespark, note that paulh53 was referring to a "rewirable cartridge fuse" which of course does not exist. It, as oilman put it "is a contradiction in terms"