These are the types of fuses in my garage. I want to know if one is blown. There are a few extras that were left on top of the box from the previous owner. I don't know if they are blown too. This is an detached garage and there hasn't been working power for a couple of years. We have been working off of an extention cord since. The standard switch fuse inside the house running to the garage trips as soon as you turn it on. It is one of the two as one types. If I remove the pin keeping them together only on trips. Will this get taken care of if I replace the fuse in the garage?
2006-09-15 14:48:32 · 15 answers · asked by thebuffettour 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
To test a fuse, use a simple meter, or it might look blown, but that's hard to describe. But I don't think that has anything to do with the circuit breaker in the house tripping. The simple test is to remove all fuses in the garage and see if the circuit breakers in the house will hold or trip. If they trip I suspect you'll need an electrician.
The handle tie between the poles of the circuit breaker, if it was required by code, is there to make sure you switch both off when you turn it off. That itself doesn't make it "common trip" meaning when one leg trips it shuts off the other leg. It still might be common trip, but you can't conclude that from the handle tie. I would always use a common trip for this case, so I don't know if handle ties alone are acceptable off hand.
2006-09-18 04:07:45 · answer #1 · answered by An electrical engineer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
scotts right
but here is what you can do
turn off the 2 pole breaker that feed the subpanel in the garage ( the 2 pole breaker is the one with the pin between the 2 breakers, this is called a tie bar, and will trip if one of the 2 legs -1 per pole - has a ground fault ). remove all the fuses in the sub panel ( it's not energized since you turned of the 2 pole breaker ) in the garage.
make sure all light switches are off and anything that is plugged into an outlet is unplugged.
now go back to the main panel, turn on the 2 pole breaker.. does it hold and not trip, then the wires from the main panel to the sub panel might be ok, with no dead short. now turn it off again. go pack to the sub panel in the garage ( it's not energized ), screw in one good fuse fuse ( 15 amp? it probally better that it be a 15 amp than a 20 amp just in case you wires are not 12 guage but 14 guage ). go back the main panel, turn on the 2 pole breaker, does it hold.. good turn it off and repeat. sooner or later you'll find a glass fuse that will either blow or the 2 pole breaker trip.
you could also do the very same thing with only 1 good 15 amp glass fuse by screwing it in on the next free socket after find the previuos one did not blow.
even if you did all this and then no fuses blow, then one by one turn on any light switch, and plug in something ( nothing of value but something that draw currnet ) into any normal looking receptacle, as it could be a the device along ( say a cheap fqan motor ) has the short ( of a hanging florescent strip light ) and not the light switch or the actual receptacle.
once you have identified the offneding circuit, call an eletricain and let him know what you have found, from there he can trace for the dead short on the given circuit. whatever you do NEVER replace a smaller amperage glass fuse ( 15 amps for example ) for a larger one ( say a 30 amp glass fuse )m unless you are familair with wire size and ampacity there of, it safer to go with a lesser rated fuse until you know for CERTAIN, the wire size ( guage ).
2006-09-15 17:31:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, and all this is great information if you have the slightest idea what they are talking about. LMAO
If you are using an extension cord for power in the garage, you probably have no idea what an amp meter or any of what these people are talking about.
You probably don't have a lot of money and do the best you can. Electricians are expensive. My guess is you are a garage dweller and live in the garage. Your wiring has probably been chewed into by rodents and is causing a short. Or the wiring has rotted over the years.
If you don't own the home ---- Move!
If you do own the home - Sell!
If you know someone close that can fix it - great - trade services.
One last comment, using an extension cord can result in an overload on the cord and cause a fire. It's similar to using a charcoal burning device to heat the inside of the home when the heaters don't work. You could die.
Sorry, I'm not insensitive to the plight of the poor, I'm one too.
Its tough for everyone today with $4.00 gas, outrageous power bills and the resulting increase in everything else.
Good luck
2006-09-23 01:08:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it won't fix the problem. The fuse must be good unless the short in your garage is at the fuse box. see if you don't have a broken plug in receptacle or if the any new shelf's nails have gone through some wiring. If the fuse is burnt and the breaker still trips then your wiring between the old fuse box and the breaker requires an electrician or handy person with some electrical knowledge to fix it.
2006-09-23 07:51:01 · answer #4 · answered by silvercitydog 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont work on electrical unless your qualified! And from your question , you certainly are NOT that. However, as others said your "BREAKER" that you took the "PIN" out should NEVER be tampered with like that! The breaker is meant to work as one! Breakers, as well as fuses are SAFETY devices meant to save your life, while tripping due to overcurrent or a short. what your saying is one leg of the 2 hot wires from the "Breaker" is shorted! This means one of the wires from that BREAKER is shorted somewhere. Possibly in the panel box in the garage. However since its shorting before you even put a fuse in, I am concerned your problem is much much worse. You may have a short in the wire itself fedding the garage fuses!. Either way you need a qualified person to find this out...you cannot do this safely!
2006-09-19 10:31:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Okay, first- the pinned breaker means that you have 220volt service in the garage, one leg of which is shorted. don't un-pin them, they're meant to work together. This is a safety issue! blown fuses in your garage sub-panel would prevent the house breaker from tripping not cause it. I.M. or e-mail me and I'll walk you through the basic diagnostics to find your short. Remember that you're dealing with a potentially lethal situation.
2006-09-15 15:02:35 · answer #6 · answered by straightandstalwart141 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
THE ONLY ANSWER TO CONSIDER IS -HIRE AN
ELECTRICIAN. YOUR HOUSE NEEDS TO HAVE THE FUSE
STYLE OF ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT BREAKERS REPLACED WITH MODERN THERMAL/RESETABLE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND MOST AREAS REQUIRE THAT SUCH WORK BE DONE BY A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN. THIS IS FOR YOUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. YUU COULD BE INJURED OR KILLED BY ORDINARY 120 VOLT ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT. POOR QUALITY OR OLD ELECTRICAL WIRING CAN CAUSE FIRES WHICH COULD SPREAD TO OTHER HOUSES.
DO NOT MESS WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IF YOU DO NOT KNOW A GREAT DEAL MORE THAN YOUR QUESTION HAS INDICATED.
2006-09-20 16:51:35 · answer #7 · answered by C. M. R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take your fuses in-question to your local Ace Hardware store and ask them to check the fuses for you. If they are found bad they can direct you the replace them with the correct replacement fuse.
2006-09-23 10:39:20 · answer #8 · answered by stormrider 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buy yourself a cheap electrical multi-meter ($6.99), switch it to "OHM X 1", measure across the glass fuse. If the needle doesn't move to "Zero", the fuse is kaput. Double-check that your tester actually works by holding both probe wires together = Zero.
2006-09-16 01:00:52 · answer #9 · answered by Marianna 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Look in the glass on the end, if the fuseable link is blown or melted it's no good. If the cooper link is still there, it's a good fuse.
2006-09-15 14:56:55 · answer #10 · answered by papabear7630 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋