old screw in fuse problem

uniquelyinked · 11-13-2012, 09:12 AM

My wife and i just bought a 50 year old house and the wiring is an absolute mess. Im just replacing light switches and some are jumped off each other and its just all over the place. But that's besides the point, whatever they did worked until I tried replacing them and crossed a wire some how blowing the fuse. Upon undoing all wiring I did I went down stairs and replaced the screw in type S fuse that was shot with another 15 amp fuse that was from the furnace spot so I knew it was good. Now im not getting any power even with a good fuse. Is it possible I blew whatever the slot is called that the fuse screws into? Im new to these fuses im use to breakers. Thanks for any help.

AllanJ · 11-13-2012, 09:42 AM

There must be a loose connection somewhere. If you blow a fuse (or trip a breaker) there is a chance that at that moment a marginal connection became loose because of a large current flow for that moment.

AllanJ · 11-13-2012, 09:44 AM

There must be a loose connection somewhere, probably at one of the switches or receptacles in the daisy chain. If you blow a fuse (or trip a breaker) there is a chance that at that moment a marginal connection became loose because of a large current flow for that moment.

When you use both of the screws on one side of a receptacle unit to continue power to additional locations, it is not unheard of for the tab that bridges those two screws to crack and stop the continuation of power past that point. For some wiring arrangements that tab is supposed to be removed by bending back and forth until it snaps off.

uniquelyinked · 11-13-2012, 10:03 AM

So it is possible if the circuit is not complete (one switch isn't wired up) that the whole area that fuse controls can be killed?

AllanJ · 11-13-2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uniquelyinked

So it is possible if the circuit is not complete (one switch isn't wired up) that the whole area that fuse controls can be killed?

Yes. If you take a break from your project and some of the outlet boxes still have the wire ends hanging out, portions of the areas, possibly the entire area served by that circuit, could be dead.

The more reliable method of wiring is to connect the incoming and continuing wires directly to each other with a short length (pigtail) added to reach the receptacle or switch in that box. But even here you should not energize the circuit until everything is put back together or at least you tape the loose ends of the pigtails.

joed · 11-13-2012, 02:50 PM

Or the fuse blew right away and now you have two blown fuses.

k_buz · 11-13-2012, 04:53 PM

or damaged the fuse holder.

11-13-2012, 09:12 AM	#1
uniquelyinked Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 2	old screw in fuse problem My wife and i just bought a 50 year old house and the wiring is an absolute mess. Im just replacing light switches and some are jumped off each other and its just all over the place. But that's besides the point, whatever they did worked until I tried replacing them and crossed a wire some how blowing the fuse. Upon undoing all wiring I did I went down stairs and replaced the screw in type S fuse that was shot with another 15 amp fuse that was from the furnace spot so I knew it was good. Now im not getting any power even with a good fuse. Is it possible I blew whatever the slot is called that the fuse screws into? Im new to these fuses im use to breakers. Thanks for any help.

11-13-2012, 09:42 AM	#2
AllanJ Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nashua, NH, USA Posts: 6,775	old screw in fuse problem There must be a loose connection somewhere. If you blow a fuse (or trip a breaker) there is a chance that at that moment a marginal connection became loose because of a large current flow for that moment. __________________ The average homeowner who lost his house in the Oklahoma tornadoes should move for good and not rebuild. Too much complexity watchdogging the contractor. Too much a chance to be defrauded.

11-13-2012, 09:44 AM	#3
AllanJ Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nashua, NH, USA Posts: 6,775	old screw in fuse problem There must be a loose connection somewhere, probably at one of the switches or receptacles in the daisy chain. If you blow a fuse (or trip a breaker) there is a chance that at that moment a marginal connection became loose because of a large current flow for that moment. When you use both of the screws on one side of a receptacle unit to continue power to additional locations, it is not unheard of for the tab that bridges those two screws to crack and stop the continuation of power past that point. For some wiring arrangements that tab is supposed to be removed by bending back and forth until it snaps off. __________________ The average homeowner who lost his house in the Oklahoma tornadoes should move for good and not rebuild. Too much complexity watchdogging the contractor. Too much a chance to be defrauded. Last edited by AllanJ; 11-13-2012 at 09:46 AM.

11-13-2012, 10:03 AM	#4
uniquelyinked Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 2	old screw in fuse problem So it is possible if the circuit is not complete (one switch isn't wired up) that the whole area that fuse controls can be killed?

11-13-2012, 02:50 PM	#6
joed Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Welland, Ontario Posts: 6,096	old screw in fuse problem Or the fuse blew right away and now you have two blown fuses. __________________ Do not PM with questions that can be asked in a forum. I will not respond.

old screw in fuse problem