|
Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
|
Thread Tools |
21st Apr 2018, 11:44 pm | #61 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: North Somerset, UK.
Posts: 2,129
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
7 amp BS1362 fuses are used in "green ginger" theatre lighting dimmers, one to protect each channel. This despite the maximum permitted load on each channel being a little over 7 amps.
The designers obviously took the view that that slightly overrunning the fuse was a price worth paying to give better protection than would be achieved with a 10 amp or 13 amp fuse. Some form of recommendation or code of practice also recommends 7 amp fuses for "semi fixed" socket outlets built into office furniture. This is to ensure discrimination between the 13 amp fuse in the upstream supply plug, and the 3.15 amp mini fuses fitted to the sockets on the desktop. |
22nd Apr 2018, 12:17 am | #62 |
Hexode
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Northampton, Northants, UK.
Posts: 380
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
|
23rd Apr 2018, 9:39 pm | #63 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
The 15A BS1361s I have are about the same length as a BS1362 one but much fatter. The 30A one is fatter still and a little longer. I don't have any of the higher-rated ones, but I think the higher the rating the larger the fuse.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
23rd Apr 2018, 11:07 pm | #64 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,549
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Higher ratings sure are a lot bigger than plug fuses.
|
24th Apr 2018, 1:04 pm | #65 |
Pentode
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 168
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Just out of interest.
When I purchased some vintage Marbo BS1362 fuses off eBay, I noticed during my search I came across fuse wire wrapped around a cardboard template. I can't remember ever coming across this before. What was it used for? |
24th Apr 2018, 1:07 pm | #66 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
...for rewireable fuses in domestic fuseboxes. Still sometimes encountered in houses that haven't been rewired for 30++ years.
For example: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wt6qvSdrQ8...reble_fuse.png |
24th Apr 2018, 1:14 pm | #67 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,549
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
My house still has rewirable fuses in a Bakelite consumer unit.
|
24th Apr 2018, 1:16 pm | #68 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,192
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
For rewiring fuses in consumer units using rewireable fuses. These have been largely replaced with consumer units using MCB's, but I stlll have rewireable fuses in one of my workshops.
__________________
Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
24th Apr 2018, 1:20 pm | #69 |
Pentode
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 168
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
That's really interesting, thanks. It is possible we had this setup when I was a kid, but never paid any notice. Instead of trip switches in your fuse box, did they use the fuse wire instead? Cutting off the electricity when the fuse wire melted?
Might sound like a stupid question, but I am genuinely interested. |
24th Apr 2018, 1:21 pm | #70 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,192
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Correct.
__________________
Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
24th Apr 2018, 2:46 pm | #71 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Yes, these behave in exactly the same way as cartridge fuses except that the fuse wire isn't sealed inside a ceramic (or glass) tube. These were a cheaper alternative to using BS1361 cartridge fuses before largely being replaced by resettable circuit breakers.
Slightly off-topic, but the fact that MCBs are more easily reset is both an advantage and a disadvantage: in the case of a trip caused by a one-off overcurrent such as a power surge, power can be restored immediately. When the problem is caused by a fault, the inconvenience of replacing or rewiring a fuse encouraged one to find and rectify the fault before restoring power.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
24th Apr 2018, 3:02 pm | #72 |
Octode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Ventnor, Isle of Wight, & Great Dunmow, Essex, UK.
Posts: 1,377
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
There must still be many, many thousands of rewirable fuse consumer units in use in the UK. One drawback is people were often tempted to fit larger fuse wire if a fuse kept blowing!
You may also be interested to know that it takes much more current than 13A to blow a 13A fuse! Looking at the characteristics, shows that a 13A fuse will pass 20A continuously without blowing. It takes between 0.2 Seconds and 100S to blow at 40 Amps. Cheers Nick |
24th Apr 2018, 3:41 pm | #73 | |
Guest
Posts: n/a
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Quote:
|
|
24th Apr 2018, 3:56 pm | #74 | ||
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Quote:
Quote:
As I haven't had a fuse blow for years (says he, tempting providence), I haven't checked whether the card is still hanging there. Yes, I still have consumer units with rewirable fuses.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
||
24th Apr 2018, 4:09 pm | #75 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
We still have wire fuses, other than the garage and shed, which are protected by ELCB and circuit breakers. However, we are about to have a small extension built and the builder thinks that the wiring for the extension may need to be protected to current standards. He was going to consult his electrician.
We have been in this house for more than 35 years, and the only time I have needed to rewire a fuse was when I put a double 5' fluorescent light in the loft, wired in parallel with the existing four 100W GLS bulbs and all controlled by a single switch fed from the upstairs lighting circuit. Occasionally the current surge on switch-on blew the fuse. Fixed by providing the fluorescent and GLS lamp circuits with individual switches. |
24th Apr 2018, 4:17 pm | #76 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 2,196
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Quote:
Unlike the MCB/RCDs in my workshops, the wired fuses never provide a source of irritation! Martin
__________________
BVWS Member |
|
24th Apr 2018, 4:39 pm | #77 | |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Morden, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,552
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Quote:
|
|
24th Apr 2018, 4:42 pm | #78 |
Pentode
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 168
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Which system do you think is safer, ? Fuses with fuse wire, or modern Circuit Breakers ?
|
24th Apr 2018, 4:59 pm | #79 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,192
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
Back on topic please.
I doubt there's much more to say about fuses to BS1362. No matter how good they are they won't improve the sound of a Hi-Fi system.
__________________
Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
24th Apr 2018, 7:48 pm | #80 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
|
Re: Vintage BS1362 plug fuses
The wire in a BS fuse should be welded to, not trapped under, the cap.
__________________
Kevin |