# Before screw in fuses



## Meadow

From this blog:

http://tomberna.blogspot.com/


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## McClary’s Electrical

Awesome!


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## Miller6386

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!! 

Mobile


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## Big John

Neat. I've seen many of the remains of those panels, I don't think I've ever seen one that still had the buswork in it. I always assumed they'd been fuse panels, interesting to see it was just distribution.


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## five.five-six

That's bitchen!


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## chicken steve

Meadow,

is that some sort of fusible link there?


~CS~


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## Monkeyboy

Really awesome.


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## Jack Legg

chicken steve said:


> Meadow,
> 
> is that some sort of fusible link there?
> 
> 
> ~CS~


 looks like it...and it looks like the bottom left one has melted


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## Meadow

Welcome, I knew you guys would enjoy that  




chicken steve said:


> Meadow,
> 
> is that some sort of fusible link there?
> 
> 
> ~CS~


 
Yup! Wire fuse link. My best guess it tin or something of the like.


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## Meadow

Jack Legg said:


> looks like it...and it looks like the bottom left one has melted


:laughing: Good eye, missed that one.


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## Southeast Power

We had a Warrant Officer that used different sized solder as fuse links.
Are we looking at such a thing?


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## don_resqcapt19

A local contractor had a display in his shop window of the fuse "wire" (this was about 30 years ago, and he is no longer in business). It was on spools like solder, and looked like solder. There were different diameters, for the different amp ratings. He had spools of 15, 20 and 30a "wire".


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## Big John

I'll be damned. I took a quick look through the _American Electrician's Handbook _thinking they might have some info on open fuse links, but didn't see any.


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## Black Dog

meadow said:


> From this blog:
> 
> http://tomberna.blogspot.com/


This panel is a little newer.....:laughing:


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## retiredsparktech

Big John said:


> I'll be damned. I took a quick look through the _American Electrician's Handbook _thinking they might have some info on open fuse links, but didn't see any.


 I read that Britain and some of the other foreign countries, still used rewireable fuses.
There were renewable fuses that I removed from old equipment, that was unused for several years. We had a drawer full of various ampere rating fuse links, that were seldom used. Most were made by Buss. I don't think they're available anymore. :001_huh:


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## vinister

found:


Most LV fuse elements are made of copper (Cu). Fuse elements of fast acting fuses and HV fuses are primarily made of silver (Ag). Silver plated copper is also commonly used. As a rule, fuse elements of time delay fuses contain low melting point materials, e.g. tin (Sn) or zinc (Zn) and alloys thereof. Formerly used alloys containing lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) have widely been eliminated. 

So there ya go, they used to be solder, essentially.


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## Southeast Power

jrannis said:


> We had a Warrant Officer that used different sized solder as fuse links.
> Are we looking at such a thing?


I'll take that as a yes.
The WO was a smart guy but, he was still a squid.


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## chicken steve

Makes me wonder if the sparkys of the day b*tched about 'fuse technology'.....~CS~


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## Meadow

chicken steve said:


> Makes me wonder if the sparkys of the day b*tched about 'fuse technology'.....~CS~


As long as not nuisance tripping to place I doubt it:laughing:


Ive always wondered why the noodle was fused.


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## 3xdad

Big John said:


> I'll be damned. I took a quick look through the _American Electrician's Handbook _


Quick look thru that thing still took half a day?

It looks like the solder just dropped down to the wooden base. i guess the probability of a chain reaction meltdown was slim?

BTW, where is the N?


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## oldtimer

meadow said:


> As long as not nuisance tripping to place I doubt it:laughing:
> 
> 
> Ive always wondered why the noodle was fused.







I remember as a kid , the fuse panel was in a storage area under the stairs. 

We had some replacement fuse wire at the panel , ready to replace , if we happened to blow a fuse !

We lived in this house from 1946 to 1958 . This was in Sussex , England .

That house is still standing , although I would think the service entrance has been changed !

The house is now a Bank . 

I have pictures of this house , if anyone is interested , I will try to post them !


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## retiredsparktech

meadow said:


> As long as not nuisance tripping to place I doubt it:laughing:
> 
> 
> Ive always wondered why the noodle was fused.


 It seems, I read on this forum, that the reason the neutral was fused, in case the grounded conductor and the hot was reversed on the old two wire service drops. That was in the early days of wiring homes for electricity.


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## 3xdad

Yeah, interested, oldtimer.


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## oldtimer

3xdad said:


> Yeah, interested, oldtimer.



Pic of house in Sussex !









Now A Barclay's Bank !


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## 3xdad

i wonder if HO's back then overfused also.

"Tell ya what lad, wrap a double this time."


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## macmikeman

Think about how many cycles flowed thru that during a short circuit before it melted down .


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## oldtimer

3xdad said:


> i wonder if HO's back then overfused also.
> 
> "Tell ya what lad, wrap a double this time."



For Sure !!!! You can bet on it ! :thumbsup:


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## pete87

meadow said:


> From this blog:
> 
> http://tomberna.blogspot.com/


Is that showing a fused neutral also as well as the Hot ? Were they fusing both sides with the fuse link back then ?



Pete


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## Meadow

3xdad said:


> Quick look thru that thing still took half a day?
> 
> It looks like the solder just dropped down to the wooden base. i guess the probability of a chain reaction meltdown was slim?
> 
> BTW, where is the N?


Fused :laughing:


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## Meadow

oldtimer said:


> I remember as a kid , the fuse panel was in a storage area under the stairs.
> 
> We had some replacement fuse wire at the panel , ready to replace , if we happened to blow a fuse !
> 
> We lived in this house from 1946 to 1958 . This was in Sussex , England .
> 
> That house is still standing , although I would think the service entrance has been changed !
> 
> The house is now a Bank .
> 
> I have pictures of this house , if anyone is interested , I will try to post them !


What was the voltage back then?


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## Meadow

pete87 said:


> Is that showing a fused neutral also as well as the Hot ? Were they fusing both sides with the fuse link back then ?
> 
> 
> 
> Pete


Yup! Both fused for you safety :jester:


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## Jhellwig

macmikeman said:


> Think about how many cycles flowed thru that during a short circuit before it melted down .


If it cleared in a half a second then 30.


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## oldtimer

meadow said:


> Yup! Both fused for you safety :jester:


 230 or 240 volt single phase ! I think it still is , at least it was in 1979 , when I went back for a visit !


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## Meadow

oldtimer said:


> 230 or 240 volt single phase ! I think it still is , at least it was in 1979 , when I went back for a visit !


230 phase to ground?


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## McClary’s Electrical

meadow said:


> 230 phase to ground?


Yes it exist


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## Cl906um

retiredsparktech said:


> I read that Britain and some of the other foreign countries, still used rewireable fuses.
> There were renewable fuses that I removed from old equipment, that was unused for several years. We had a drawer full of various ampere rating fuse links, that were seldom used. Most were made by Buss. I don't think they're available anymore. :001_huh:


Seen an older guy use an empty fuse to put his drill bits in. Screw on top kept them neat and orderly.


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## macmikeman

Jhellwig said:


> If it cleared in a half a second then 30.


Yea, but who knows how long it actually took before it melted and cleared.


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## Meadow

mcclary's electrical said:


> Yes it exist


I know, but I was wondering what kind he had since both were fused.


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## oldtimer

meadow said:


> 230 phase to ground?



Function	label	Color, IEC	Color, old IEC
Protective earth	PE	green-yellow	green-yellow
Neutral	N	blue	blue
Line, single phase	L	brown	brown or black
Line, 3-phase	L1	brown	brown or black
Line, 3-phase	L2	black	brown or black
Line, 3-phase	L3	grey	brown or black


Maybe this will help explain !


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## Meadow

oldtimer said:


> Function label Color, IEC Color, old IEC
> Protective earth PE green-yellow green-yellow
> Neutral N blue blue
> Line, single phase L brown brown or black
> Line, 3-phase L1 brown brown or black
> Line, 3-phase L2 black brown or black
> Line, 3-phase L3 grey brown or black
> 
> 
> Maybe this will help explain !


 
Ok, got it.


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## deerslayerjohn

When I started in the electrical field back in the 1970s, the replaceable element fuse was widely used. It was easy to carry around a packet of different sized elements than fuses. And yes, I found many that had the wrong size or double elements in them. You could buy 10 elements for what one disposible fuse cost.


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## five.five-six

meadow said:


> As long as not nuisance tripping to place I doubt it:laughing:
> 
> 
> Ive always wondered why the noodle was fused.


I don't think you can get those in arc fault :whistling2:.


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## Expediter

On vehicle systems in the past, they used fusable links. I researched it one time and what I found was that the fusable link was simply a short section that was 2 wire guages smaller than the conductor.

I imagine that it would hold true for any voltage. I don't think it would work very well for overload, but for short circuit, it might work.:whistling2: Not that I have ever had to use that method. And no, I dont' think that is why my truck burned up years ago either.

Cool pics, thanks.:thumbsup:


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## xpertpc

Expediter said:


> On vehicle systems in the past, they used fusable links. I researched it one time and what I found was that the fusable link was simply a short section that was 2 wire guages smaller than the conductor.
> 
> I imagine that it would hold true for any voltage. I don't think it would work very well for overload, but for short circuit, it might work.:whistling2: Not that I have ever had to use that method. And no, I dont' think that is why my truck burned up years ago either.
> 
> Cool pics, thanks.:thumbsup:


You are correct, except for the small wire gauge theory - they are made of a eutectic that will melt in both an overload or short circuit, also many newer cars still use fusible links.

I still have a half roll of 30 amp fuse wire which looks like a heavy gauge solder but a bit stouter. It is in a tin can which has a label that says not to use while driving or to eat. - how'd they know we'd get so stoopid in only 50 years?


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## Rong

I used to work for the State of Kansas as an Electrician and we had many buildings that used these fuse wires, The bad thing was a lot if the circuit blew the wire out then they would use more wraps! We changed them out in '83.


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## michoi

retiredsparktech said:


> It seems, I read on this forum, that the reason the neutral was fused, in case the grounded conductor and the hot was reversed on the old two wire service drops. That was in the early days of wiring homes for electricity.










pete87 said:


> Is that showing a fused neutral also as well as the Hot ? Were they fusing both sides with the fuse link back then ?
> 
> 
> 
> Pete


From what I've been reading there was no grounded conductor back then, both lines were live and that's why they are both fused. The tip of a lamp holder would always be live and the treaded section of the lamp holder was switched. Therefore you could blow a fuse and all the lights would go out but you would still have power at the socket.


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## pete87

michoi said:


> From what I've been reading there was no grounded conductor back then, both lines were live and that's why they are both fused. The tip of a lamp holder would always be live and the treaded section of the lamp holder was switched. Therefore you could blow a fuse and all the lights would go out but you would still have power at the socket.




Here in SF they now claim to have had the First Distribution Station in the USA . I thought Edison did that ... they had a DC Station . Today there are quite a few DC costumers left in the Down Town area .

It seems that the old elevators were DC and it has been cheaper to keep them operating on DC than switch and refit them to an AC system ! San Francisco is still providing DC to customers .



Pete


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