Should rewirable fuses be pensioned off?

[oracle]

The 3036 re-wireable fuse link was invented long, long, ago, but according to the standards list became a BS standard about 1957.

Tried and trusted in standard form, it has probably been the most abused electrical component, with wrong fuse wire, paper clips, hair clips, copper wire etc fitted.

Yet even the 18th edition includes tables for them. Let's take this poor old, badly abused fuse and put it into retirement. Like the ghost of Christmas past it's past its heydays.

 

[Rpa07]

The Oracle has spoken!

 

[Spoon]

I'm sure the government will pay to have them all changed.....

 

[buzzlightyear]

No stills protect the cable why would you retire them its the. Idiots who putthe wrong fuse wire put in .

 

[Andy78]

I see them abused and misused only as often as I see mcbs misused.

You can't idiot proof the world so don't even try.

 

[Octopus]

duplicate

 

[Octopus]

Nothing wrong with them .... in fact the boards are far better made than the carp we install today

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

You cant account for stupid and dangerous people using the wrong fuse wire or using an old nail. They are simple and made well for its intended purpose.
most of the older stuff is made to last and in my experience outlasts a lot of the modern stuff that seemingly goes wrong, I am not going to say they purposely build obsolescence into the things like mcb's etc.. but they are mass produced and at lowest possible price. Its inevitable when you make thousands of the same thing on a production line in the far east that failures will come through.
Beyond a fuse wire going I cant think of a time I have had to replace a rewireable. mcbs, rcds etc, I have had a few that have needed replacing, some have been product failures but normally its due to incorrect termination causing the case to melt at the terminals.

 

[Toneyz]

I think all of the above. Although they are not readily installed as protective devices there are thousands still in use. I see no reason BS7671 not to include them in the max Zs tables.

 

[Michael Sands]

What’s the rating of smoke paper in a plugtop and maybe some tinfoil still come across this in older peoples property have found nails in 3 phase boards
If someone wants to circumvent a mcb they just put wire from top to bottom of tripping mcb only seen this once but still there you have it nothing is foolproof

 

[The Ghost]

Personally, I think yes they should be taken out of use. Apart from the problem of anything being placed in the fuse holder, there are other problems. The tendency when the fuse blows and wire replaced, which is really insanely fiddly, with a torch often, to replace the holder under load and get another blow out when inserted. Quite dangerous I think. Often missing covers which may constitute a fire risk. I think elderly people may struggle to pull and replace the fuse, an MCB is so much easier.

 

[snowhead]

How many Rewireable Fuse boxes and C..U's have gone up in smoke, compared to Modern MCB C.U's I wonder?

 

[Wilko]

A good question Snow !
My very non scientific internet audit has revealed only one pic of a heat damaged one, compared with well more than I've fingers and toes of MCB variety.
Here 'tis

 

[oracle]

I did say they were tried and trusted correctly used. Problem is, people seem to be determined to find any way to defeat the very things designed to protect them.

The worst examples I have seen is a suppliers BS 1361 cartridge fuse replaced with a short piece of pipe

Another guy used the 16mm earth conductor to connect the supply from the intake supply to the CCU main switch, bypassing the meter

 

[sam400]

As a bit of a laugh I had my last niceic assessment on a 3036 CU, well I enjoyed it but the inspector was most uncomfortable! I am not sure why?

 

[Octopus]

As a bit of a laugh I had my last niceic assessment on a 3036 CU, well I enjoyed it but the inspector was most uncomfortable! I am not sure why?

What were you showing him ?

 

[Octopus]

duplicate deleted

 

[oracle]

As a bit of a laugh I had my last niceic assessment on a 3036 CU, well I enjoyed it but the inspector was most uncomfortable! I am not sure why?

Was it a EICR? He might have hoped to see you doing a bit of wiring.

 

[littlespark]

On my old caravan site, one of our permanent customers replaced our 16A MCB supplying his unit with a 32A.
He then sawed off the toggle switches, which had the rating moulded into the plastic and superglued it to the other MCB

On a casual glance, you couldn't see the difference... not until I was meter reading one day and could smell the burning in the hook up unit.

I think we kicked him off the site for that one

 

[sam400]

It was a new circuit I put in to supply boiler in loft at my house.
He was adamant it needed an RCD but couldn't back it up with any regs. then we moved on to why I haven't got any bonding to water service. All good fun,
I've got plenty of decent jobs I could have showed him but couldn't be bothered to go anywhere.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Personally I think that the old wylex rewirable boards should no longer comply for alterations and additions, and that's nothing to do with the fuse being rewireable.
The problem with these boards is that unless the fuse cover is in place there are exposed live parts, especially if the carrier is not pushed fully home.A high proportion of these boards will be missing the fuse cover and easily accessible to kids. Not everyone will switch off the main switch before withdrawing a fuse carrier and it is very easy to contact live parts while doing so, in fact if the carriers a bit tight it's tempting for the uninitiated to curl fingers round the back to get more purchase....where it can be live. These boards have served well for decades, but are simply not up to todays standards on barriers and enclosures.
During an EICR one of these boards missing the fuse cover is always a code 2 for me.

 

[westward10]

That cover is not there to prevent access to live parts, its purpose is to contain molten metal from a rupturing fuse element.

 

[oracle]

Fuses are OK provided they aren't wrongly wired and ALL the Earthing arrangements are in place.

Even the fuse carrier is colour coded and has pins sized and arranged to prevent accidentally fitting the wrong size but the thinking if a fuse blows, fit a bigger one prevails.

 

[SJD]

I did once find one with a "tail" of live fuse wire hanging out from the carrier, rather than being cut off at the screw. Just waiting for someone to put their fingers over the ends.

 

[static zap]

Their cheapness and reliability helps them stay.
( and the cost of their convenient -but non RCD- plug in -UP grade )

.... find one with a "tail" of live fuse wire hanging out from the carrier, rather than being cut off at the screw. Just waiting for someone to put their fingers over the ends.

SJD May be on to something with the populations worsening eyesight , and thinnest wire being for lights !

 

[sparkdog]

Used to be most people could rewire a fuse years ago, I suppose.

 

[static zap]

..... prevent accidentally fitting the wrong size......"If a fuse blows, fit a BIGGER one prevails.

I'm sure that's called natural selection .
(Stop buying cheap light-bulbs -if its the 5A one)

 

[Deleted member 9648]

That cover is not there to prevent access to live parts, its purpose is to contain molten metal from a rupturing fuse element.

That's beside the point, without it live parts are accessible without the use of a tool. Some of the covers have a screw retainer, some a thumb screw, a thumb screw cover is still a code 2 even if it's in place. Regardless of it's intended purpose as far as I'm concerned it's main function is a barrier from live parts.

 

[dmxtothemax]

The fact that they are still out there in big numbers and still doing there job decades after they where first installed, tells me they are not a bad thing, like anything in life use it properly and as intended and it will serve you well. You should not blame fuses for stupid carefree humans, they are the problem not the fuses. What next ? are we going to stop people driving on the road because sooner or later you could be in an accident ? RANT OVER !

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I still find re-wireable DNO fuses.
smoke packet silver paper has gone right down hill, last time I tried some, there was no continuity at all.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I once did a board change after a rewirable CU had burnt out and couldnt get the client to see that the mcb and a fuse are serving the same purpose. "What do I do if the mcb wont reset?"......"Well that would indicate a fault was present and you'd probably need an electrician."
"So you've only fitted them so I have to call you back and cough up loadsa cash"?
" But the same applies if your fuse keeps blowing!"
"Ah, but I can mend a fuse....."
"But if it keeps blowing....."
"I'll keep mending it"
This continued until I gave up and left her content in her opinion that she'd been conned by the unscrupulous electrician.

 

[Andy78]

I once did a board change after a rewirable CU had burnt out and couldnt get the client to see that the mcb and a fuse are serving the same purpose. "What do I do if the mcb wont reset?"......"Well that would indicate a fault was present and you'd probably need an electrician."
"So you've only fitted them so I have to call you back and cough up loadsa cash"?
" But the same applies if your fuse keeps blowing!"
"Ah, but I can mend a fuse....."
"But if it keeps blowing....."
"I'll keep mending it"
This continued until I gave up and left her content in her opinion that she'd been conned by the unscrupulous electrician.

I had that after fitting a plug in mcb in place of a fuse after correcting a fault. Called me three years down the line demanding I come and remove it as it trips and won't reset. Was called a robber after telling the old dear that any visit to fault find would be chargeable.

 

[gerry whitwham]

IT'S a non-brainer really , rewireable fuses are and always have been a nasty piece of kit , open to all sorts of abuse and for example will not blow or melt until probably around twice the design current is reached.My view is that these monstrosities should be totally outlawed, the sooner the better !

 

[Octopus]

IT'S a non-brainer really , rewireable fuses are and always have been a nasty piece of kit , open to all sorts of abuse and for example will not blow or melt until probably around twice the design current is reached.My view is that these monstrosities should be totally outlawed, the sooner the better !

How ridiculous

 

[Pete999]

The 3036 re-wireable fuse link was invented long, long, ago, but according to the standards list became a BS standard about 1957.

Tried and trusted in standard form, it has probably been the most abused electrical component, with wrong fuse wire, paper clips, hair clips, copper wire etc fitted.

Yet even the 18th edition includes tables for them. Let's take this poor old, badly abused fuse and put it into retirement. Like the ghost of Christmas past it's past its heydays.

The 3036 re-wireable fuse link was invented long, long, ago, but according to the standards list became a BS standard about 1957.

Tried and trusted in standard form, it has probably been the most abused electrical component, with wrong fuse wire, paper clips, hair clips, copper wire etc fitted.

Yet even the 18th edition includes tables for them. Let's take this poor old, badly abused fuse and put it into retirement. Like the ghost of Christmas past it's past its heydays.

Deleted for fear of retribution.

 

[ipf]

How ridiculous

Totally.

 

[static zap]

..... will not blow or melt until probably around twice the design current ....

Do you have any nice charts that show how MCBs fare any better !
(and can never -Jam / Stick )

 

[telectrix]

rewireable fuses , fitted with the correct fuse wire, are inherently safe. you can't allow for farmer giles fitting a nail in the holder, same as you can't allow for plumber percy bypassing a MCB when he's fitted a 12kW shower on a 30A MCB.

 

[oracle]

Europe use bottle shaped D and E type cartridge for domestic fuse boards so you can fit a lower rated fuse in a higher rated holder but not the other way around

 

[telectrix]

Europe use bottle shaped D and E type cartridge for domestic fuse boards so you can fit a lower rated fuse in a higher rated holder but not the other way around

it's a pity that Europe ( the EU) did not consider that they could fit a low rated country into their federal superstate, but not this higher rated UK.Brexit...bring it on. dealor no deal, we are OUT. ( sorry to derail the thread, but the whole issue boils my blood).