which Fuse plug replacement to select

I live in an old mobile home which uses old fuse panel like this [except they are all orange fuse plugs installed inside and]:


i45 dot tinypic dot com/f39xqa.jpg [I had to do it this way because it keep crossing the url words out!]

So two of my fuse plugs have been blown.

Hence, my question is now do I need to exchange it with the exact type and amp?

For example, the type of fuse I need to change are 20 AMP, Type D and Type S. Can I exchange it with 15 amp and different type and from different companies?

 

Welcome to the forums!

Yes, you can replace a 20A fuse with a 15A fuse. Not the other way around. And it doesn't matter what company makes them.

That said, if your 20A fuses have failed, 15A fuses are unlikely to hold. What size wire is fed by these fuses? What do these circuits supply?

 

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html You can not use Tinypic.

Are you using slow blow fuses?

 

Bill, I think if the fuses are colored, they are actually Fusestats, and are not interchangeable due to the irreversible insert in the hole. Not sure, so we'll wait on pix.

 

You may be right about that, Larry. I was picturing a Fusestat in my mind, but forgot that they aren't swappable. An excellent protection against oversizing, IMO.

 

1. This is the type of old fuse panel I have [except all 4 fuses are all orange and not blue]::



60 Amp Fuse Box - YouTube

2. The ones I need to replace are G.E. 20 Amp D [type S] non-tamp fuse and fustat 20 Amp [type S].

3. I am sorry but I don't know what you mean by "What size wire is fed by these fuses?"

 

You will need to get the same size/type fuses. They don't need to be the same manufacturer though. Any S-type fuse of the correct size (amperage) will work.

The question about "what wire size" has to do with the fact that many, many people run into the problem that a fuse blows because there is too much power being pulled, and then try to get a higher amperage fuse so it doesn't blow. The issue is when you replace a smaller fuse with a larger one, you're creating a fire hazard in your home.

Presuming the fustats were installed correctly, replacing the fuse with the same size will be fine.

Of course, nowadays, many people would recommend upgrading to a new circuit breaker box, which will also give an electrician the chance to ensure there's nothing horribly wrong going on in your house's old wiring.

 

Type "S" fuses are the "Fusestat" design whether they are manufactured by Bussman or G.E. The 20 amp ones are orange and the 15 amp ones are blue. You must replace the blown fuses with those of the same type and color, no other combination will fit. If you have any 30 amp fuses, they would be green.

 

okay thanks.

I replaced one fuse with same one and it works fine! So I just need another one and before I do that can I replace it with 25 amp. My manager told me it is fine in fact he is the one who gave me the 25 amp fuse.

So will it be okay to install the 25 amp with the other three fuse which are all 20 amp fuse?

 

No. A 25A fuse is too large to protect the wiring. Installing that fuse could allow a fire to start before the fuse would open and prevent it.

 

Using a larger fuse can allow more current in the circuit than the amount for which the wiring on the circuit is rated. As mentioned, this is a fire hazard.

 

On my fuse panel box it says:
60 AMP 125-250v

So wasn't I already over 60 amp because previously I had, for more than a year, 4 20 amp installed?

 

Load is not determined by adding the fuse sizes. Load is based on the actual amps of devices in use at any one time. Some circuits will be lightly used while others have heavy loads. Some circuits wouldn't even reach the fuse size even if everything is on and it is unlikely everything on each circuit will all be on in any case.

Note: Minimum recommended service for a modern home is 100 amps. You need a new service when you can afford it or if breakers keep blowing.

 

@ray2047 so based on what you said, my small mobile home can do only 60 amps [because that is what it says on my fuse panel box], right?

 

Yes. Do you have 60 amp main fuses?

 

You said you have the type "S" Fusestat style fuses. The threads are different on the different amperages so you physically cannot use the wrong amperage fuse.