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Missing ceramic fuse

Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:05 pm
by nickharm
Hi

Before I start a disclaimer, I do not intend carrying out tasks best left to a professional, so don't worry this is just me asking. I am not crazy!

My electric shower is suddenly not working. I put a multimeter on the main isolating switch located in the next room and there is no power

Looking at the ancient consumer unit I can see the wire from the switch coming down to the unit and it goes to an empty fuse slot, a green one.

I can't believe the fuse has jumped out, although I don't remember if there was ever a fuse in that slot

I have of course searched the floor all the same, no fuse

Something of a mystery. None of the other fuses will plug into the green slot, it's a unique prong spacing.

Any ideas?

THx

Missing ceramic fuse

Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:26 pm
by Someone-Else
You need to get an electrician to look at it.
With re wireable fuse carriers the colour denotes the rating.
White is 5A. Blue is 15A, Yellow is 20A, Red is 30A and Green is 45A

As 45A is "some what large" they made it bigger to carry that much current, so in effect it also means all the other fuses are too small, which is why none of the others will fit.
The green one probably has an HRC fuse and is not rewireable.

But if your shower did work and now it doesn't and you can't find a green fuse, I suspect it was never fed by the green fuse in the first place. (I don't know since I am not there to physically check)

The next issue is if the fuse has blown, why did it blow? That said it is a sad fact of life that electric showers do fail (Usually just when you don't want them to) You may have to have a new shower, that being said, you will probably need a new consumers unit too, to cope with a new shower, but for that you will need an electrician, which takes us back to where we started.

Missing ceramic fuse

Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:41 pm
by nickharm
I am pretty sure that's where the wire from the shower is going. To the green fuse slot.

In fact I am very sure. I had a look ( naughty I know but I was very careful and touched nothing!)

I looked up HRC fuse and indeed I do remember seeing a black shell type fuse, very different from the 'dominos' that the others are, in that slot many years ago.

But it seems unlikely it fell out, and if it did where is it?