How to Know if You Have a Bad Fuse

Ismael Cordero

Although nosotros frequently think of fuses every bit a nuisance, they play an important safety role in preventing damage to equipment due to electrical overloading, thereby reducing the risk of electrical daze to patients and staff. Yous should non dismiss a diddled fuse every bit an inconvenience. Information technology may exist a sign that a real fault has developed, giving you the gamble to find and fix the problem before whatever serious impairment occurs.

Fuses dethrone with time and will eventually fail. A blown fuse does not e'er mean that there is something wrong with the equipment, and in this article we will show you how to replace such a fuse.

However, do not keep replacing a fuse if information technology blows immediately after you replace it. In these instances, call a qualified biomedical equipment technician to service the equipment.

A fuse is essentially a short slice of wire of a selected diameter and composition so that it conducts electric current up to a certain level, merely melts or 'fuses' if the current rises above that level. Information technology becomes an open circuit when it blows, interrupting the flow of electric current and preventing harm.

In most cases, the fuse wire is mounted inside a small drinking glass or ceramic tube, fitted with metal finish caps. The glass tube forms a physical guard for the fuse, so that when it blows the molten metal does non cause harm or injury. A glass tube allows you to run into when the fuse has blown: at that place volition be a gap in the wire or a metallic smear on the inside of the glass.

Process

Many electrical devices used in center care have an externally accessible fuse near the electrical cord (Figure 1) that you can check and replace by following these steps.

1. Disconnect the device from the electrical system.

2. Remove the fuse from its holder. In some cases you may need a small screwdriver to unscrew the fuse holder cap.

3. Look at the fuse wire. If there is a visible gap in the wire or a nighttime or metallic smear inside the drinking glass and then the fuse is blown and needs to exist replaced. If y'all cannot encounter whether the fuse is diddled, follow steps 4 and 5. If the fuse is definitely blown, get to step 6.

4. Prepare a multimeter (Figure 2) to the resistance or Ω (Ohms) setting.

   

5. Place one of the multimeter leads on one finish of the fuse. Place the other atomic number 82 on the other end of the fuse. If the reading is between 0 and 5 Ω (Ohms), the fuse is expert. A higher reading indicates a bad or degraded fuse. A reading of OL (Over Limit) definitely ways a blown fuse.

6. If the fuse is blown, replace the fuse with one that is exactly the same (see panel). Make sure to note the fuse amperage and voltage ratings, which should be marked on the fuse itself (Figure iii) or on the console label near the fuse holder. Additionally, annotation the size and whether information technology is a irksome-blow or a fast-blow blazon fuse. If in that location are no markings on the fuse itself or on the equipment you lot must consult the device's operating manual.

   

General suggestions

• E'er disconnect equipment from electrical power before removing a fuse; non doing then may consequence in serious injury.

• E'er supersede a fuse with an identical blazon, and never substitute a fuse with foil or another object. This could lead to electrocution and fires.

• Keep enough stock of the fuses used in your clinic or hospital. Shop each type in separate containers with a label describing the fuse's voltage and amperage, whether it is a fast-blow or slow-blow type, the size, minimum number needed (the minimum stock level), and the models of equipment that use each type of fuse.

• Check your stock of fuses oftentimes and order more fuses when it reaches the minimum stock level.

• If possible, record a spare fuse to the equipment and so that it is available when needed.

More about fuses

You lot should note the post-obit when replacing fuses to ensure an exact match.

Amperage rating (A). This indicates how much electric current the fuse tin can carry. Nigh eye care devices accept fuses rated between 0 and ten amperes.

Voltage rating (V). This is the maximum supply voltage that the fuse tin can safely deport. The most popular ratings are 125V and 250V.

Blowing type. Fast-blow fuses volition blow as soon as the current reaches the fuse's amperage rating, while slow-blow fuses are designed to tolerate a big number of startup surges and pocket-size curt-term overloads without blowing. Fast-blow fuses usually take a thin wire while irksome-blow fuses unremarkably accept a thicker, coiled wire. You lot should never substitute a tiresome-blow fuse for a fast-accident fuse or vice versa.

Size and tube cloth. Most fuses used in medical equipment have a glass tube but you may discover some with ceramic tubes. The 2 most common sizes of fuses are:

• American size: iii.2 cm × 0.6 cm (¼ inches × ¼ inch),

• European size: 20 mm × 5 mm (0.viii inches × 0.two inches).

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Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3483613/#:~:text=Remove%20the%20fuse%20from%20its,and%20needs%20to%20be%20replaced.

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