JHZR2
Staff member
I bought an additional 2000sf garage/loft last summer, and have been slowly working on it. Back in WWII and prior it was a location where the local butter and milk distributor kept his trucks and a small amount of cold storage. It had power, but the whole thing was still glass fuses. Most of the distribution in there was 240 for the truck refrigeration units and the one in the building I guess.
I had a modern entry installed, with 100A service. The wiring that went through one of the fuse boxes, a lot of conduit, and on to various lights and a few receptacles all seemed fine, so I installed a CAFCI 15A breaker on the new main service, which fed the legacy switch/fuse box that the lighting and few original 110 receptacles were on. It is wired so everything in there is fed by the one 15A CAFCI.
This was it before I rewired the incoming power “line” with modern conductors. After the fuse/switch still are the legacy “load” outgoing conduit/conductors.
Upstairs has some 8” fluorescent bulbs for lighting the large space (~1000SF). I think one of the ballasts burned or shorted out. I need to open it up. While the CAFCI caught it and opened up, after I reset it, I noticed that the fuse had opened up.
I replaced the fuse with another to help with my investigation, and eventually it opened too. Interestingly, the CAFCI didn’t detect any overcurrent or arc event and never tripped. But the 30A (yes, 30A was in there) fuse opened.
I’m planning to keep this fuse box, and just replace the light or ballast (or wiring if need be). I’d rather not mess with this old wire and conduit already in place as it is only for a few legacy lights, and I’m installing new receptacles where I want/need them. 15A is a lot of breaker for the rest of the load to be on the legacy circuit.
Given that the fuse opened before the CAFCI in some cases, should I replace the fuses? Should I put in 15A fuses? I’m not sure the rating much matters because the main protection is the CAFCI breaker. Or should I put a penny under the fuse and continue on? Obviously if I removed this switch, I’d just have the same legacy wiring coupled to a length of modern wire in a junction box. I prefer to not mess with the legacy wiring at all, but because of that and the fact that the fuses are like $10 for two, what’s my best bet? If I wired it out of the circuit, the rest of the circuit would look like the penny under the fuse
Since the fuse did act faster and provide value, I’m also inclined to keep it there. Double protection. But it was a 30A fuse with 14ga wire. So would you replace with a 15A fuse instead?
Thanks!
I had a modern entry installed, with 100A service. The wiring that went through one of the fuse boxes, a lot of conduit, and on to various lights and a few receptacles all seemed fine, so I installed a CAFCI 15A breaker on the new main service, which fed the legacy switch/fuse box that the lighting and few original 110 receptacles were on. It is wired so everything in there is fed by the one 15A CAFCI.
This was it before I rewired the incoming power “line” with modern conductors. After the fuse/switch still are the legacy “load” outgoing conduit/conductors.
Upstairs has some 8” fluorescent bulbs for lighting the large space (~1000SF). I think one of the ballasts burned or shorted out. I need to open it up. While the CAFCI caught it and opened up, after I reset it, I noticed that the fuse had opened up.
I replaced the fuse with another to help with my investigation, and eventually it opened too. Interestingly, the CAFCI didn’t detect any overcurrent or arc event and never tripped. But the 30A (yes, 30A was in there) fuse opened.
I’m planning to keep this fuse box, and just replace the light or ballast (or wiring if need be). I’d rather not mess with this old wire and conduit already in place as it is only for a few legacy lights, and I’m installing new receptacles where I want/need them. 15A is a lot of breaker for the rest of the load to be on the legacy circuit.
Given that the fuse opened before the CAFCI in some cases, should I replace the fuses? Should I put in 15A fuses? I’m not sure the rating much matters because the main protection is the CAFCI breaker. Or should I put a penny under the fuse and continue on? Obviously if I removed this switch, I’d just have the same legacy wiring coupled to a length of modern wire in a junction box. I prefer to not mess with the legacy wiring at all, but because of that and the fact that the fuses are like $10 for two, what’s my best bet? If I wired it out of the circuit, the rest of the circuit would look like the penny under the fuse
Since the fuse did act faster and provide value, I’m also inclined to keep it there. Double protection. But it was a 30A fuse with 14ga wire. So would you replace with a 15A fuse instead?
Thanks!