Checking for a Blown Fuse

If your lamp has stopped working or another of your appliances has stopped working and you aren't sure why, then it's a good idea to use appliance repairs in order to make sure that you get the appliance mended. However you might also want to make some checks yourself, and one good place to start is to look at your plug which is often the source of the problem if it was caused by a blown fuse.

First, what is a fuse? Well essentially the idea of a plug is often not only to channel energy from your wall power point, but also to transform the energy to the right voltage and current and to make sure that you don't damage the appliance. Otherwise you would find that the amount of power coming from the wall was too great, and your appliance could be damaged beyond appliance repairs. While the plug will work in the vast majority of cases, there is always the chance that a power surge, or damage to the plug, could allow too much voltage and current to pass through even with the transformer working as it should. Thus as a fail safe the fuse is added to the plug which will help to avoid that from happening. What a fuse is, is essentially a very small piece of metal inside a glass cylinder that can only withstand a certain temperature and a certain voltage. When this gets too high, the small connection will melt and the current will no longer be able to flow through it, in other words it will cut off the circuit and mean that no power gets to your appliance – avoiding you from needing appliance repairs.

Of course this also stops the appliance from working and that can lead you to think that it's a problem with the device itself. Often you will check the bulb first when you have a blown fuse in a lamp for instance, but you will then find that the new bulb doesn't work either and that the old bulb doesn't rattle when you shake it.

To replace the fuse you then need to open up the plug. First of course you should unplug it from the wall to make sure there is no chance of an electric shock. Then you will need a screw driver in order to remove the four small screws that normally hold the plug casing closed. Unscrew these and dispose of them to open up the plug. Inside you should see the small glass tube, and if it has melted or become damaged then that's the sign that this is the problem. It's crucial to ensure that you find a fuse that is both the right size to fit in the plug, and also suited to the right voltage to avoid it melting again immediately. To find that, simply take it to your nearest home store and ask for assistance.

If you don't feel comfortable unscrewing the plug then you should take your appliance for appliance repairs. Likewise do so if your own attempts do not manage to fix the problem, or if you suspect the fuse is inside the device itself.

Jesse - About Author:
Before you use appliance repairs Toronto check your fuse. If that doesn't work click the link: appliance repairs Toronto.

Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/home-improvement-articles/checking-for-a-blown-fuse.htm

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