Keep an eye on those 13 Amp fuse connections

[RogerS]

Went down into the kitchen and assailed by hot electric smell. While seeking the source of the smell, there was a very loud bang and the kitchen ring main breaker tripped. I could see a very black socket and this plug.



Yes, that is daylight all the way through.



I'm guessing that the fuseholder got slack and caused a high resistance and due to the load (tumble dryer) gradually heated up the plug and the fuse blew. Although quite why the fuse blew I have no idea. But with enough vigour to blast out both sides of the plug.

The socket is being replaced as well.

 

[n0legs]

Oh wow!!
That's a cracking example of a catastrophic failure.
Letter and photos to the manufacturer I think are in order.

 

[DTR]

That's impressive!

 

[Seiken]

That holes close to the neutral pin, it possible that it got so hot inside the plug that the insulation melted allowing a short at which point your kitchen mcb went rather than the fuse hence a bigger than 13A bang. Impressive damage, lucky no one was too close!

 

[RogerS]

That holes close to the neutral pin, it possible that it got so hot inside the plug that the insulation melted allowing a short at which point your kitchen mcb went rather than the fuse hence a bigger than 13A bang. Impressive damage, lucky no one was too close!

That makes a lot of sense.

 

[Bod]

Check the socket that was plugged into.

Bod

 

[sunnybob]

loose neutral wires are the cause of most fires. Strangely, NOT live connections.

 

[Racers]

Ouch!

Cut 6 inches off the cable, replace the plug with a MK one and check the socket, the pins look o/k so the socket should be good.

Pete

 

[RogerS]

loose neutral wires are the cause of most fires. Strangely, NOT live connections.

Is there any attributable source for this statement ?

 

[RogerS]

.....so the socket should be good.

Pete

Black and discoloured so it will be replaced.

 

[Racers]

loose neutral wires are the cause of most fires. Strangely, NOT live connections.

Is there any attributable source for this statement ?

We used to have to replace lots of mains switches on equipment because the neutral side had gone open circuit.
Don't forget that electricity flows from negative to positive!

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I didn't know that - so why isn't the fuse on the negative?

 

[bugbear]

Don't forget that electricity flows from negative to positive!

I think electricity flows from positive to negative. But electrons flow from negative to positive.

The discovery (and many of the definitions) for electricity (Faraday) predate knowledge of the electron (Thomson).

BugBear

 

[sunnybob]

loose neutral wires are the cause of most fires. Strangely, NOT live connections.

Is there any attributable source for this statement ?

30 years of service and installation of electrical equipment.

The fuse has to be on the live because thats where the inrush of current comes from. If you fused the neutral the machine would melt into a puddle before it blew. Plus of course if you removed the fuse on the neutral line, everything inside would still be live.

BUT... once the machine has used the electricity, its still actually 220 volts untill it connects to the neutral, so wherever there is a loose neutral, you get arcing, which produces heat. So in that plug, its most likely that the neutral was sparking at 50 times a second, producing enough heat to melt the plastic.

 

[Racers]

loose neutral wires are the cause of most fires. Strangely, NOT live connections.

Is there any attributable source for this statement ?

30 years of service and installation of electrical equipment.

The fuse has to be on the live because thats where the inrush of current comes from. If you fused the neutral the machine would melt into a puddle before it blew. Plus of course if you removed the fuse on the neutral line, everything inside would still be live.

BUT... once the machine has used the electricity, its still actually 220 volts untill it connects to the neutral, so wherever there is a loose neutral, you get arcing, which produces heat. So in that plug, its most likely that the neutral was sparking at 50 times a second, producing enough heat to melt the plastic.

100 times a second as one Hz comprised of a positive and negative cycle.

Pete

 

[sunnybob]

Ah, but it only arcs on the negative.

(lmao)

 

[RogerS]

....
The fuse has to be on the live because thats where the inrush of current comes from. If you fused the neutral the machine would melt into a puddle before it blew.......

That doesn't make any sense at all. Unless you are thinking about an internal motor fault such as a short to earth in which case you are correct.

 

[sunnybob]

"That doesn't make any sense at all........................................................in which case you are correct."

???????????????
ROFLMFAO

 

[Racers]

Just remember the electrons are sucked through your appliance by power station.

Pete

 

[RogerS]

"That doesn't make any sense at all........................................................in which case you are correct."

???????????????
ROFLMFAO

Read what I wrote rather than what you think I wrote. And don't quote me out of context.

What you originally wrote was a load of hogwash and as for your concept of an 'inrush' of current...my old professor would have died laughing.