Fuse's are getting stuck in the controller's fuse holder assembly tube

[mhammond1]

I think I am blowing the fuses. I've lost power to the box completely, and when I look at the fuses, the right fuse comes out ok, but the left fuse is stuck inside the box. I can't get it out. Last night, I had to replace an entire box and re-wire all the plugs to keep the show going. I'm not sure why the boxes are blowing either, as the box I replaced had only 3 plugs in use, and was lighting up only a total of 4 mini's.... (but that's a different problem)

I want to know the best way to get the fuses out of those black tubes they are stuck in....

Thanks!

[shfr26]

You might want to P.M. Don Gillespie, he had this very same problem and fixed it. He is the Fuse getter outer pro.

[Denis Chaput]

Somebody here said He used a drill bit in his FINGERS no drill with power off and disconnected for safety

Not sure what size I believe 1/4 " and screwed it in the socket then when he felt pressure he pulled it out gently

Check for any debri in socket before putting in new fuse

[mhammond1]

thanks for the suggestions. Does it seem right these things are getting stuck?

[LightORamaDan]

We are not sure why the fuses get stuck but we do believe that it may be related to a reduced pressure on the contact within the fuse holder itself that causes heat and may contribute to the fuse blowing. The fuse holders are UL rated for 20 amps.

Do your fuse holders have a gray (screwdriver) top or a black (finger twist) top?

Thanks
Dan
Light O Rama, Inc.

[colonel]

Here's a picture of one of mine that stuck. Wish I had a GFCI on that one. Lot easier to fix. My electrician put a car fuse holder in it and it works! Not pretty tho.

Attached files

[mhammond1]

thanks dan.... the both that are stuck on mine have the grey screwdriver top...

[LightORamaDan]

To the colonel with that picture of the LOR. That looks like the fuse was not locked in position. I know that you had been swaping fuses around trying get a controller to work. Is it possible that controller was one where the fuses were moved around?

Does look ugly... I have sent you an email and a PM.

Dan

[colonel]

LightORamaDan wrote:

To the colonel with that picture of the LOR. That looks like the fuse was not locked in position. I know that you had been swaping fuses around trying get a controller to work. Is it possible that controller was one where the fuses were moved around?

Yes, we did not have any fuses in stock, so we did a swap to see which one was bad. There is not a lot of "throw" to find the set on the lock. I noticed when I put this one in that it zzzzt'd a bit but the show played fine all night. Your generosity in sending a replacement is the best support I have seen in decades. Much appreciated.

The original box fuse was bad and we had a squirrel chew up our cat5 that confused things.

[mhammond1]

Dan & Team,

Could this be the culprit? I had ANOTHER box go dead last night. This time, the fuse did not get stuck, and I was able to extract it out of the tube. I noticed that the fuse appears to be "rusted" at the cap. All of these boxes were bought around the same time, so have been outside all the same amount of hours (years). I'm not sure if this picture is of a rusted end (therefore causing the fuse to blow) or is this a picture of what a normally blown fuse looks like, and I still need to search for the culprit. The top of the picture was the end of the fuse towards the board.

Attached files