ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Granny's Old FuseBox

any one remember those screw in circut breakers? Lookek like a fuse with a button on them.My grandmothers house has them in her fuse box. overload just push the button in again.

Wiz-Kid:

Yeah I remember them.

Heck, when I was a kid, we lived in a huge apartment where the 20-odd wall sockets and three or four light fixtures (some rooms had no ceiling lights, oddly enough -- this was an old 3-story tenement) were all connected to a single fuse holder in the basement

Into this fuseholder was screwed a 15 Amp Mini-breaker with the white button in the middle that you had to push in every time it popped.

They're still sold in hardware stores and the big DIY sheds. Some electricians say they're Ok. Others have their doubts. Someday I'll buy one to add to my screw-plug fuse collection (OY!)

I remember the screw-in breakers. We used them in my house growing up - the previous owner had run a "sub-panel" (2-position fuse box) for the kitchen, and it kept popping, so we bought those for the trouble circuits (IIRC, it was the counter receptecles).

They worked OK...man, I haven't seen those in years!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Here in Austria screw-in breakers were once called "eternal fuses" (1940ies term or maybe even older) and are still for sale. Pretty reliable I think. Myself I still use fuses for the old look. Since we don't blow fuses too often we don't need to care about replacments too much (besides we got 3 packs of spare fuses, flea markets sell them almost for free now).

I once had to remove the meter after a fire at an old trailer. The owner (an old ex-boxer of some repute) was wandering around when I pulled the fuses out and discovered quarters behind each fuse! As I gave him the quarters I asked him why he put the quarters behind the fuses. His reply? "Because quarters are worth more, therefore they must be better."

My late grandmother ran a grocery store in Buffalo from the late 1940's to the late 1960's. Between all the coolers, deli cases, and lights, she found a way to keep the fuses from blowing: use 30A fuses. As a kid, I remember a few of my aunts having frequent heated arguments with her about how she's going to burn the place down sooner or later. It never bothered her! The ironic twist: In the late 1980's, long after she had given up the business, but still lived upstairs, a car crashed into the building, setting it on fire. Miraculously, the fire department got her out, and put out the fire before it spread much beyond that corner of the building where the car entered.

atwater,
Rather wierd story, but cool all the same!.
Welcome to ECN, mate.

Welcome on board Atwater

Hmmm... It does seem like every time I go into one of those prehistoric "fuse" panels everything's got a 30 amp stuck in it... I have an old Diamond S 120V fuse box from a turn of the century house in Compton. The homeowner kept having sporadic partial power losses & she felt that the pennies behind the fuses needed to be checked & maybe replaced!!! Even worse than that, the original cause I found was a burning K&T splice feeding the only receptacle in the kitchen, buried behind the stove with a 6 way Gem tap screwed into it.... (Wasn't much of a load on it though... only a microwave, washing machine, gas dryer, dishwasher, toaster, coffee maker & a refridgerator!!! & she swore she'd only use 3 things at once!!)

_Randy

Lostazhell said:


6-way Gem tap. I assume you mean one of these? Of course it's not quite made by "Gem Electric" but it's the same concept. Courtesy of your local dollar store by way of the People's Republic of China. #1 OK!!


King Tec Product # KT-C02BL

You got it Sven! Except hers had burn marks around the prong holes from getting so hot over the years.... I think I still have that thing too... (I gotta get a new Digicam!)
From the Dollar Store? Hmmmm... I tend to be suspect of "off shore" branded electrical products... Especially after hearing about a few of those companies affixing "counterfeit" UL labels to them in "Electrical Contractor" magazine! The golden rule.. "You get what you pay for!"

[This message has been edited by Lostazhell (edited 03-01-2004).]