Is it possible????

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220/221

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Internal (residential) vent hood fuse is blowing. Can it possibly be the 120v supply causing the fuse to blow?



I say no. Appliance guy says it's because the feed is old ungrounded NM. It is part of a 15 amp lighting circuit...the original vent hood feed, typical here.

New hood draws 2.1 amps.

2 service calls to GE @ $200 and $300 has my client bent.

I put a heavy load (12 amps) on the feed, ran it for a while, off/on repeatedly just to satisfy my doubts.
 
Is it a short, or overload? (With an Edison fuse, a short creates the black inside the fuse). Does it blow immediately, or after you turn it on for a while? Is it consistent, or only happens once in a while?
 
Could it be the wrong type of fuse in the vent, we had see this happen when they use the small glass fuses, we found a 1/10A fuse where there should of been a 2A, also check to see if the fuse should be slow blow type for the fan motor, again wrong type fuse.
 
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Fuse blew twice in 2 years.

Don't know the size of the original and the one in there now is marked with code instead of amps.

I couldn't see how it could be MY issue. I was there a year ago, found bad fuse, told her to call appliance guy. I THOUGHT it was still under warranty.

$300.

It stopped working again last month...blown fuse and appliace guy blames the ungrounded feed.

$200

I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was missing before I meet appliance guy tomorrow and slap him.
 
220/221 said:
Internal (residential) vent hood fuse is blowing. Can it possibly be the 120v supply causing the fuse to blow?



I say no. Appliance guy says it's because the feed is old ungrounded NM. It is part of a 15 amp lighting circuit...the original vent hood feed, typical here.

New hood draws 2.1 amps.

2 service calls to GE @ $200 and $300 has my client bent.

I put a heavy load (12 amps) on the feed, ran it for a while, off/on repeatedly just to satisfy my doubts.
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the appliance guy doesnt know what hes talking about. is the motor sized too large for the vent duct opening? i had a fan motor constantly trip the overloads because the motor was too large for the fan opening
 
How did it end up being installed ungrounded?
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Remove and replace old vent hood.





If the appliance guy is correct, have you checked to see just how much of a load your lighting is drawing alone?
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No....would it matter? The circuit is not overloading (presumably) or the newish 15A breaker would trip.


Has anyone checked for a blocked duct?
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There is an internal component box about 4"x6" with all kinds of electronic stuff in there. My expertise ends at the 120v j box.
 
this isint your problem I don't see how not having a grounding conductor causes the fuse to blow, and the homeowner should just find the fuses and replace them once a year if thats all it blows. If it runs that much and blows once a year i don't think you will find a real problem. As Iwire said blocking a fan (not allowing air flow) decreases amp draw not the reverse, think of it as an air pump no air to pump no load.
 
Update.

The homeowner just called me and put the "kid" from GE service on the phone. He says "it's engineered to have a ground wire and it doesn't have one. THAT is why it is blowing fuses"

I tried to set him straight but got nowhere fast. He agreed to put in writing that the reason it blows fuse was the lack of a ground wire.

That should be all we need to get her service charges credited..right?

Next step would be documentation to support my theory that the lack of a ground has nothing to do with it.
 
How difficult would it be to get a ground wire to it?

In other words, prove the tech wrong.
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That's the plan. I can actually run a new circuit with relative ease but I will wait until it blows again. For all I know the first clowns may have put the wrong fuses in it and it will be good now.

I told the HO to get the amperage of the fuse for me.

Also....inside the hood there is a j box/cover that screws down directly on 3 harnessed wires. The harness sheath is pinched all to hell. I left it off and asked her to point it out to him but the kid is focused on the lack of a ground wire.
 
220/221 said:
That's the plan. I can actually run a new circuit with relative ease but I will wait until it blows again. For all I know the first clowns may have put the wrong fuses in it and it will be good now.

I told the HO to get the amperage of the fuse for me.

Also....inside the hood there is a j box/cover that screws down directly on 3 harnessed wires. The harness sheath is pinched all to hell. I left it off and asked her to point it out to him but the kid is focused on the lack of a ground wire.
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Do two things now:

1. Document everything you can. Invoices, etc., photos, all that stuff.
2. Tell the homeowner you have now grounded the unit. If it blows the fuse again, them him/her to contact GE and have them reimburse them for your charges.

Don't write the customer off, though. Just make them aware that you have done the best you can to resolve the problem, and when it happens again, you will assist them in going after GE.
 
Inside the beastie there should be a schematic - take a peak at what ever might be a load to ground - there shouldn't be anythink because its illegal!!!!! :grin: If it had fluro lamps - they might not operate well sans ground - but nothing to do with the circuit tripping......

The fact that it should have had a ground when you installed it is a bit of a factor in the finger pointing game - but not the reason the circuit is tripping....

I don't buy the no marking (code?) of amperage, HP, or wattage or other info that should be on the unit, or the motor for the fan.... It should be on there, unless it was removed....

If there are other loads on the circuit crank them all on with a camp-on ammeter at the breaker. And BTW just because the breaker is 'newish' means nothing - it might just trip at 5a instead of 15~20a.....
 
Don't write the customer off, though. Just make them aware that you have done the best you can to resolve the problem, and when it happens again, you will assist them in going after GE.
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No question about that. It is close so it's not a big deal to go there myself and she is a good customer. We did several thousand dollars worth of work there a few years ago including new service (overhead to underground), pool equipment, removed touchplate relay system and some kitchen and lighting stuff.

She's cute too so I'll take care of her.


Inside the beastie there should be a schematic - take a peak at what ever might be a load to ground - there shouldn't be anythink because its illegal!!!!! If it had fluro lamps - they might not operate well sans ground - but nothing to do with the circuit tripping......
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Gaahh! Schematics are not my friends. I tried to explain to the GE kid that the ground doesn't (or shouldn't) carry current. Maybe I'm wrong??? It has MR 16's for light. It is a $1000 vent hood BTW

The fact that it should have had a ground when you installed it is a bit of a factor in the finger pointing game - but not the reason the circuit is tripping..
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That's what I'm thinking

I don't buy the no marking (code?) of amperage, HP, or wattage or other info that should be on the unit, or the motor for the fan.... It should be on there, unless it was removed....
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I was referring to the FUSE that had coded markings. It said 250V but no amps, just a coded part number I guess.


If there are other loads on the circuit crank them all on with a camp-on ammeter at the breaker. And BTW just because the breaker is 'newish' means nothing - it might just trip at 5a instead of 15~20a.....
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I ran the feed to the hood to 12 amps.
 
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