Mike your explanation was clear and the fact that you but in auto and RV fuses in the text was correct, thanks. I have a question " I purchased an outdoor lite the power was listed 12vt so I called the company and Home Depot and asked is this AC or DC neither one could give me an answer. So I decided to try the battery first and it worked (at the time I did not have a transformer) so I was wondering if you know if the 12 vt meant DC?
Mike, what Greg Illes said. Most Fusible Links are short pieces of wire 5-½ to 6-½ inches long. Maximum wire diameter is at least four numbers smaller than the wire being protected, thus 18 ga. (0.8 sq mm) for 14 ga. wire, 16 ga. (1 sq mm) for 12 ga., 14 ga. (2.0 sq mm) for 10 ga., 12 ga. (3.0 sq mm) for 8 ga. (The metric equivalents are per General Motors.) Fusible links should never be mounted in the passenger compartment since when they fail the emit smoke and sparks.
Mike, you should add the important note that SOME fusible links look like ordinary wires, albeit (sometimes) with odd markings or labels/tags. The wire in such a link is designed, like a fuse, to melt/ablate; the wire's insulation is a tougher, hi-temp type which contains the bits of metal.
I got "caught" by this a while back in my old Itasca motorhome. And of course, the temptation of the DIY guy is to just replace that blown fusible wire/link with regular wire. Right, DON'T. I also found out you can buy generic fusible links (various ratings) on Amazon for a decent price, rather than pay $$$ and lead time (if you can get them at all) for OEM parts.
Excellent. Thanks again.
Mike your explanation was clear and the fact that you but in auto and RV fuses in the text was correct, thanks. I have a question " I purchased an outdoor lite the power was listed 12vt so I called the company and Home Depot and asked is this AC or DC neither one could give me an answer. So I decided to try the battery first and it worked (at the time I did not have a transformer) so I was wondering if you know if the 12 vt meant DC?
Mike, what Greg Illes said. Most Fusible Links are short pieces of wire 5-½ to 6-½ inches long. Maximum wire diameter is at least four numbers smaller than the wire being protected, thus 18 ga. (0.8 sq mm) for 14 ga. wire, 16 ga. (1 sq mm) for 12 ga., 14 ga. (2.0 sq mm) for 10 ga., 12 ga. (3.0 sq mm) for 8 ga. (The metric equivalents are per General Motors.) Fusible links should never be mounted in the passenger compartment since when they fail the emit smoke and sparks.
Mike, you should add the important note that SOME fusible links look like ordinary wires, albeit (sometimes) with odd markings or labels/tags. The wire in such a link is designed, like a fuse, to melt/ablate; the wire's insulation is a tougher, hi-temp type which contains the bits of metal.
I got "caught" by this a while back in my old Itasca motorhome. And of course, the temptation of the DIY guy is to just replace that blown fusible wire/link with regular wire. Right, DON'T. I also found out you can buy generic fusible links (various ratings) on Amazon for a decent price, rather than pay $$$ and lead time (if you can get them at all) for OEM parts.
I plan to show the various types of fusible links, including the inline wire type you mentioned, as part of my demonstration video.