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[Auto Addict]

Just plugged in my new Aldi Air Compressor..and bang...blown the fuses.

Discovered that the fuse box in the Garage is 30amp. The fuse in the house that supplies the grarage is a 15amp. The 15amp has blown.

As I'm already running two freezers in the garage I presume I've overloaded the supply.

Went down to the local leccies, can't get higher rated fuse for the fuse holder, had to refit a 15amp (at least the freezers are back working before the wife came home).

Can't use the air compressor.

Any advice welcomed.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Would need to know thw details of

a) Where the supply is fed from....is it the main distribution box in the house
b) Cable size to the garage...

as a minimum.....to even be able to judge if you can upgrade the fuse.

And you have fuses and not MCB's......

[Auto Addict]

Would need to know thw details of

a) Where the supply is fed from....is it the main distribution box in the house
b) Cable size to the garage...

as a minimum.....to even be able to judge if you can upgrade the fuse.

And you have fuses and not MCB's......

a) Yes
b) Big thick one
fuses.

Fuse box in garage is controlled by a 30amp fuse.

[MaxV6]

given that the Garage fuse box is 30 amp, but the house spur it's from is 15 amp, the 30amp fuse is rather pointless, as it will never blow before the 15 amp house one....

meaning that it's not really providing you with any protection at all. (sorry, but that sounds like an ill advised DIY installation)

Try plugging the compressor in elsewhere in the house....   coz it shouldn't really use all that much power....  certainly not enough to trip a 15 amp fuse with only a couple of freezers on it..  so test it elsewhere in case it's gone faulty.

(assuming the 15 amp in the house only supplies the garage..... if it's also supplying the downstairs ring main then it's a different ball game.)

Max

[Marks DTM Calib]

Try plugging the compressor in elsewhere in the house....   coz it shouldn't really use all that much power....  certainly not enough to trip a 15 amp fuse with only a couple of freezers on it..  so test it elsewhere in case it's gone faulty.

Quite possible it will......thats a 2.5Hp induction motor.....that takes a real gob of current when turned on and a cheap one is not likely to have a fancy starter on it.....

As a tester, try opening the drain valve fully when turning on as this should in theory reduce the load on the pump.....

[Taxi_Driver]

Went down to the local leccies, can't get higher rated fuse for the fuse holder, had to refit a 15amp (at least the freezers are back working before the wife came home).

thats the reason......to stop you putting a bigger fuse in the holder.....to use a bigger fuse you will need a bigger fuse holder and also the plastic holder/contact shroud in the fuse box will need to be changed to a bigger one too. Iirc 20amp will have a yellow strip/30 amp are red.

Is that reinforced cable then? Can you see any printing on the cable that gives either currunt rating or core size?

[Auto Addict]

given that the Garage fuse box is 30 amp, but the house spur it's from is 15 amp, the 30amp fuse is rather pointless, as it will never blow before the 15 amp house one....

meaning that it's not really providing you with any protection at all. (sorry, but that sounds like an ill advised DIY installation)

Try plugging the compressor in elsewhere in the house....   coz it shouldn't really use all that much power....  certainly not enough to trip a 15 amp fuse with only a couple of freezers on it..  so test it elsewhere in case it's gone faulty.

(assuming the 15 amp in the house only supplies the garage..... if it's also supplying the downstairs ring main then it's a different ball game.)

Max

Bought the house new, 18 years ago (first occupier).

The house circuit is on a separate fuse.

I agree, the 30amp in the garage is pointless, as the feed from the house is 15amp, (new house electricians ).

[Auto Addict]

Try plugging the compressor in elsewhere in the house....   coz it shouldn't really use all that much power....  certainly not enough to trip a 15 amp fuse with only a couple of freezers on it..  so test it elsewhere in case it's gone faulty.

Quite possible it will......thats a 2.5Hp induction motor.....that takes a real gob of current when turned on and a cheap one is not likely to have a fancy starter on it.....

As a tester, try opening the drain valve fully when turning on as this should in theory reduce the load on the pump.....

I don't really want to blow the house fuse, but I'll give it a go.

[Auto Addict]

Went down to the local leccies, can't get higher rated fuse for the fuse holder, had to refit a 15amp (at least the freezers are back working before the wife came home).

thats the reason......to stop you putting a bigger fuse in the holder.....to use a bigger fuse you will need a bigger fuse holder and also the plastic holder/contact shroud in the fuse box will need to be changed to a bigger one too. Iirc 20amp will have a yellow strip/30 amp are red.

Is that reinforced cable then? Can you see any printing on the cable that gives either currunt rating or core size?

As far as I can tell it is a reinforced cable, I'll have a look to see if I can see a rating on it.

[theolodian]

Fuses!  Seems so archaic.  The other way you keep people from putting the wrong fuse in is to have breakers instead.  Fuses are only in very old houses in the states, at least by US standards (probably means more than 50-60 years old).  

Sorry, not being much help.  I support what they say.  

Don't worry, idiot builders on new houses in the states too.  

[Auto Addict]

House is 18 years old fitted with fuses

Main fuse board (in house)

Lighting - downstairs - 5amp
Lighting - upstairs - 5amp
Imersian heater - 15amp
Garage - 15amp
Sockets (house) - 30amp
Cooker - 30amp

Cable to garage - 600/1000v.

[Auto Addict]

With the sockets in the house covered by 30amp, I suppose I could try plugging it into one of those sockets, but....as I don't have a spare 30amp fuse, I will leave it for the time being.

Has anyone else had a problem with this Aldi Compressor?

[TheBoy]

My compressor is similar to Aldi one, rated 7.5A (though being inductive load, will pull a shit load at startup).  Seeing as the freezers will pull little, and that the compressor is (presumably) 13A fused, I'm guessing:

The 15A fuse was old and would have blown through any shock.


My garage/shed is on a B16 trip, and powers a freezer, a fridge, the lighting out there, the door opener, and various chargers and gadgets, as well as compressor. So no different to your setup really.

I would try again, and see what happens.

[hotel21]

Am I missing something?

Isn't the plug on the compressor a standard 3 pin plug with a 13 amp fuse in it?

 :-?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Am I missing something?

Isn't the plug on the compressor a standard 3 pin plug with a 13 amp fuse in it?

 :-?

Yes but......fuses age....every time a current pulse passes through them they expand and contract causing them to get slightly weeker....eventualy they fail, often at less than thier rated current

The one on my welder dies every 12 montsh or so (it runs very close to the 13A limit on full chat)

I am amazed that a house of that age doesn't have MCB's as it s not much older than mine....