Heat Treat oven not working right

Linus Knives

Linus Knives

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 13, 2023
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Hey everyone, this might be kind of general but im kind of stuck and cant fix it.
Last time I used my oven that I built, the pins somehow popped out of holding the element and the element fell out onto the blades that were in the oven. Instead of tripping the fuse like it should have done, the fuse just started burning up, like it melted the plastic of my control box. When I found it, It was a mess.
After I put the element back in when I heat up the oven, it Burns up that fuse again, like its trying to trip it but doesn't- the oven does heat up but so does the main fuse.
Not sure if this is something someone might be able to explain to me, did I ruin the element? Is it a bad fuse, connection? I have no idea at this point so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks, Linus

PS: Its the back fuse in this picture IMG_4658.jpeg
 
Just in general, fuses pop when they go over amperage by design. Are you checking amperage before and after the fuse in question to verify amperage in and out? Hope you can get a grip on this one...sounds super dangerous!
 
I may have fixed it- -
I replaced several of the wires inside of the control box and then I replaced the fuse holder socket and I THINK that that might have fixed it… We’ll see when I go to use it later on…
 
Check to make sure all of the screws are tightened down fully and not loose. I had a wire come loose and pop a resister or something in my PID.

Some cheap fuse holders don't hold up well and melt. I got cheap ones on amazon and they sucked, got better ones at an auto parts store.
 
Taz said:
Check to make sure all of the screws are tightened down fully and not loose. I had a wire come loose and pop a resister or something in my PID.

Some cheap fuse holders don't hold up well and melt. I got cheap ones on amazon and they sucked, got better ones at an auto parts store.
Click to expand...
I’m wondering if it was the fuse holders. Ill know for sure when I go to test it later on or tomorrow.
 
My oven is on a cart and I used to move it around. Between the heat and expansion and the vibration from rolling around the shop, some of the screws loosened up a bit, so I made sure to tighten everything up fully.
 
I think that one reason that screws can loosen is dependent on the metals used for the connections. I remember years ago when I wired my garage/shop for 220V using large aluminum cable (much cheaper than copper) one thing I had to pay attention to was every 6 months check/tighten the lugs at the box because they can loosen up due to the repeated heating/cooling that happens due to electric resistance...
If the screws/connections are aluminum, I'm assuming you'd have to do the same thing on a regular basis.
Of course, I could be wrong.
 
I am referring to the right amperage size (not the length size). If you have fuses that are higher amperage than they should be, they can become hot.

Ceramic fuse holders are far better than plastic or other material. I like this type for actual fuses. An alternative is a panel mount circuit breaker. (Amazon is your friend):

1738581912585.png1738581912585.png
1738582146307.png
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I am referring to the right amperage size (not the length size). If you have fuses that are higher amperage than they should be, they can become hot.

Ceramic fuse holders are far better than plastic or other material. I like this type for actual fuses. An alternative is a panel mount circuit breaker. (Amazon is your friend):

View attachment 2779049View attachment 2779049
View attachment 2779050
Click to expand...
Thanks, yes, I do have the right amperage fuses in it (15amp) for what I built the oven. The ceramic holders do seem like they would hold up better- thanks for the advice!
 
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