The Use of Thermal Fuses
Nothing in our world can work without “vacation” or “break time”. Not only the human beings get tired from too much work, but also machines, motors or electrical devices. Too much heat can make your electrical machines stop working properly and cause serious damages to your devices.
Thermal fuses are used in order to prevent any damage happen. Because of the fact that thermal fuses can be used only one time and then have to be replaced, usually these circuit breakers are applied to devices which are rarely endangered to get damaged because of the excessive produced heat (only in case of malfunction); for example Overhead Projectors, coffee machines, hair dryers.
It is very simple how thermal fuses work: if the cooling system of the electrical devices does not work, at a certain temperature (which was established in prior), the fuse shuts the electrical circuit off in order to save the electrical device from any damage caused by the big amount of produced heat. The thermal fuse reacts at high temperature; but if there is too much current in the circuit, the thermal fuse will not react, unless the current causes excessive heat.
In order to work properly, the thermal fuse has to be stored appropriately and needs to have the circuits for the application designed in an appropriate way; and to avoid any risks, the thermal cutoff has to be tested.
Thermal fuses do not have to be confused with thermal switches which have a different function in the electrical machines: until they reach the temperature determined in prior, thermal switches are in open state, but when the predetermined temperature is reached, they close and form a closed circuit and in this way they allow the fan which has a cooling function to operate. This fan works until the normal heat temperature will be reached again and the thermal switch will open again and turn the fan off. Thermal switches can be used more than one time.
It is very important that the electrical devices you own have a thermal fuse (especially if they were expensive) and if they are not provided originally with one, a professional electrician should integrate this safety pieces in your electrical device. Even if some money have to be spent when getting a thermal fuse, it is advisable to make this small investment because in this way one can prevent the damage of an electrical device which costs far fore than a thermal fuse. Do not forget: the electrical machines need like everyone “time to rest”, to “take a vacation” in order to function well and not get damaged from overloading.
You can find out more details on about thermal fuses.
Posted: November 19th, 2009 under Electrical.
Tags: Thermal Fuses