Fuse length and you! For your health!

[Pharaday]

Ok so this isn't a stupid question because it's not going un-asked. Can I use this fuse? Its electrical values are exactly the same as the one I pulled out (250v 500mA time delay). Could I attach a wire from one end of the fuse to the contact? What would be the dangers if I did this? It's a 120v 60Hz 38W Fender Frontman 15G guitar amp.

 

[Minder]

Actually you can get them with wire ends already on, if needed.
You can solder to them, as long as you make a successful connection, (no dry joint etc).
M.

 

[Pharaday]

Right on! Again I wanna thank this forum's members for being my go-to for anything electrical. If not for you guys, I most surely would have died from electrocution by now.

 

[Harald Kapp]

The problem you may run into is that the longer fuse body extends over the fuse holder and thus brings dangerous mains voltage near to other components - nearer as designed. This may violate air gaps and creepages as designed into the pcb for safety reasons.

A fuse is a safety element. Never replace it by anything els but an appropriate new fuse!

 

[hevans1944]

Could I attach a wire from one end of the fuse to the contact? What would be the dangers if I did this?

Gee, if you were born fifty years ago, I would be willing to bet that you would try to replace a blown home house fuse, the kind that screws into a lamp-type receptacle, with a genuine copper Lincoln penny just to get the lights back on. Many homes were destroyed by electrical fires occurring inside the house walls because of this horrid practice. Do as @Harald Kapp says and spring for the correct fuse.

It is possible to solder a wire onto one (or both) of the end caps, but there is a good chance the soldering process will also increase the heat inside the cap sufficiently to melt the blob of solder there that secures the fuse element, usually under tension, inside the glass envelope. There is no recovery if this happens: you need to buy a new fuse. Might as well be the correct fuse.

 

[Ylli]

Typical canon fuse burns at a rate of about 3 seconds per inch.

 

[Harald Kapp]

Typical canon fuse burns at a rate of about 3 seconds per inch.

A bit off-topic, ain't it?

 

[Ylli]

Yeah, sorry about just seemed that knowing how fast canon fuse burns had more to do with 'health' than a mis-sized electrical fuse.