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circuit breaker, again
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:29 pm
by pinzgauer4x4
I have never had to reset any of the circuit breakers in my 710M yet, so I have not yet seen what they look like when they "pop". Currently working on some wiring behind the dash, I noticed that I have some of little plastic rings encompassing the buttons on the breakers (which make it snugly fit through the dash panel) are broken and the breakers are loose in the hole or misaligned. Is that a concern or is it safe to assume that they are still fully functional?
Thanks......
Re: circuit breaker, again
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 8:38 pm
by Jimm391730
The breakers pop up (out) about 1/4" when tripped. In my experience, the worst condition is when they seem stuck mechanically and may not be able to move outwards. If the buttons on yours seem loose (can you push them in further, against the spring, and do they return to the original position easily?) then I would suspect that they are OK. If you push them down further and they stay down, then maybe they won't work as expected.
Re: circuit breaker, again
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:14 pm
by pinzgauer4x4
They do push in against spring tension and spring back to the original position after depressing them. I kind of thought (and was hoping) that they might be OK. I didn't know if the rings had an alternative function.
Doug
Re: circuit breaker, again
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:54 am
by GRCameron
The breakers (manufactured by ETL in Germany) are "trip-free" meaning that they will trip even if the button is restrained from popping out. If the button is jammed to the point of not popping out it would not be possible to reset the breaker.
Re: circuit breaker, again
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:34 pm
by TechMOGogy
GRCameron wrote:The breakers (manufactured by ETL in Germany) are "trip-free" meaning that they will trip even if the button is restrained from popping out. If the button is jammed to the point of not popping out it would not be possible to reset the breaker.
ETL or ETA - my spares say ETA
Re: circuit breaker, again
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:32 pm
by GRCameron
Yep, E-T-A. My bad. I was going from memory - seems to be failing more and more...
Still, they're "trip-free." This protects the circuit in case the button becomes jammed up.
ETL (Electrical Testing Lab) is a safety science lab similar to Underwriters Lab (UL) and was formed by Thomas Edison in 1896.