Menards Thermal Fuse (2024)

FAQs

What is the alternative to a thermal fuse? ›

Thermal switches are an obvious alternative to thermal fuses. A thermal switch opens when it detects an overtemperature.

No, a thermal fuse has a metallic envelope to “sense” temperature of a power dissipating element, so they fuse by “external” temperature. On the other hand a normal fuse act on internal fusing element temperature (melting point), with a small derating factor for ambient temperature.

No it's never OK to just jump the thermal fuse. Although it may work, the thermal fuse is there to cut the power, if it overheats, preventing a fire. If you bypass the fuse and it overheats it could burn your house down.

Locate and Bypass the Fuse

The thermal fuse will look like a thin strip of white plastic with a wire coming out of each end. In order to bypass the thermal fuse, use electrical tape to tape the two ends together. The thermal fuse will then be bypassed. Turn the dryer on to a heat cycle for no more than 90 seconds.

A thermal fuse is an essential safety feature found in many electrical and electronic components.

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The main reason that a thermal fuse will blow is a blocked exhaust vent. This is because when the exhaust vent is blocked hot air cannot properly get distributed out of the dryer and this causes it to overheat. So, if you give the exhaust vent a regular clean, it should stop the thermal fuse from blowing again.

This can happen if your dryer is overloaded, if the vent is clogged, or if the heating element is faulty. Another reason why the thermal fuse may blow is if there is a short circuit in the wiring or if the thermostat malfunctions.

A thermal fuse must be replaced when it fails or is triggered. Unlike electrical fuses or circuit breakers, thermal fuses only react to excessive temperature, not excessive current, unless the excessive current is sufficient to cause the thermal fuse itself to heat up to the trigger temperature.

This safety device protects the appliance from overheating and potentially damaging the motor or other sensitive components. If your gas or electric dryer begins to overheat, the thermal fuse is designed to open, or “blow”, interrupting the voltage and preventing power from reaching the motor and heating components.

Should a thermal fuse have continuity? ›

You are testing for continuity, and you should receive a reading of either zero or infinity. At room temperature, testing the thermal fuse should produce a reading of zero. But if a thermal fuse is tested when it is heated to its limit, a reading of infinity should be produced.

A blown thermal fuse often prevents an electric dryer from starting. You'll find the thermal fuse on the blower housing. Unplug the dryer and check the thermal fuse for continuity. Replace the thermal fuse if the multimeter measures no continuity.

Thermal fuses are a great part of a dryer! There are cycling thermostats, hi limit thermostat, etc. But the thermal fuse is usually located close to where the hot air exits the dryer, down where the dryer vent attaches. A thermal fuse, unlike your thermostats, is non-resetable.

A fuse is an automatic means of removing power from a faulty system; often abbreviated to ADS (Automatic Disconnection of Supply). Circuit breakers can be used as an alternative to fuses, but have significantly different characteristics.

Bypassing it may just cause the appliance to catch on fire, for instance the thermostat is failed closed so it 100% on all the time. The wise thing is to use a multimeter and figure out what caused the thermal overtemp condition to pop the thermal fuse.

Unlike electrical fuses or circuit breakers, thermal fuses only react to excessive temperature and not to excessive current (unless the excessive current is sufficient to cause the thermal fuse itself to heat up to the trigger temperature).