What on earth is this - a fuse?

[JonnyAlpha]

Hi;

Whilst fixing the broken Stuffing Gland on the power inlet of my Compressor I noticed something taped up in old masking tape. I took the tape off as I was going to replace it with insulating tape and found this:

I thought it was a fuse but it just looks like a piece of scrap metal? The loose black wire was connected into the terminal under the brown wire that you can see in the pic?

What is it and should I replace it with what?

 

[rtbcomp]

It looks like it was a way of connecting two female connectors together. It shouldn't be a fuse in the neutral line.

 

[brokenbiker]

looks like a bodge job to me, although I cold be wrong. if it works leave it there, I can see no harm in removing it and just connecting the neutral wire to its final connection point though

 

[brightspark]

its obvious .there was an overload cutout and someones bypassed it. and before anyone says it they were fitted in the neutral not the live

 

[Robotstar5]

A neutral link?

 

[brightspark]

A neutral link?

well it is now but it wasnt before

 

[rtbcomp]

its obvious .there was an overload cutout and someones bypassed it. and before anyone says it they were fitted in the neutral not the live

Already said it, and it's plain stupid to fit it the neutral.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

It works so I'll leave it or I may just fit the proper connector to the Neutral and remove the bodge. What rated fuse should be in the plug just to be safe? It's a standard 13 Amp Plug into a domestic supply.

 

[the snooper]

it will be a 13 amp needed if its a 3hp comp

 

[JonnyAlpha]

it will be a 13 amp needed if its a 3hp comp

Its 2.5 HP?

 

[brightspark]

Its 2.5 HP?

so it needs a 13 amp fuse

 

[JonnyAlpha]

so it needs a 13 amp fuse

Thanks

 

[eil]

As its a three pole switch it could well be that two of the pressure switch contacts have burnt out and there was only one contact left to use, it needs a better connector block put on that neutral though.

 

[rtbcomp]

^^

The loose wire came from the supply side of the switch, if a contact was being shorted the load side of the switch would be linked to line neutral.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Just to clarify the connections at the top are not from the supply they go from the Cut Out Switch to the Motor. In the picture the Supply is on the left side but it has been removed to fit a new Stuffing Gland. The loose black wire was disconnected by me from the pole under the brown (Live) Wire which is connected to the middle pole on the output side of the Cut Off Switch.

I may remove the brass R/A connector attached to the Blue (Neutral) Wire and replace it with a connector suitable for the pole.

 

[rtbcomp]

......

I may remove the brass R/A connector attached to the Blue (Neutral) Wire and replace it with a connector suitable for the pole.

That would be a good plan, it's looking a bit cramped in there and it would reduce the chance of a neutral to earth fault.