Aisle light blowing fuse

soilmovers

Well-known member
The aisle light on our 3685 blows the fuse. I removed the (frosted glass) lens to check the bulb, etc. Any ideas on what to look for? I believe this is a motion activated light when the door opens.

thanks,
Cindy
 

berky

Well-known member
The light bulb itself isn't enough to blow the fuse. Something is shorting to ground, either the bulb socket or the wiring to it. Could also be a short directly within the socket itself. A couple of things to try:
- Remove the fixture from the surface where it is mounted. Turn on the light with a bulb in it. Does it still blow the fuse? If not, something in the fixture is shorting to ground at the mounting location.
- Remove the bulb and turn on the fixture. If the fuse doesn't blow, the socket may be defective, shorting out when the bulb is inserted. Or the motion detector is shorting out when it turns on, if the motion detector is part of the light fixture.
- Inspect the wiring as best you can on the back side of the fixture. Is any insulation chaffed away?
- Are you really sure it's the aisle light? What else is on the same fuse circuit that might be the culprit?
- If none of this uncovers the problem, chances are the short is in the wiring heading back toward the fuse box. That could be tough to find.
 

soilmovers

Well-known member
The light bulb itself isn't enough to blow the fuse. Something is shorting to ground, either the bulb socket or the wiring to it. Could also be a short directly within the socket itself. A couple of things to try:
- Remove the fixture from the surface where it is mounted. Turn on the light with a bulb in it. Does it still blow the fuse? If not, something in the fixture is shorting to ground at the mounting location.
- Remove the bulb and turn on the fixture. If the fuse doesn't blow, the socket may be defective, shorting out when the bulb is inserted. Or the motion detector is shorting out when it turns on, if the motion detector is part of the light fixture.
- Inspect the wiring as best you can on the back side of the fixture. Is any insulation chaffed away?
- Are you really sure it's the aisle light? What else is on the same fuse circuit that might be the culprit?
- If none of this uncovers the problem, chances are the short is in the wiring heading back toward the fuse box. That could be tough to find.

thank you for the info. I'll check it and hope to find an easy fix.
 
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