Gas Furnace
Re: Blown Low Voltage Fuse
The low voltage fuse provides protection for the control board and other low voltage components in the case of high amperage caused by a low voltage short or excess component load.
► The fuse must be sized per the "VA" of the transformer.
- Amps = VA / Secondary Voltage
- 75VA Transformer: 75(VA) / 24(Volts) = 3.2 Amps
Too large of a fuse will cause damage to the transformer or control board in the case of a low voltage short.
Qty |
Possible Causes (From Most to Least Likely): |
|
Mis-Wired Low Voltage |
|
Thermostat Wires Touching Metal |
|
Shorted Thermostat Wire |
|
Shorted Pressure Switch Wires (A/C & Heat Pump) |
|
Shorted Contactor (A/C & Heat Pump) |
|
Shorted Reversing Valve Coil (Heat Pump) |
|
Shorted Control Board |
|
Bad Thermostat |
1. Install Mini-Breaker
- Turn off power to the furnace.
- Replace the fuse with a resettable mini-breaker.
- Requires two short pieces of wire, (2) female and (2) male spade terminals.
- Remove the blown fuse from the control board.
- Insert male spades into the fuse holder.
2. Check Wiring
- Furnace
- Inspect the low voltage wiring at the furnace.
- Confirm that the wires are connected to the correct terminals.
- Note the colors used for each terminal.
- Make sure no wires have come loose.
- Look for any spots where the control wiring could rub against metal (especially penetrating the cabinet).
- Thermostat
- Inspect the low voltage wiring at the thermostat.
- Confirm that the wires are connected to the correct terminals.
- Confirm that the colors correspond with the furnace wiring.
- Look for any bare spots on the wiring touching metal or other wires.
- Air Conditioner
- Inspect the control wiring at the air conditioner.
- Confirm that the wires are connected correctly.
- Look for any bare spots that could touch metal (especially at cabinet penetrations).
3. Test for a Short
- Turn the thermostat system switch to "Off" and the fan switch to "Auto".
- Re-apply power to the furnace (it should be necessary to push the blower door switch in to get power to the transformer).
4. Test Thermostat Wire
- Turn off power to the furnace.
- Identify the wiring cable connecting the furnace to the thermostat.
- Remove the Red wire from the furnace control board "R" terminal.
- Reset the mini-breaker if tripped.
- Re-apply power to the furnace.
5. Test Thermostat
- Turn off power to the furnace.
- Re-attach the Red wire to the "R" terminal of the furnace control board.
- Remove the thermostat from wiring sub-base.
- Reset the mini-breaker if tripped.
- Re-apply power to the furnace.
- Mini-Breaker Trips = Shorted Thermostat Wire
- Mini-Breaker Ok = Bad Thermostat
6. Test Control Circuits
- Test each furnace input (one at a time) by placing a jumper wire from "R" to the Control Input.
- DO NOT JUMP "R" to "C"!
Wires |
Action |
Likely Short Reason |
R to G |
Fan |
|
R to W |
Heat |
- Thermostat Wire
- Bad Gas Valve
|
R to O (Heat Pump) |
Rev Valve |
- Thermostat Wire
- Reversing Valve Solenoid
|
R to Y |
Compressor |
- Thermostat Wire
- Contactor
- Pressure Switch Wires
|