Philips Hostess Trolley

[H]

Within a few minutes of switching on the fuse blows - until that moment the element heats up and the on-lamp is lit. The circuitry looks pretty simple, a heating element, a thermostat and a power on lamp in parallel. Is there an easy way to determine which part(s) are at fault, other than replacing them one by one? Thanks in advance H

[Bob Minchin]

I suspect the element maybe breaking down when it gets hot, possibly shorting to earth. Some bimetal thermostats have a small heating element inside. This could have failed in some way such that when the contacts first open, the fuse blows.

Run the heater without the thermostat in circuit for a short while and see if the fuse still blows.

Bob

[H]

Thanks. Still blows with just the heating element in circuit. Looks like thats the culprit.