AC Power Adapter causes short circuit

johnp001

I got a ultrasonic nebuliser from China with a power adapter providing 24V DC output. I put on a 3 pin plug and the first time I plugged it in the LED came on briefly on the device and then it tripped the circuit breaker on the fuse board. Since then the switch trips whenever it is plugged in (tried it in different sockets and in 2 houses)
The switch trips when the adapter is connected whether or not the device is connected to the output or not.
Any ideas on what the point of failure is from these symptoms? IE is it best to try to get another 24V power supply and try it again?

Thanks

coylemj

The fuse in the plug should blow before the circuit breaker trips so you need to reduce the rating of the fuse to probably 3A.

Then you need to dump the existing transformer and buy a new one, preferably from a reputable supplier in Europe regardless of where it's manufactured. Does the nebuliser have a recognised brand name?

Are you sure the transformer supplied is rated for 220V input? Sounds like you might have been supplied with one intended for a lower voltage market like the US (110V). Look at the data place on the transformer and check the input voltage. Either way, I'd junk it because typically you cannot service such devices, they're sealed in the factory.

And if a device blows the circuit breaker from two different sockets in your house, you do not bring it to someone else's house to test because if they had faulty wiring you could be the cause of burning them out of house and home. Blowing a circuit breaker points to a serious problem with an applicance, not a fault with the wiring in your house which clearly is working in the way it's supposed to. Without the circuit breaker as a last line of defence, the wiring in your house would probably melt and catch fire based on the fact that the transformer didn't blow the 13A fuse in the plug.

johnp001

Thanks for the advice!