audio1der

So I neglected to fuse my 1/0 between the alt and the starter battery. Looking at it now, I'm thinking a circuit breaker would be a better solution as the stock wire between the two is also still in place. If I happen to short that 1/0 everything will continue to function but I'd be down to a "Big 2" instead of "Big 3" until it's reset.
Do you guys use circuit breakers instead of fuses for +12V leads within 18" of your batteries?
Any major drawbacks to breakers? I've been told a 150A breaker may not break at exactly 150A, but who cares??? (who says a fuse is exact?)

Denonite

iTrader: (1)

fuses don't blow at exactly their rating either..and diffferent fuses have different thresholds before they blow, some may have a to exceed rating by 10% for x amount of time etc...Main thing is to have a fuse or breaker there for a catstrophic failure like an accident that shorts the big 0 guage to the frame and causes a fire. Any fuse rated at whatever will blow quickly in an event like that (which is what that fuse is for...not to protect your equipment per say...though I usually use a fuse that's rated much less than the current capacity of my wire...I mean really, does anyone really need 250 amps of current for a daily driver sound system???).

nghtrdr

every run of wire i ever added to any vehicle is fused.
there is a reason manufacturers use them.
fuses vs breakers one of those things that is very controversial some people swear by fuses some by breakers..
in my search for answers there was one thing that kept coming up that helped me make my decision towards fuses!
breakers are mechanical, in that they are made up of moving parts. for a breaker to work those moving parts need to move and move freely. in a vehicle where things are subjected to extremes everyday its almost impossible to be sure that those part will work when needed.
a fuse on the other hand has no moving parts and as such is not effected as much by the extremes subjected to. they may after many, many years get some corrosion on them that will effect there threshold but they will still work and this is only for the cheaper brands as the materials used are, well cheap (dont buy made in China crap).

my vote is for fuses all day every day

oh and one more thing. fuse for the wire gauge not the devise connected to it. in other words. always size the fuse to the size of the wire it is to protect..

gl
Dan

Dukk

I prefer fuses.

Where in the charge lead are you going to fuse it?

audio1der

Within 18" of the battery, to the +Alt (part of the big 3). Why's that? (anything in particular that I should know?)
I wasn't concerned at first as the wire is maybe 4' long and has a nice loomed routing with no real possibility for a short, then I noticed it's 1" from my dipstick.

Dukk

There is electrical potential at each end of the charge cable. Does it not make sense then that it needs to be protected at each end?

goalie 35

i like the ease of use with the circuit breaker, and i would go with the highest rated number you can find.. stinger makes a 300amp one. remember its just a resister on the power line the lower the value the more resistance, and its only going to blow if it dead shorts to the chassis.(hopefully). but i find that due to the enviroment, i have had to replace mine about every two to three yrs.. the contacts just dont reset anymore or the switch stays open/closed, the unit rusts inside, ect..

audio1der

For a 4' wire? 2 1/0 waterproof fuse holders would take a whole foot off the length! LOL

Denonite

iTrader: (1)

yep, but if there's a short, the fuse may blow (separating contact to the battery), but you're still going to have current flow from the alternator (if the vehile is running). At the least, make sure the routing of the wire is very secure, clear of any possible abrasive or sharp surfaces, and possibly armoured or insulated.