DIY copper bus bar
Alright after my last post about messy battery cables http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28283107.cfm and seeing Westend's pic for his DIY wire box I figure I will do the same. Li...
Forum Discussion
What size wire is connected to the fuse?
The main purpose of a fuse is to protect the wiring from overheating in the event of a short or other overcurrent problem. Maximum fuse size should generally be based on the wire it's protecting; in this case, I assume that's the line from the battery to the bus bar. If the wire can safely carry much more than your expected current, choose something with a reasonable cushion over worst-case expected current; maybe 200A if your expected maximum draw is 150A....
If the wire is undersized for your draw, that's obviously a different kind of problem that needs correction.
If it were me, I would have a fuse as close to the battery (electrically) as practical, and certainly before the bus bar. It seems rather too likely for some ham-fisted person (such as me) to accidentally drop a wrench or something on a bus bar and short it to ground, with ensuing excitement.
The main purpose of a fuse is to protect the wiring from overheating in the event of a short or other overcurrent problem. Maximum fuse size should generally be based on the wire it's protecting; in this case, I assume that's the line from the battery to the bus bar. If the wire can safely carry much more than your expected current, choose something with a reasonable cushion over worst-case expected current; maybe 200A if your expected maximum draw is 150A....
If the wire is undersized for your draw, that's obviously a different kind of problem that needs correction.
If it were me, I would have a fuse as close to the battery (electrically) as practical, and certainly before the bus bar. It seems rather too likely for some ham-fisted person (such as me) to accidentally drop a wrench or something on a bus bar and short it to ground, with ensuing excitement.
