LiFePo battery upgrade question

Gdetrailer wrote:

otrfun wrote:
As for using a fuse as an alternator/battery current limiting device, that's not recommended. Fuses are very inexact devices. Some fuses can allow up to twice their current rating before they open. Fuses are primarily designed to protect in the event of a direct short.

Fusing as a "current limiting device" on a regular basis is a wrong application for a fuse.

However, it IS recommended to ALWAYS include a fuse, fusable link or circuit breaker in all power sources wiring especially when dealing with high amperage sources.

The fuse/fusable link or circuit breaker is there to protect your wiring in case of catastrophic short on the wiring.

Fuses/fusable links or breakers do not have to be "precise" and there are different types which have intentional delays for specific types of loads. But even so, are there to protect your wiring from getting hot enough to melt wire insulation and cause fires.

The gist of my comment was to acknowledge a fuses lack of precision. Nothing more, nothing less. *If* a given 60a fuse would precisely open at 61a, then, yes, it could be effectively used for current limiting purposes (i.e., protect an alternator from excess battery charge current). Unfortunately, this is not the case. Given batch of 60a fuses of the same type and rating, they may open at 75a, 95a, or even 120a. These are totally unacceptable tolerances in respect to effectively protecting an alternator from excess current while directly charging a battery.