Re: [lro] Fuses

From: Alan J. Richer (mrchurchill109@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Apr 13 2003 - 18:29:38 EDT

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    --- Robert Palmer <rbpalmer_nrt@hotmail.com> wrote:
    >
    > According to the owner's manual, all fuses should be
    > replaced with 35 amp
    > fuses. Personally, I do mine as 20's for everything from
    > my Hella lights to
    > my GPS (each one individually fused) and haven't popped
    > one yet

    Manual for what?

    With a 20-amp fuse in line with a bleedin' GPS the only way
    that sucker's gonna blow is if the wiring gets dead shorted
    to ground - and the wires will likely catch fire if they're
    the usual 22-gauge stuff.. That fuse is useless - a GPS
    draws an amp at best - fuse it for an amp and you're fine.

    Personally, if I'm dealing with things I don't have current
    ratings for I hook them up with an ammeter, measure the
    start-up current draw and size 50% or thereabouts over that
    (100% if it's inductive, like a motor). For example, a
    blower motor that pulls 7 amps running up should get a
    15-amp fuse. Panel lights draw 1/2 amp or so each,
    worst-case, so a string of them should need no more than a
    5-amp fuse.

    Headlights at 45/55W are easy enough to figure - 12 V at 45
    W is a little under 4 amps - double that for 2 lights and
    allow a fudge factor of 100% for inductive kick and that
    tells you about 15 amps would be fine - 20 is a
    dead-certain value.

    ALso remember if comparing to British manuals that the UK
    fuse measurment and the US are different as far as the
    rating - we rate to working load, they rate to trip
    current.

    Basically, PLEASE size the fuse to the load - an oversized
    fuse is bloody useless. It's like sticking a penny in the
    fusebox - the lights may come on but the wire becomes your
    fuse - and a fire hazard.

                  ajr

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