DIY fuse panel with Maxi fuse? (1 Viewer)

[Stovations]

New here and new to wiring. I bought my LC a few months ago and previous owner has a couple light set installed. I’d like to add my ARB air compressor and perhaps a couple other accessories in the future. I have a 6 gang switch panel on order from @BenCC and while I am wireing everything I want to wire all the switches to a DIY fuse panel. My question is, my ARB compressor has an in-line Maxi fuse. Can a regular size fuse be used in place if same amp rating? Or do I have to retain the maxi fuse?

 

[BenCC]

New here and new to wiring. I bought my LC a few months ago and previous owner has a couple light set installed. I’d like to add my ARB air compressor and perhaps a couple other accessories in the future. I have a 6 gang switch panel on order from @BenCC and while I am wireing everything I want to wire all the switches to a DIY fuse panel. My question is, my ARB compressor has an in-line Maxi fuse. Can a regular size fuse be used in place if same amp rating? Or do I have to retain the maxi fuse?

You can use any fuse with same rating.

 

[george_tlc]

^ to be precise...

A fuse can have time delay/surge withstanding ability as a rating. The maxi fuse is intended to protect items that could have surge currents above the fuse rating, i.e. withstand a short duration over-current without blowing.

In the ARB case the maxi fuse will withstand initial high current draw of the motor in the compressor starting up. A similarly current rated fuse could potentially open due to it being fast acting.

Choose your fuse type wisely

cheers,
george.

 

[Stovations]

So using a standard fuse over a maxi fuse, everything is still protected, but the standard fuse may pop more often under surge? Is that correct? For simplicity I’d like to eliminate the maxi fuse but if it’s going to come at a risk then maybe I’ll just have to find a way to keep it. I see ale these switch pros and spods don’t have them so was thinking there has to be a way to do it.

My plan was to run relays through a blue sea fuse panel. Perhaps the line from the compressor could retain the maxi fuse and I could leave the same 40 amp regular fuse in the panel. Would having it double fuse be a problem?

 

[george_tlc]

So using a standard fuse over a maxi fuse, everything is still protected, but the standard fuse may pop more often under surge? Is that correct? For simplicity I’d like to eliminate the maxi fuse but if it’s going to come at a risk then maybe I’ll just have to find a way to keep it. I see ale these switch pros and spods don’t have them so was thinking there has to be a way to do it.

My plan was to run relays through a blue sea fuse panel. Perhaps the line from the compressor could retain the maxi fuse and I could leave the same 40 amp regular fuse in the panel. Would having it double fuse be a problem?

Yep, standard fuse may pop more often. Fuses can provide levels of protection, sometimes they are there to protect the wiring from a melt down, sometimes they are there to protect the unit. I personally have a circuit breaker to protect my viair and the wiring to it, the circuit breaker is near the battery. I can then reset the breaker if the current surged too much, could happen if you have an air tank and the compressor has to start with a head of pressure against it.

Fuses in series aren't an issue, when one blows, the circuit is broken. Of course you now have to figure out which fuse blew

cheers,
george.

 

[yeos]

Also check that the fuse panel you intend on using is capable of supporting the amps that the compressor requires. I recently wired up a Blue Sea 6 position pos/neg fuse panel to add power to a rear switch panel to power my fridge. I thought about hard wiring my Viair 400P-A to the rear as well, but I cannot use the Blue Sea fuse box to supply it power because the Viair requires 40 amps. While the Blue Sea is rated for 100 amps total simultaneous output, each terminal is only rated at 30 amps max. I would have to use an inline fuse, breaker, or other options.