Does the AWG size of the fuse holder wire matter?

[highdesertranger]

Elbear those set screws will come loose. guaranteed. highdesertranger

 

[Elbear1]

Oh maybe thats not the best. When you hard mount it and the wire it stays well. I did have that issue before bolting it down and ziptying wires nearby. I also put a dap of blue locktite on it.

 

[highdesertranger]

I return to So Cal every year to work a few months doing apartment maintenance. every 5 years we go through all the breaker boxes and retorque all those pinch screws. these are on apartments that are stationary and have zero road vibrations. you would not believe how loose some of those screws become and these are on solid core wires. that is what those pinch screws are design for. they were never intended for stranded wire. if they come loose in a stationary location they will fail in a mobile location. highdesertranger

 

[Elbear1]

Put loctite on them

 

[highdesertranger]

you are putting a band aid on a wound that needs an ER visit. highdesertranger

 

[poot_traveller]

Just so we are clear you know the higher the number the smaller the wire? Maybe its different over there. 10 gauge wire (2.58 mm) is like pretty small stuff. Its like speaker wire. Battery cables are 2 gauge (6.54 mm)....size of a finger

10 gauge x 1 meter wire on say a 20 amp system is bordering on, if not outright, dangerous.

Yes I know the higher the number, the smaller the wire. Keep in mind I know next to nothing about all this wiring stuff.

I'm starting to understand what you mean, battery cable needs to be thick. OK, 6 gauge wire on fuse holder, on a 1 metre (10 gauge) wire from controller to battery and same sort of setup for battery to inverter.

 

[poot_traveller]

you know there is always Maxi Fuse holders. these have terminals so you eliminate the small wire issue. they will handle 4-14 AWG.

https://www.bluesea.com/products/5006100/MAXI_Fuse_Block

the fuses are very common and regular auto part stores carry them. at least around here.

also here in the states car audio junk is mad in China.

highdesertranger

Yes these seem to be available here, with estimated delivery time of 10 days, even though they're shipping from a city only a one hour drive away from me lol

I might have to go for a drive I think.

 

[poot_traveller]

I'm going to get two of these: https://www.burnsco.co.nz/shop/rv/electr...bep-30-80a

One for the controller to battery, and one for the battery to inverter. I'll use a fuse blade holder with 10 gauge wire for the solar feed.

 

[poot_traveller]

Just so we are clear you know the higher the number the smaller the wire? Maybe its different over there. 10 gauge wire (2.58 mm) is like pretty small stuff. Its like speaker wire. Battery cables are 2 gauge (6.54 mm)....size of a finger

10 gauge x 1 meter wire on say a 20 amp system is bordering on, if not outright, dangerous.

Which cable do you think I should choose from these ones (for the controller to battery and battery to inverter)?......

https://www.thebatterycellonline.co.nz/category/105282

 

[Elbear1]

What size solar system? How many watts or amps? The bigger the system the bigger the wire.

You have junkyards near you? Go get old car battery cables for next to nothing. OR welding wire. Those you linked are confusing to american standards. Seems to be super huge.

I would go with one of these and cut it in half. Then you have a lug for battery and a bare end to stick into controller.

https://www.thebatterycellonline.co.nz/product/1207671

Not only do you want big wire you want to keep the wire run as short as possible.

 

[poot_traveller]

The system has one 160 watt panel, a MPPT controller, a 300 watt 12V inverter and a liFePO4 battery.

The cable in your link is 3AWG. The wire in my link also has 3 AWG cable.

I'll assume that 3 AWG is better than the 6 AWG cable I currently have (I mistakenly thought I had 10 gauge cable).

I think the 6 AWG cable will be fine for the panel to controller (1 metre), and I'll have 3 AWG cable for the controller to battery (1 metre) , and battery to inverter (2 feet).

I'll have Maxi fuse holders for all three connection cables.

Sound good?

 

[Elbear1]

Yep sounds good

 

[poot_traveller]

Great! Thanks for your help

 

[poot_traveller]

10 gauge wire (2.58 mm) is like pretty small stuff. Its like speaker wire. Battery cables are 2 gauge (6.54 mm)....size of a finger

10 gauge x 1 meter wire on say a 20 amp system is bordering on, if not outright, dangerous.

I forgot to mention that my panel has short circuit: 9.5V, so not much voltage running between the panel and the battery.

The inverter is the only "big" load that might warrant a bigger wire.

 

[whitewolf]

please don't use car audio stuff especially the stuff that has set screws to pinch the wire like the one linked to above. 99% of it is junk. also most DC circuit breakers only work in one direction. the power can flow both ways but there is only circuit protection one way. highdesertranger

But Mike, I just got a 50 amp fuse like that from Amazon! HeeHee. Good thing I read this before install. Thanks. I'll just go to the auto parts store. Dang. Anyone want a 50 amp audio fuse?

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

 

[whitewolf]

Here's a 30 amp blade fuse holder with the wiring that came with it. It did work but not the way it should. Took me days to figure out where the burnt smell was coming from. This was from panels to controller. What does this mean? I'm assuming that this type of fuse is not reliable.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

 

[B and C]

WhiteWolf, I have those scattered around and have had no problems. Looks like you got a defective one.

 

[Seminole Wind]

that is not the fuse that failed, but the fuse holder it's self. most likely a bad connection inside the holder over heated at much less than the ratting of the fuse.

good to see the victron product literature...

 

[whitewolf]

That's what is funny. It's about me getting old. So when we put 510w of panels on the roof of my C, I already had the fairly new Victron 30 amp controller. So we put a 30 amp fuse on it and said well let's see what happens. So 510 watts laying flat, I seldom even saw 20 amps. And then I forgot about it. It wasn't til 10 months later, in August, that the fuse melted and I had no idea what happened. Then after a few days it all came back in my brain. So now I got the 50 amp Victron but I haven't fused it yet. I will eventually just for safety but I don't think there is any way I'm ever going to see 50 amps. But you never know, I might decide to make my panels tiltable someday. I saw a guy at Solar Mike's in Slab City, he had 6 100w panels on servos and he was tilting them with his phone. Cool.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk