Hi everyone I have a question about fuses

[Deb777]

So happy to be here. I accidently caught a video on how to setup the solar panel with the battery etc. What was mentioned was a fuse going from the battery to the charge controller. Could someone please tell me where I can buy this and about how much they cost. I sure would appreciate it greatly.

I am almost 70 and a grandma of 11 love to learn new things.

Bless you all,

Debbie

 

[user 37446]

It is safer to yes because controllers can and do fail, though it's not very often.
Watching numerous YT videos I often don't see any fuzing, however it's a cheap form of protection (an in-line 10-20 amp fuze). You can buy one from the major online retailer "A" or even Walmart.com.

 

[barleyguy]

Any circuit that uses a powerful battery should have a fuse on the positive side of the battery. The size of the fuse should be the expected current in or out plus about 20%. The primary reason for that is because if you short out a battery it will go into "thermal runaway", which means it will get very hot and possibly explode. Having a fuse on the positive side of the battery close to the battery terminal prevents that short from happening if something else fails (including other equipment or the behavior of a human).

As a side note, this is exactly the reason powerful batteries are not allowed on airplanes.

BTW, there is a section of forum for this type of question. It's the "Electrical: Batteries, Generators, Solar" section.

(Mods, feel free to move this to the proper section.)

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Deb to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

You need a fuse as close to the battery as possible. we were just discussing this on another thread there are links for the battery fuses on that thread.

Link to fuse,

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Sys...s=blue+sea+battery+fuse&qid=1620050468&sr=8-4

link to thread,

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=43303

Highdesertranger

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Fuses protect wires and equipment from overloading and short circuit scenarios. On solar setups, I would protect from the battery to the charge controller and from the solar panels to the charge controller. You want the protection to be as close to the energizing device as possible. What type of protection and how much protection you need depends on many variables. Prices and level of protection vary. Some examples of protection:

Simple spade fuse holders. These fuses are common in vehicle fuse boxes.
https://www.amazon.com/MCIGICM-Inli...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

ANL fuses. Simple bolt on, good for high amperage devices.
https://www.amazon.com/InstallGear-...248861011&rnid=1248859011&s=automotive&sr=1-3

MRBF fuses. Kinda pricey, but good for tight spots where you don't have room for lots of terminals and extra wiring like at battery terminals.
https://www.amazon.com/Bay-Marine-S...?dchild=1&keywords=mrbf&qid=1620076632&sr=8-2

Simple circuit breakers.
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Sys...oss+dc+circuit+breaker&qid=1620076886&sr=8-39

Circuit breakers made to go inside panel box. Good for permanent installations. Very professional.
https://www.amazon.com/Low-voltage-...din+dc+circuit+breaker&qid=1620076969&sr=8-10