Sternwake is right!

[WalkaboutTed]

I coulda saved a lot of time and trouble if I had listened to him in the first place!

So, I live less than a thousand feet from an AutoZone.  I have gotten half a dozen simple items from them, just about everything else I ordered through Amazon.  Ya know how impatient so many of us are-two days delivery with Amazon Prime takes too long! So I was in a hurry and needed a fusebox. What could possibly go wrong with a fuse box? I have a separate fuse panel solely for my 12 volt outlets (Blue Seas).

So, while I'm putting everything together, I checked every circuit diligently.  For some reason, my multimeter wasn't beeping to let me know that the circuit was complete at input/output of the fuse box. So I'm thinking "I must be doing something wrong, maybe it's not supposed to work until it's hooked up to everything?". So I go along.

I finish everything last night and was impatient, so I connected the battery.  Half of the lights and outlets worked.  I assumed that I had done something seriously wrong with what did not function, especially since so much did work:.  Fantastic vent fan , overhead light, four 12 volt outlets, 1 bed light, three USB outlets.  So I go over every circuit again.  It all boiled down to three circuits not working.

So I pull every fuse. All fine.  I was finally coming to the conclusion that this brand new fuse box only half worked. I then made little heat shrinked "jumper cables" and attached every circuit. 

Voilà! It all works.

Moral of the story:
DON'T buy crap.  Buy quality.  Blue Seas is easy to remember.  Trust myself.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

It was too late to add to my post above. I ordered another Blue Seas fuse panel through Amazon. I can wait the two days.
Ted

 

[highdesertranger]

so true. thanks for the report. highdesertranger

 

[TMG51]

SternWake is always right. Except maybe his taste in beer. But good job deciphering the problem.

 

[SternWake]

I wish I were always right.

And my taste in beer varies with ambient temperature, budget, intent, and the possible presence of the nearest locust.

 

[DannyB1954]

I don't understand what the jumpers that you added were for. Many fuse boxes have two separate inputs one for power for all the circuits and one for ground for all the circuits. If you attached some of the circuit power wires to the terminals meant to be grounds, that would be wrong. These terminals are usually not fused. You could feed the fuse box with two positives and run the returns for all circuits to a ground somewhere else, but half of your circuits will not be fused.
Do you have a picture of what you have done?

 

[WalkaboutTed]

Trash collection was today. I was pretty ticked last night, virtually yanked it off the wall once I figured it was trash and threw it in the dumpster with disgust as I no longer have the package and receipt. Visualize a pissed off, cursing middle aged woman stomping about in the late and dark and cold with inadequate light. I couldn't let things go.

I didn't mean jumpers, that just sounded good and I don't know the terminology. I just bypassed the fuse box and connected the wires directly together with short piece of wire with the corresponding male and female butt connectors with the use of a positive bus. I jury rigged it just to make sure the rest of my job was working. As part of my trouble shooting, I did go to YouTube and I had it done correctly. I assumed I had it wrong, that's why it took me so long to figure it out. I don't know why it didn't work, but if I remember correctly, it was the last one they had hanging on the display with the back cardboard and the clear plastic not perfectly mated. It could have been returned, I guess? Even though, when I bought it, I had wanted it yesterday, I screwed it on the panel and then didn't get around to connecting it for several weeks. Those darn round tuits! Who woulda thought?

But, on a positive note, once I had current, everything worked perfectly the first time! Not bad for a newbie setting up a system with 5 USB outlets, 7 12volt outlets, three lights, two voltmeters and one ceiling fan. With spare wiring in place for future circuits. I hate cords stretching out all over the cabin, so I put outlets everywhere they might be needed. Thats why I was asking about multiple grounds a couple of nights ago. I belong to the Department of Redundancy Department.

 

[DannyB1954]

Very good then. Just make sure each circuit has a fuse at the start that is correct for the wire size that you used. Inline fuse holders aren't pretty, but they work. And with care, they should never blow anyway.

Having something that works is just half of it. You need to make sure that if something goes bad, It will not be disastrous.

 

[RVTravel]

So, cool.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

DannyB, I went ahead and used the inline fuses that I had. Originally I was going to use them, but decided that they weren't very pretty. Well, pretty be damned so I don't have to spend another $15. It all works. Tomorrow I'm diagramming the system, relabeling the hard-to-read labels on the wires and put everything I can in the split loom tubing to neaten the spaghetti. Then I'll replace my old, tired Costco marine battery with the three deep cycle ones, attach the cables and turn ON the alternator switch. Hubby is putting on the solar panels today and tomorrow, so the whole shmear should be up and running by afternoon-provided that I haven't invoked good old Mr.Murphy.

The end is in sight. We're donating, selling and giving away everything but the stuff that we're keeping in a 10'x15' storage unit. We hope to have the house ready to sell sometime next month.

Thank you all!