Marine Rated Battery Fuses

[nigel1]

For anyone considering using these, or needs spares, Mouser UK are now listing them as being back in stock.
The fuses are listed at £6-51 each, and a double fuse holder at £8-18.
On the Mouser website, a search for 504-MRBF will find the fuses. Not all ratings are in stock, but I needed some 300 amp ones, and they were listed.
CFBAR2-M8XSP should bring up the double fuse holder (note, these do not include the rubber covers)
According to mouser website, price includes VAT and duty, and for orders over £33, shipping is free.
It looks like they ship direct from the USA. I put an order in last night, and had an email from them this morning to say items dispatched with expected delivery date 21st October,

These are good prices, marine chandlers are listing the fuses at around £15 each, and fuse holder's at £40, which is a big mark up for some Blue Sea's packaging.

 

[PaulRainbow]

The fuses look like standard cube fuses:

CUBE FUSES

 

[prv]

What is “marine rated” about them?

Pete

 

[PaulRainbow]

What is “marine rated” about them?

Pete

They are possibly designed to be fitted to marine batteries

 

[prv]

Ah, I’d better not buy any then. The small AGM I use to start the engine is marketed as (among other things) a snowmobile battery ?

Pete

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

What is “marine rated” about them?

Pete

Price! No such animal as a "Marine rated Fuse"

 

[PaulRainbow]

Ah, I’d better not buy any then. The small AGM I use to start the engine is marketed as (among other things) a snowmobile battery ?

Pete

No, they won't fit snowmobile batteries.

It's also important when fitting marine batteries and fuses to ensure that your spanners have been correctly marinised.

 

[penberth3]

.......It's also important when fitting marine batteries and fuses to ensure that your spanners have been correctly marinised.

Spanners soaked in vinegar? Never heard that one before

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Spanners soaked in vinegar? Never heard that one before

Surely that would marinated?

 

[prv]

In all seriousness, I've just done a few minutes' investigation, and they do have one specific marine rating - SAE J1171 (though the datasheet actually typoes it as J1117, which is something to do with measuring hydraulic pressures...)

J1171 is about ignition protection - so presumably when these blow they won't throw a spark and ignite any fuel vapours hanging around. Only really relevant to petrol engines - and for all I know, all ceramic cube fuses have the same feature anyway.

Pete

 

[pandos]

The fuses look like standard cube fuses:

CUBE FUSES

Paul.
That site lists many useful bits and pieces at good prices, I am thinking about doing an upgrade on my heavy wiring and it looks like a onestop shop for me...

I know there is a marine premium on some stuff and also that some automobile stuff is absolute crap quality.

Have you experience of the guys you linked to and is the quality of their stuff usually acceptable in a marine environment?...

Having removed non tinned cable, which was only 10 months old but was already black, from my first boat, (bought as marine cable from a Chandler) I am wary of saving pounds but ending up with crap stuff...

 

[nigel1]

Paul.
That site lists many useful bits and pieces at good prices, I am thinking about doing an upgrade on my heavy wiring and it looks like a onestop shop for me...

I know there is a marine premium on some stuff and also that some automobile stuff is absolute crap quality.

Have you experience of the guys you linked to and is the quality of their stuff usually acceptable in a marine environment?...

Having removed non tinned cable, which was only 10 months old but was already black, from my first boat, (bought as marine cable from a Chandler) I am wary of saving pounds but ending up with crap stuff...

I've bought a fair number of items from Altec, even met the owner who lives not far from me.
Not had any issues with quality.
With regard to tinned/non tinned cable, I think if decent adhesive heat shrink is used on the cable lugs, and care taken to cover the inspection hole in the lug, corrosion should not be an issue.

 

[nigel1]

The fuses look like standard cube fuses:

CUBE FUSES

I've been told that the standard cube fuses as listed on the Altec site will not fit the Bussmann fuse holders.
I liked the fuse holders as they have long studs and 2 oor 3 lugs can be stacked on the fuse and still leaves plkenty of room for a washer and the nut.
Few years back I fitted Trojan 6 V batteries and the stud length is minimal.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Paul.
That site lists many useful bits and pieces at good prices, I am thinking about doing an upgrade on my heavy wiring and it looks like a onestop shop for me...

I know there is a marine premium on some stuff and also that some automobile stuff is absolute crap quality.

Have you experience of the guys you linked to and is the quality of their stuff usually acceptable in a marine environment?...

Having removed non tinned cable, which was only 10 months old but was already black, from my first boat, (bought as marine cable from a Chandler) I am wary of saving pounds but ending up with crap stuff...

I don't usually buy much from them, but have had a few odds and ends, no issues.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I've been told that the standard cube fuses as listed on the Altec site will not fit the Bussmann fuse holders.
I liked the fuse holders as they have long studs and 2 oor 3 lugs can be stacked on the fuse and still leaves plkenty of room for a washer and the nut.
Few years back I fitted Trojan 6 V batteries and the stud length is minimal.

I couldn't find details of the Bussman fuses to compare, but they do look similar.

Personally, i don't like stacking cables on battery terminals, i fit a single cable to a busbar.

 

[steadyeddy]

I couldn't find details of the Bussman fuses to compare, but they do look similar.

Personally, i don't like staking cables on battery terminals, i fit a single cable to a busbar.

 

[steadyeddy]

Marine fuses used to have a type of sand inside to stop any flash from the blown fuse wire inside causing damage

 

[dankilb]

‘nowt wrong with 12voltplanet.co.uk either, IMO

You can penny pinch further by trying to find identical items from eBay/Amazon sellers, on the basis that their stuff is more ‘mid-range’ and, with their profile and turnover of stock, they won’t sell the cheap(est) rubbish. (I mean identical not equivalent!)

 

[PaulRainbow]

Marine fuses used to have a type of sand inside to stop any flash from the blown fuse wire inside causing damage

You can still buy sand filled fuses, the sand fulfilled various purposes, but none were "marine fuses", as stated in post #6 "No such animal as a "Marine rated Fuse" "

 

[Buck Turgidson]

No, they won't fit snowmobile batteries.

It's also important when fitting marine batteries and fuses to ensure that your spanners have been correctly marinised.

Soak them in brine overnight with a dash of cayenne.