Automotive blade fuses on a yacht ????

CPD

CPD

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Does the panel have any strong objections to the use of this type of fuse in an associated holder ?. I am looking to replace the highly over-engineered "built in circuit breaker based" switch panel on a 1980's Beneteau with simple rocker switches with built in LED's feeding individual fuses. All comments appreciated ...... many thanks.
 
Why would you downgrade a good system?

I have the blade fuses in some places (previous owner) and I can't wait to get rid of them. Very poor quality for use in the marine environment.
 
The fuses themselves function fine.... They're meant for cars though, and don't stand up to the marine environment well in my experience. Cheapo fuse boxes too, even the so called marine ones are hard to get a good reliable seal on.
Look at a decent marine setup - tinned everything, screw terminals, not blade, environmentally sealed terminals etc etc.....
It does depend what you want to do with the boat but if you already have a good system than I just can't see why you'd downgrade it.
That's me though and I am a fussy git.
 
I re did all my electrics the way you intend and all worked very well even though it was only for a short time before the boat was written off. Too tempting to keep re-setting circuit breakers if an intermittent problem arises rather than finding it and sorting it out. Go for it.

Yoda
 
Can't see any problem myself, just ensure the sea and condensation can't get to them. I think breakers are over engineering for boats. I'm a lifetime electrical/electronics engineer BTW.
 
Intermittent switching is the main reason for wanting to change which would normally lead me to replace the switch .... but you can't as they are all built into a circuit board, which is screwed to another with enough electronic bits and bobs to make me just know that one day (and as we all just know, it will be at the worst possible moment too) the whole thing will go bang, and i won't be able to switch anything at all. This is clearly a case where there are no hard rights or wrongs, but my preference as with all things boaty is to stick to the KISS principle. Thanks for the suggetsions chaps - keep them coming !!
 
There is nothing wrong with blade fuses in the proper type panel - see below. But I certainly wouldn't replace a good breaker panel with them. If a breaker keeps going there is a reason and it should be found and fixed. If the breaker is going because of overload a fuse will as well. And you do need to carry spare fuses of each size. A larger fuse isn't an option as the fuse/breaker is sized for the wire, not the load.

From Blue Seas:
 
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Or, better still - rewireable fuseholders. Three and two boats ago I replaced the iffy distribution box with a Wylex domestic distribution box made of cream bakelite. I used good quality individual switches which were widely available and the two pronged re-wireable fuseholders were robust and of course, so long as I had a supply of tinned wire I could never be without a fuse replacement.

What I have now is an array of Calira micro MCBs which fail at around two to five years and are very expensive to replace and it is only recently that two online suppliers have stocked them. RadioSpares are the marginally cheaper.

KISS is a good principle on a boat. If I ever get time I think I will replace Bavaria's totally too complex system* with a basic one like on my old motorboat as mentioned above. The guy who has it now is still using the wiring I fitted in 1973 and the following boat's current owners still have their "ChasElecProds" fitment from 1988.

BTW, whaever happened to that chap who fitted a "Remote Switching" system and all sorts of other complicated gubbins (NO Marilyn NOT YOU!) to his new boat? He was a PBO staff reporter wasn't he? Didn't he promise to report back on his success or failure?

* you wouldn't believe how many push-fit and crimped connections and multi-connectors plus the kilometres of un-tinned wire the poor little volts get shoved through! Not surprising how many get lost on the way.

Chas
 
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CPD said:
Does the panel have any strong objections to the use of this type of fuse in an associated holder ?. I am looking to replace the highly over-engineered "built in circuit breaker based" switch panel on a 1980's Beneteau with simple rocker switches with built in LED's feeding individual fuses. All comments appreciated ...... many thanks.
Click to expand...

Blade fuses are good and in use on many good quality boats. They need to be in a dry area obviously. You can get ones that light up if they've blown which is an excellent idea.
 
I rebuilt the panel on my mid 80's Benneteau. 8 breakers out of the 25 were corroded and innoperable. At £19 each excluding VAT it was an expensive exercise.

One or two main breakers distributing through blade fuses and tell tale LEDs would be my choice if I was doing it again.
 
My first choice, both for my own boat and any boat of any size I work on is a breaker panel like the one shown below. They are durable and last many years. I have seen lower quality panels occasionally but most of the older ones I see are in good working order. Breakers seldom fail and the panel mounted below shouldn't get wet.
Fuse panels are better suited to a smaller boat or a sub-panel on a larger one - nav lights for example.
 
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In my limited experience

I say limited because my CB hardly ever trip.

That said, I'm wondering whether the OP is running the load on his CB's a bit near the rated limit?

For example I fitted a small 300W sinewave inverter to run my media system (!) and it kept on tripping the 15 amp CB when it started up - so I swapped it for a 20 amp breaker (I'm on 24V). No more. It was a startup surge. The inverter has a lot of iron in it (EEs will understand).

Logically 25amp CB is over sized, but to my mind a breaker is there for short circuit or device failure conditions, not minor overloads - that latter is up to the user to determine......


Personally, I'd rather have a device that trips cleanly and quickly without any fuss in a real fault condition than a thermal device (fuses get hot and blow) which in time will and do erode their sockets because they get hot near their limits.

Over engineered CBs may be but I don't have any crumbling plastic in my power cupbopards..

But then I'm only PT1 HNC exempt qualified........
 
TrueBlue said:
I say limited because my CB hardly ever trip.

That said, I'm wondering whether the OP is running the load on his CB's a bit near the rated limit?

For example I fitted a small 300W sinewave inverter to run my media system (!) and it kept on tripping the 15 amp CB when it started up - so I swapped it for a 20 amp breaker (I'm on 24V). No more. It was a startup surge. The inverter has a lot of iron in it (EEs will understand).

Logically 25amp CB is over sized, but to my mind a breaker is there for short circuit or device failure conditions, not minor overloads - that latter is up to the user to determine......


Personally, I'd rather have a device that trips cleanly and quickly without any fuss in a real fault condition than a thermal device (fuses get hot and blow) which in time will and do erode their sockets because they get hot near their limits.

Over engineered CBs may be but I don't have any crumbling plastic in my power cupbopards..

But then I'm only PT1 HNC exempt qualified........
Click to expand...

How often do you test trip them though?
If "Never" then how do you know that they aren't corroded shut?

Oh, and aren't the cores of transformers mostly made of μ-metal (only 15-17% Fe)? Also "Crumbling plastic"???

Chas
 
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Not so much size as type. Fuses are fine for a smaller outboard or inboard/outboard fishing or sport boat. Other than running lights they don't have much if anything else to go on a panel. Bilge pumps on their own dedicated panel specific to them.

I like breakers and a good panel on any cruising boat, which often has many more systems installed.
 
Look at it this way. Breakers do not last forever and when they need replacing cost a lot of money. For the price of one or two breakers you could probably change all the spade fuses a couple of times a year!!! So even if they do corrode they can be replaced very quickly and easily.

The only thing is if you do have a problem, make sure you have a lot of spares!

Most breakers I have seen in boats are not marine ones anyway....
 
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