Blade or Glass fuses?

[The Folkboat Melody]

Hi Guys,

While I'm waiting for the shiny new tech to arrive I've turned my attention to wiring the boat itself, I'd love to have circuit breakers but I've blown the budget on the tech so it's going to have to be fuses, I'm wondering which to use, the automotive flat blade type which I use every day, advantage; easily and cheaply available, I think I could more or less damp proof inside an IP 68 enclosure, or old style glass fuses with o ring seals in the holders, I've used the latter for years in my other boats with very little problem. I suppose what I'm really asking, now that I write it down is, are the blade fuses reliable in a marine environment?

Thanks

Derek

 

[prv]

I suppose what I'm really asking, now that I write it down is, are the blade fuses reliable in a marine environment?

Been fine for the last few years in mine.

A blade fuse is essentially two male spade connectors embedded in a block of plastic, and nobody worries that spade connectors are somehow scared of boats

Pete

 

[The Folkboat Melody]

Been fine for the last few years in mine.

A blade fuse is essentially two male spade connectors embedded in a block of plastic, and nobody worries that spade connectors are somehow scared of boats

Pete

Hi Pete,

I'd intended to use ring terminals wherever possible, most of the electrical problems we come across in cars are to do with corrosion in plug blocks, i.e. multiple spade connectors in a plastic block, on cars in the UK we have to contend with salt from the roads but this can't compare with the corrosive marine environment which is the presumption I started from,

In my net crawling to find switches, fuse boards etc I come across lots of different prices and qualities, the switch panel I've sort of got my eye on is a 9 switch unit from Force 4 http://www.force4.co.uk/force-4-waterproof-switch-panel-9-switch.html?sqr=fuse box&#.WROXT1PysUF, it's not a cheap and cheerful unit but i'm hoping that means it's a reasonable quality,

my other option is to buy a simple switch block and run the fuses individually, hence the blade fuse question.

Derek

 

[William_H]

I would say that a blade fuse is more reliable than glass tube fuse because the number of contacts /connections is reduced.
It is the contacts that can give trouble on a tube fuse relying on end contact or sometimes clamp contact. Your blade fuse has just wire to connector contact and connector to blade. However the tube fuses lend them selves to panel mounting with front access to the fuse where it is simplest to just strap a blade fuse into a wire bundle so not so easily accessible unless like in my car you have a holder for the crimp connectors making up a fuse box and fuses push in from the front.
I think on a simple installation I would go for blade fuse as I have done but then I have just one fuse for all the boat. olewill

 

[knuterikt]

I like this one with negative bus and easy installation https://www.bluesea.com/products/5025/ST_Blade_Fuse_Block_-_6_Circuits_with_Negative_Bus_and_Cover

 

[Oldhairy]

I re-wired with blade fuses 8 years ago and am satisfied. The only problem has been the 10A fuse for the fridge that kept failing from over heating. That fuse has now been replaced with a blade circuit breaker and is still good after 6 years.

 

[Stemar]

Another vote for blades. I had no end of grief with the glass ones before retiring them a few years ago. Of course, the fact that they, or at least the holders, were over 40 years old may have something to do with it.

I used a blade fuse with an LED. If the fuse blows, the LED lights up. Mind you, the only time fuses have blown on Jissel were when I was making improvements :nonchalance:

 

[sarabande]

Lots more good enclosures for blades, some IP rated to various levels, than there were even a couple of years ago. I have one Blue Sea: good access, easy to check the fuses. AND it has a little yellow clip built in to make extraction of blades easy with cold paws.

Advantages of blades include the colour coding for amperage, and if you drop one on the deck it doesn't break into fragments.

 

[oldgit]

All my fuses are blade, you can also purchase very cheaply a version of the fuse which lights up when failed,immediately indicating which fuse has gone (esp. in dark gloomy lockers or at night) ensuring fast simple identification of culprit and swift replacement.
Very helpful when staring at banks of around 40 fuses and your memory/eyesight is rubbish and your temper is short.

 

[prv]

Mind you, the only time fuses have blown on Jissel were when I was making improvements :nonchalance:

Same here - when I was doing the electronics I popped the 2amp Seatalk fuse multiple times by forgetting to turn it off before meddling with the wiring.

Fortunately blade fuses are cheap and easily available

Pete

 

[KellysEye]

I preferred glass fuses because you can easly see if they are blown with the fractured wire.

 

[john_q]

I bought these blade fuse holders from Blue Seas when I re wired my switch panel, each block has one supply (which I also fused) and holds 8 blade fuses.

I found it was cheaper and more flexible that using breakers, you can choose the wire size and fuse size for each circuit

it would have been nice to be able to mount the blocks inside the switch panel but there was not enough room.

 

[macd]

I preferred glass fuses because you can easly see if they are blown with the fractured wire.

That's probably because you've never used one of the blades stemar mentioned earlier: "blade fuse with an LED. If the fuse blows, the LED lights up".
And, actually, it's pretty easy to see the fracture in a blade fuse wire, anyway. But not half as easy as seeing a glowing LED.

 

[The Folkboat Melody]

All my fuses are blade, you can also purchase very cheaply a version of the fuse which lights up when failed,immediately indicating which fuse has gone (esp. in dark gloomy lockers or at night) ensuring fast simple identification of culprit and swift replacement.
Very helpful when staring at banks of around 40 fuses and your memory/eyesight is rubbish and your temper is short.

Thats not something I've ever come across before, brilliant idea.
I was wanting to fuse everything individually so glass would involve big switch panels which I don't really have a lot of room for in a 26' boat, think I might use a main breaker and bank of blade fuses, means a bit more wiring but hey ho, might as well finish the job right.

Thanks to everyone for your input, you can see her at https://www.facebook.com/The-Folkboat-Melody-980840611961956/ if you're interested.

Derek