Fuses - Can I swap types?

Richard10002

Richard10002

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Blew a fuse fitting a switch for the Navtex last night - It's the top yellow one in the pic - also fuses the Sterling Battery Monitor.

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Question: If I cant find these particular types of fuse, can I use one of the ordinary glass ones or wont they fit properly, (I'm guessing the latter /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

Kind of glad this happened as I did not know that these fuses existed, or what they are protecting /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Also, the old fuse is 5A, but the Navtex book says to fit a 1.5A fuse, and the Sterling instructions say fit a 1A fuse, so I'll be better protected when I've sorted it.
 
I would not do that as it will not normally fit properly.
It looks to me like a normal car type ceramic fuse. You should be able to get these at a petrol station. Take one with you and its a good idea to get the right amperage. Best is to label the wires with the amperage and device its protecting.
 
Those look like the ceramic bodied fuses with conical end caps and the fuse link itself on the outside.

If so then i dont think the end caps of the glass ones will fit even if they are the right length.

Sould be able to get them from car spares shops.
Halfords call then "continental fuses" SEE HERE
 
Agree with Fuss, however I would suggest renewing the fusebox as car type ceramic fuses on a boat are not IMO great, they are open to the air, corrosion etc. A cheap sealed fuse box (car type Plastic you can seal it yourself) with glass fuses would be the way to go you can also seal the wire terminations.

Best of luck
 
And in the same spirit of constructive criticism - may I suggest that you consider supporting the wires to the bulkhead so that they are not hanging off their terminals like that?

I would attach the whole thing to an over size plywood backing plate and secure the cables to it with clips.
 
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Agree with Fuss, however I would suggest renewing the fusebox as car type ceramic fuses on a boat are not IMO great, they are open to the air, corrosion etc. A cheap sealed fuse box (car type Plastic you can seal it yourself) with glass fuses would be the way to go you can also seal the wire terminations.

Best of luck

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This was a half hour job... drill a hole, attach a couple of wires, BINGO but...

Every time you try to do something on a boat, you open a whole new can of worms dont you? - it always ends up costing much more money and time than you think and, once you know of a problem, you cant leave it, as it niggles at the back of your mind till you fix it /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
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have you considered swapping all your fuses with resetting breakers?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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I didnt even know they were there!! - I assumed the two boxes were junction boxes.

NAFOF (Never Assume, Find Out First??)

I'm sure the whole wiring system could do with an overhaul and a tidy up - It's been on the job list since March 2006, (when I bought the boat!!)
 
Good advice to support wires, label fuses and cover.
IMO the type of fitting isn't too important (providing you can get spares easily) as they can all corrode.
The type you are using are easy to see that it is blown (if cover is clear perspex).
Spade fuses have a firmer contact, but you can't see that it is blown.
 
Used to have those fuses on a couple of motorbikes. Absolutely incompatible with damp and salt. That may have been because the bikes were fairly old. One of the fuses fell out leaving me stranded in the fast lane of a motorway once, so I have a particularly dim view of them!
Modern blade type car fuses are much better, as the contacts are way more secure.
I prefer fuses to breakers as they are fail safe, how many mechanisms can be left on a boat for 10 years with no testing or maintenance with sufficient confidence that it will work when needed?
 
Different types of fuses (and circuit breakers) are manufactured with different characteristics to suit different loads. Some will allow higher currents to flow for longer to cater for inductive loads.

We could delve deeply into time/current characteristics, but IMHO most of the time as long as you rate the fuse sensibly (to match the existing) and check to ensure the cabling/circuit it protects is correctly sized, you should be generally OK to use any fuse.

I agree an enclosed fuse is better, for the reasons stated and that when an open fuse is subjected to a heavier load it gets very hot before it melts, it could potentially ignite any flammable gasses in the area.

As others have said, keep your wiring as neat and as well secured as possible and make sure the fuse selected is matched to a holder. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
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