Additional fuse box - will this do?

[chriscburgess]

I want to add a fuse box for accessories to my leisure battery.

Just for internal lighting, stereo, fridge, cigarette socket (mobile charging)

will this do?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-WAY-BLADE-F ... 4ac798b020" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CJH]

Yes, it will, but keep in mind that you'll have to make your own 'daisy chain' on one side of the box if you want all the fuses to be supplied from the same source.

I went for one of these:

(Part FHAL106 from Vehicle Wiring Products Ltd)
It's a bit more expensive, but it needs only a single connection from the battery, and it has LEDs that light up to show if a fuse has blown.

[chriscburgess]

Thanks!

Now i am showing my ignorance what is a daisy chain and how do i make one?

[CJH]

Thanks!

Now i am showing my ignorance what is a daisy chain and how do i make one?

I'm sure it's not the correct technical term - I just meant you'll need to supply the first fuse position from the battery, then loop it to the next fuse position etc. Short lengths of cable between adjacent spade terminals. Easy to do though. Alternatively you could run separate appropriately rated cables from the battery to each position in the fuse box. If you go for either the daisy chain approach, or the fuse box I showed above, the cable between the battery and the fuse box should be big enough to cope with the sum of all your loads. If you get the box I showed, take the opportunity to order all the appropriate cable from them too. Their 'thinwall' cable is good, and their website helpfully lists the cable rating for all the different sizes.

Do I sound like a shill for them? I've got no interest in the company - but they do have a good range.

[lloydy]

just means linking all the live spades together, other wise you have to run a seperate supply to each fuse. I have both types fitted to my van. At the front under the seat i have your type, with a seperate supply to each fuse. Mainly because my gold distribution block is right next to it (i think its a bit tidier under there now..)

Then for the rear of the van ive used the other type. So i only had to run one cable to the rear


beat me to it.....

[CJH]

beat me to it.....

By 4 minutes. Keep up!

[chriscburgess]

Thanks Guys that all makes sense now. Think I will go for the single supply route - it will be simpler for a man of my limited talents

[lloydy]

beat me to it.....

By 4 minutes. Keep up!

c'mon now, i did find photo's

[CJH]

Not saying where I got mine from. MP71. £8.95 well spent. Makes really good crimps.


D1. £3.73. Good for stripping cables.

[CJH]

beat me to it.....

By 4 minutes. Keep up!

c'mon now, i did find photo's

I'll give you that.

[Smcknighty]

I have something similar to d1 that may or may not have been liberated from a gcse electronics class 20 plus years ago - still going strong. Tools are for life not just for Christmas!

[CJH]

Tools are for life not just for Christmas!

Unless you're in charge of a GCSE class, obviously, in which case they're 'consumables'.

[chriscburgess]

Thanks!

Now i am showing my ignorance what is a daisy chain and how do i make one?

I'm sure it's not the correct technical term - I just meant you'll need to supply the first fuse position from the battery, then loop it to the next fuse position etc. Short lengths of cable between adjacent spade terminals. Easy to do though. Alternatively you could run separate appropriately rated cables from the battery to each position in the fuse box. If you go for either the daisy chain approach, or the fuse box I showed above, the cable between the battery and the fuse box should be big enough to cope with the sum of all your loads. If you get the box I showed, take the opportunity to order all the appropriate cable from them too. Their 'thinwall' cable is good, and their website helpfully lists the cable rating for all the different sizes.

Do I sound like a shill for them? I've got no interest in the company - but they do have a good range.

Sorry still being dense here - but what size cable do you think I would need to run to the fuse box from the battery if I have some internal LEDS, radio, fridge and cigarette letter on the other ends of fuses?

[CJH]

Sorry still being dense here - but what size cable do you think I would need to run to the fuse box from the battery if I have some internal LEDS, radio, fridge and cigarette letter on the other ends of fuses?

Roughly:
LEDs - depends on how many, but they're not big consumers, say 5A for a van full?
Radio - <5A for most models
Fridge - this is a big consumer, allow for 10A probably
CLA - it depends what you plug into it, but it's worth cabling it for 10A

If you want to feed a fuse box with a single cable from the battery, the cable has to be able to cope with all of those loads at once, so add them up (~30A if the above figures are right, but you should really check your own equipment). If you're going to run a separate feed from the battery to each fuse position, the cable only needs to cope with the load on that fuse. As a rule, the fuse should be rated for a little more than the expected load, the cable should be rated a bit higher than the fuse (so that the fuse blows before the cable melts!)

[chriscburgess]

Brilliant!!! That all makes now. Thanks for all your help.