How many have an in-line fuse for your winch?
11-17-2011, 01:06 AM
#71
JK Junkie
Anyway, this thing with chafing and hot spots is an odd concept. The danger is because a 20 amp load CAN'T destroy a 250 amp circuit. If the 20 (or whatever) amp fault is the result of a pinched or chafed spot that maybe gets a little wet, it starts producing heat. The 250 amp fuse won't blow yet so the chafed spot just keeps producing heat. By the time the fault gets bad enough to pop the big fuse there will already be a lot of heat, so if something flamable is nearby then hello fire! Like a sudden catastrophic circuit failure, these slow burns don't happen very often but they do happen.
This is similar to someone in their house plugging an 18ga extension cord into a 20 amp branch circuit and then plugging a big electric heater into the extension cord. The extension cord can get hot enough to start a fire before the insulation melts through and creates a short that pops the breaker. The heat is from undersized conductors rather than chafing, but the fire starts before the fuse/breaker pops in both cases. They rarely include these details in the newspaper.
But, again, nothing is foolproof. Folks, inspect your wiring in your rig, your house, your shop. If it looks bad it probably is. Fire sux!
Last edited by JK-Ford; 11-17-2011 at 01:19 AM.
11-17-2011, 04:50 PM
#73
JK Super Freak
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Do you know how many amps a 500 ANL fuse is rated for before it melts? Hint: Over 700 amps for more than 1 minute...
11-17-2011, 06:42 PM
#75
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I'm thinking that a fuse that won't melt at 700 amps won't give you much protection - depending on what your winch draws. What's the max amperage your winch is supposed to draw? For example, the maximum my winch is supposed to draw is 416 amps. A 250 amp ANL fuse should blow somewhere around 450 amps after 30 seconds or so.
11-18-2011, 12:43 AM
#76
JK Junkie
So you get to choose what type of fuse that you like best. For choosing size? I know that setting up and installing a 500 amp circuit in a jeep is a little ridiculous. So choose the biggest cable that you can afford to work with. Select a fuse / circuit breaker that will keep the wire from doing the job instead. And, if you can find it, make it a time delay device to handle the higher currents when needed.