How to Choose Wire and Fuse Size | (PREVENT FIRES) BASICS OF WIRE/FUSE SIZE
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- čas přidán 30. 10. 2019
- In this video I teach you how to calculate the correct wire size and amp-rated fuse for each load in your off grid electrical system! After watching this video you will understand the importance of cable and fuse size.
This week, we got the majority of our electrical system connected!
West Marine 12V Ampacity Chart: www.westmarine.com/WestAdviso...
Max Current to AWG Chart: imgur.com/jfpTGYm
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Thanks. That was clear and easy to understand. I enjoy the thorough explanations and elaborations.
You're so welcome! Thanks Randall ☺️
Clear and concise.
I appreciate you! 🫡💯
Thanks man, this has been explained to me so many times but I think it will stick with your simple examples!
Glad I could help! :)
Been watching way to many videos on wiring for my tiny house and this is definitely the best one! Thanks so much ✌🏼
I'm so glad to hear it helped you ☺️
DID A GREAT JOB THANKS
Have been looking all over to get a good understanding of how breakers are sized! Thanks!
Glad to help!
I’m building a very similar setup right now in my sprinter so this was suuuuper helpful
Outstanding video! Thanks for the clear and informative video. Thanks for posting all your stuff.
Thanks for the comment! ☺️
Great video. Answered alot of questions for me! 👍
Love the video man. Super helpful.
Oh thank you thank you thank you lol. I've been watching videos and trying to get a proper understanding of fuse sizing. I finally got it with your example near the end and the way you worded it. Oof! Ok I think I can finally start sizing my wires and fuses for my solar install! I just finished installing the panels on my roof, so I've been breaking my brain trying to figure out this next step 🙏🏻
I'm so glad I was able to help you! Thanks for commenting ☺️
Hard work put into this one earned a thumbs up and a subscribe... Thanks!
Much appreciated!
Fantastic!! Made perfect sense.
I learned so much from this video thank you! This is my system I’ve planned for my semi truck.
3000w 48v inverter
3000W/48V=62.5A
62.5A x 1.25%=78amps
Round up to a 80amp fuse
Wire size must Handel 62.5A
Wire: 4awg 120amps max
circuit breaker: 80amps
I have saved this video for reference. Great explanations👍
This video helped me a lot...hungry for more of your content!!!!
Glad to hear!! More is on the way :)
After watching you finally prepared to wire my boston whaler 15Ft proyect, thanks
Fantastic video. Very well done. I learned a ton in just 9 minutes. 👍👍👍
I'm so glad I was able to help! ☺️
Thank you for your education and teaching
Thank you for the chart you saved me more aggravation then you'll ever know Bravo!!!
You're welcome :)
Great video man 💪😎
Thanks a lot man, your chart or table or whatever we should name it, abt amps and sizing fuse is really helpful, which I could not find such info with ease in other videos. Thanks again
You're welcome! Glad you got some value :)
Good vid, agree with everything.
Excellent!
Excellent
Very well explain thank you
very well explain 👍
Great video
Very informative thank you. Steve UK
With a lithium bank, you might want to replace that breaker with a fuse that has a much higher AIC rating. A Class-T fuse has an AIC of 20,000. And it's response time is much faster than a thermal breaker. Your videos are awesome and well produced!
That is not true.. ANL fuses allow for Inrush Startup current...And ANL fuses are slow blow just for that reason..If you want a fast blow fuse. You need an ANN fuse...
And breakers are not slow blow..They detect short to ground faults. And will trip the second they see that..Ground fault are even faster. They trip within 50ms...
I would add... You use Automotive grade wiring..Not the same stuff you use in a house..You also use Automotive grade TESA tape to wrap it inside a wire loom..
Awesome, Thank you ✌🏽
Thanks for commenting 👍 & you're welcome ☺️
Well made video and a good description - now comes the dreaded part of buying 40 feet of 4 AWG cable.
Thanks so much for the comment :) glad we were able to help!
Thank you very much.
You are welcome! Thanks for watching & commenting!
Super helpful
Glad it helped
Helpful as I'm trying to figure out why mine has fuse cut off on a 24v 280amps lifepo4 batteries.
Ty sir
Good video
Thanks Leo :)
Great
Is there a chart available that that shows the gauge achieved when combining which gauges?
Got it.
Anyway you could do a video about your solar wiring? About to jump into vanlife and as most, solar is confusing. If not a video maybe could answer a question... Looks like everything is ran through your busbars. Is that correct? I looked at simple solar plans and decided it was going to be easy but now that I have all the stuff for a larger system I am very confused. Essentially, I'm good with the main objective of your video, but am more so interested in knowing what exactly you're doing in the timelapse of this video aha.
Will circuit breaker switches then turn off when a certain temperature is reached? (on their own?)
your max current to awg chart seems to be different then some others. How do i know what awg to use for my battery to bus bar ? im finding a lot of different info for max current to awg..
i don't understand why i'm finding sources online that give conflicting information about max amps for wire sizes. For example, the link you provide claims that 2/0 wire can handle 330 amps, but i have found at least three other sources that claim 2/0 wire can only handle 175 amps. which is it???
From my understanding 2/0 can handle 330A. 175 amps can be handled by 2 AWG wire easily and it's a good deal thinner than 2/0
Hey I know this is old, but 2/0 is 00, (two zeros, and 2 is just 2
Hello thanks for the video, i have a question as i am desginging a system of 11kw of solar panels, each panel is rated 540w and Short circut current 13.55qmps. Recommend on panel for series fuse is 25amps, i was wondering if i install 21 panell and make 2 strings. 11panels and 10 panels then at the output what ratting of dc circuit breaker should i use as the mppt charge control is used in inverter and voltages keeps fluctuate as per irradiance. So how to design dc circuit breaker for both strings.
Do you size your fuse and wires for an inverter's normal power, or an inverter's surge power?
Thanks , I really appreciate the video! I'm considering running about 15 ft of wire from my Jackery 240's 12v socket to the back of my Transit Connect. I want to run a sound bar (via a 200W or 300W converter at the back), some LED lights (including USB), a 12v or USB rechargeable fan, plus 1-2 other USB things - like a phone recharger... ALL from a switched splitter. Do you think 16 awg would suffice? Do I need a fuse?
Good job. Very clear. New subscriber. Just to be clear, solid strand Romex wire is only for the AC side, right?
Solid strand will work, but multi strand is preferred in a camper because it will hold up much better to the vibrations/movements. Solid strand is more likely to break off/snap in that setting.
Nice video! Can you provide an explanation. Why a fuse is needed between positive battery terminal and positive bus bar, as all the devices have fuses after the bus bar. Also the fuses between bus bar and device, where should it be located? Closer to bus bar, or the device?
The fuses should be as close as possible to the battery. You want the fuse as close to the battery to minimize the possibility of short circuiting before the fuses. If you have a short circuit happen and the fuse is on the other side of the wiring, it will not break the connection when it shorts and you'll likely have a fire. There are 2 reasons I put a fuse on the battery terminal 1) my inverter doesn't have a fuse so it works as the inverters fuse 2) it also works as a "master fuse" so if there is a short and for some reason another fuse doesn't break the connection, this one will.
How did you figure out what size fuse to use on your battery?
Can you insert a drawing or sketch step defining how you connected all together. Thank you
102620/0411h pst. Thank you for the informational video. I learned from your explanations and experience. Stay safe. 73s...
I have a question.. i have a led light bar on my jeep and the in line fuse (30A) corroded due to moisture. I got a replacement one. But im thinking the wires are larger then light bar's original wires. eg. 16ga. Light/ 12ga. Fuse. Fuse is rated for 30A. Would i see a light output drop?
If the wires are thicker than original you shouldn't have a decrease in output, if anything you should have a increase as thicker wire = less resistance and less resistance = less voltage drop over the distance of the wires.
The one issue I see here is that I do not believe a 30A fuse is the right size for a 16AWG wire. So if you get a short there, the 16AWG wire may catch on fire before the 30a fuse pops.
Thank You for this video, very well made. I wish I would have seen you di the cable lugs - crimp in a slower manner :-0)
Thanks for the comment! Getting those crimps right can be kind of a pain. If it's the smaller ones and you're using a racheting crimp tool, they definitely have a "right" way to be turned. Unfortunately every time I use them I have to figure it out and usually waste/ruin 2-3 connectors on my first one . If it's the big lugs you're talking about it's pretty straight forward as there's no special orientation -- but I have had to crimp those big lugs a couple times in different places to ensure it's tightly holding the cable (e.g. sometimes the lugs are longer than the clamping area of the big crimper, so I'll crimp the first half then the 2nd half).
@@projectvagrant8197 Thanks for taking the time to respond and sharing some of your experience. It still would make an interesting video !. I have a ratcheting crimper and other,, I recently tried about 4 different hydrolic crimper off of Amazon. None had the same size Dies,!! Measurement is in mm or not too accurate AGW . I crimped with the Hydrolics 2/0 to 6G. It's a puzzle to know what is a good crimp at times. I don't get what you are saying about a "right" way to be turned. What connectors are you talking about? I probably have not used those yet.
heat rises. You had it right the first time. Just add a u s b fan To extract from the top.
If your building a tiny home, or stealth camper, I recommend DIYer's buy an UGLY's Book. It has guides for wire size and breaker/fusing sizes. As a Electrician, I will point out that the example of 10 gauged wire is rated for 30 Amps for THWN and THHN wire. 8 gauge wire is rated for 40 Amps THWN and THHN wire. Also unless your operating a dryer or electric stove, 12 gauge THWN and THHN wire is rated for 20 Amps and is well within the safety factors for a 15amp electrical outlet for house hold appliances. So far I like this explanation of his build but I thought I'd add some commercial electrical suggestions as THHN and THWN wire is available at LOWE's and Home Depot and cheaper than automotive wire.
I think THHN is not entirely to spec for RV application (not that most people care about the regulations -- I have some 14awg THHN connecting one or two circuits when I was in a pinch). I really appreciate your input and recommendations though, I have "loved" your comment so it hopefully pins to the top so viewers see it ☺️👍
@@projectvagrant8197 Thanks, THHN is Residential and commercial rated wires. What it stands for is the ambient heat, oil and water resistance of the jacket of the wires. Stranded THHN or THWN wire in a build for a tiny home or van build should pass safety and inspections. Automotive wire is the same look on the jacket it will say THWN. If you buy it from a Automotive dealer, it will cost five times more than buying it from Home Depot or Lowes or your local hardware and Lumber supply. That's why I suggested it. The Wire gauge is what protects the electrical system, as long as you do not undersize your wires or over load the circuits.
A 30Amp circuit requires a 10AWG wire and a 20 Amp circuit needs a 12AWG wire. a 15 Amp circuit only requires a 14AWG wire, but using a 12AWG on a 15Amp circuit breaker or fuse to feed a 15Amp rated outlet will not exceed the temperature rating of the wire or the outlet, especially when your fuse for breaker is rated for 15 Amps on a 120v circuit. It's just a little inside look to save you money on your build and not having to buy multiple sized wire. You'll actually have a cleaner voltage rating and less resistance. We use this method in the industry for clean rooms and neutrals on shared circuits in single and three phase wiring.
The National Electrical code amperage tables do not apply to Rvs or boats. And generally welding cable or high amperage battery cable is used that have hundreds of strands and can support far more amps then THWN or THHN. We are talking about DC and high amperage battery systems.
@@robertgregory2618 you can use thicker stranded wire, but you loose more volts because of the resistance. When you oversized you cables. You wire gauge should still follow some industry standards, to avoid potential fire hazards. Bigger cables on a converted circuit could accidentally allow more amps to be fed to a device that was rated for only a certain amount of current and could damage or even catch the device or fire or injure someone operating it.
@@jwells4853 There are marine standards and others. Fuses prevent to much current. Problem is 12 volts. That's 3 more than a 9 volt battery for my remote control. 120 is 10 times more voltage hence not a lot of voltage drop to worry bout but 12 volts it become huge problem. Boats and rvs aren't covered by Nec but doesn't mean you can skimp on stuff.
you use breakers only . even is you have an inverter? cause I have seen breaks not being able to take the amps that inverters draw. I have a 2000 pure sine wave inverter . I can't find a 200 amp .breaker
amzn.to/3BxvKEo
Heya! I have a question for you :) I always try to cross-reference any info I get so I can confirm what I'm learning is accurate. I've been trying do that with Max Current per AWG size for fuse sizing, and gosh is there ever conflicting and confusing information all over the web! So my question is how and where did you get the chart that you used in the video? I'd like to be able to cross reference it with multiple sources, so its provenance and what name it goes by or search terms you might have used would be very useful!
It’s seems like no one knows and no one is answering. I’m frustrated too!
Yes, I was also looking for the chart for wires size versus max current, but could not find it...
After looking closer, I found the chart link, in his description...
@@dmmak2678 if you check out battle borns wire chart it says 8 gauge should be able to carry 85-150 amps where this says something much lower. That’s the issue. Why the discrepancy. Have you( or anyone) found an answer?
@@shofarsogood7504 I was looking for the chart he used, online, which I found. But in answer to your question, I do not know why the differences between the wire charts...as you know, there are many different types/ratings for same size wire, which might have something to do with it...
Hello, Please I have this INVERTER Growatt 5KW 48V 220V Solar Hybrid Inverter SPF SPF 5000TL HVM-WPV-P Max PV Input Voltage 450V MPPT 100A Solar Charger Can Par . Please can you show me what type of battery I will need to run this?
Hello . where should dc fuse be installed, in the negative wire or positive?
Positive wire. As close to the power source as possible to minimize possibilities of short circuits
Did you use regular 12 gauge Romax? Is it or is it stranded wire? I’ve always been taught the DC current runs on the outside of the cable that’s more stranded wire make life easier for your current? Good video
I believe the wiring I used is linked in the description. I mostly used Ancor marine wire duplex red/black 12awg for everything except the things that pull a lot of juice (inverter, chargers). Definitely only use stranded, as it will withstand a mobile application much better than solid wire.
@@projectvagrant8197 ❤️🇺🇸THANK YOU SIR!
INSTALLING MY OWN “BACK UP” SYSTEM. UPGRADING MY RENOGY 2 PANEL SYSTEM TO 4...100 WATT PANELS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR VIDEO SERIES❤️🇺🇸 GOD BLESS OUR AMERICA, CONSTITUTION AND D.J.T.❤️❤️🇺🇸
hi there, I have a question about fusing, why we can't just put a smaller fuse on the output than this big fuse between battery and inverter?
Because without a fuse there, if a short circuit happens, there is nothing protecting those wires. If there is a short circuit and no fuse, the connection will stay shorted and lead to the wires heating up, melting plastic, and likely start a fire.
It may be easier to put a terminal fuse on your batterys positive post and connect your inverter through that.
I definately had to watch this vid over and over again .
Very grateful, its a like from me and Subscribed.
Thankyou
I put my own system in the SmartSolar charge controller it's a MPPT 100 I 50
Is 4 gauge wire thick enough for my 4 6 v batteries ran to a 3000 watt sine wave inverter?? what size fuse should I run between the battery and the 3000 watt inverter?? Thanjs
So a 120 fuse for my 4 g wire? Thanks
3000 watts / 12 volts = 250 amps (assuming youre connecting your batteries to be 12v). So you need wiring that can handle at least 250 amps. And then fuse for whatever that wire can handle
Project Vagrant 👍🏻
Your videos are really well made! So I subscribed! However, I think to get more subs you need to work on your thumbnails, and make them more clickable!! ❤️
Thank you so much Jess! I really appreciate the honest feedback and I agree 100% -- my thumbnails need work! I would like to remake a lot of them. Do you think the pictures themselves need work or they just need different text/font/style to them?
Project Vagrant i think both maybe. make them more click baity so like for a video of you doing the electrical with you holding wires looking confused or like you’ve done something wrong. cuz then people will go “oo i wonder what happened” right now your videos are layed our very instructional which is good as it makes it easy to look for the one needed but maybe you could make your photos more click able but keep the instructional text x
@@jessperci thanks! I will have to start reworking them as I have time 🙂 we appreciate you!
I just built a 400 watt solar setup. I bought 4 6 v batteries.. I have a 30 amp controller,, Should I use a 4o watt breaker for the controller?? also what other fuses should I use ?? thanks
Breaker/fuse size depends on the wire size you use, per the video. Every positive cable should be fused more or less. Fuse as close to the battery as possible.
Project Vagrant thanks so much.. Some fuse the solar wire coming into the controller ??Should I do that? Its 4 100 watt panels in series with a factory renogy solar cable connecting to my 30 amp controller.thanks for your help
Project Vagrant i am actually fussing the wires persay not the units.. I get it now . Thanks using 4 gauge wire and my battery cables are 1 gauge.
@@daveyboy8907 it's handy to have a breaker/switch/fuse on the positive wire coming into the controller from the solar panels because you do not want to leave the panels connected to the controller without the batteries. This is because without the batteries, there is no where for the electricity to go, and can cause the controller to overheat.
Project Vagrant ok will do, thank you so much..
Just put of interest, what's the issue with using a fuse rated too high? Say a 200 amp fuse is no good on 4 AWG wire?
Because fuses are meant to protect wires from taking too much current (amps). I believe that 4 awg is only rated to something like 120 amps. If you use a 200amp fuse on the wire, and it shorts circuits or you put a device that pulls over 120 amps, then the wire will have more than 120 amps going through it until it gets over 200 amps and then the fuse will pop the connection. The issue is, in that time it goes over the rated 120 amps and before it hits 200amps, the wire will likely get so hot that it will catch on fire and begin burning things surrounding it and that it is connected to.
@@projectvagrant8197
Yes, makes total sense when you consider the fuse is there to protect the wire. I had someone telling me the fuse was there to protect the inverter. Thanks for the reply mate 👍
Is it just me or did anyone else get lost with the imgur link ... I was clicking next for 3 hrs before I realized I was watching YT XD
Great video, sorry for a very stupid question, but how do you work out a mega fuse? ( still don't know what i'm doing as you can tell :) is it the same???
Hey Diana, not sure I understand. I have never heard of a "mega fuse" and did some googling but all I found was a brand of fuses named MEGA. :)
@@projectvagrant8197 hehe :) they are called mega link fuses, could be anything from 100-500A
@@dianavr3291 it will just follow the same principle, you want a wire that can handle at least whatever your fuse size is you're choosing
Ok one thing. Please buy proper cable gauge instead of having multiple cables running from the inverter to the batteries. The current set up will cause electrical resonance dissonance.
That was included with my inverter directly from Renogy and has worked fine for over a year and a half now.
Solar panel system
I have 325 watt solar panels they are 34 volt panels with a open current voltage of 42 volts and with max current at 9.32 amps. I have a Rover PG 60 amp MPPT solar charge controller with a max open current voltage of 150 volts and I plan to use the 48 volt system which is rated at 3200 watts for a 48 volt system. I have a 48 volt lithium ion battery 50ah with 3.5 kw. So based off the max wattage input I can only install 9 -- 325 watt solar panels which equals to 2925 watts and a open current voltage of 379 volts which is way over the max open current voltage of 150 volts rated for the charge controller, so my question is which pv module wiring configuration do I use to wire my 9 solar panels to my charge controller and also I checked the manual of the controller and there is no pv module configurations, please I need help which wiring configuration do I use to install my solar panels ???????
I *BELIEVE* you could do groups of 3 panels connected to each other in series. In series, this would be 34v * 3 = 102v. Still 9.32 amps, then connect those 3 groups together in parallel. In parallel, this would be 9.32a * 3 = 27.96 amps. So 102v max at 27.96a max. Please double check me on this but I think that should work within your parameters :)
@@projectvagrant8197 thank you very much I will be testing this method next week
@@projectvagrant8197 hi also I have another question, which amp Breaker should I use between the solar panel and the charge controller and which type of amp breaker should I use from the battery to the inverter ?
@@702goat you determine fuse size from a wire's ampacity. You determine wire size by current your device will pull
@@projectvagrant8197 ok because on my solar panels it’s says fuse ratting 20 amps so do I use a 20 amp breaker between the solar panels and controller and I will be using 8 or 10 gauge wire
So what fuse would I use for a 60a DC to DC charger with 2 gauge wire?
They must of updated the chart because it does not match your chart.
Never use a fuse rating higher than your wires can handle
OMG the music makes it so I can’t understand what you are saying. Sorry but cut the music on sections you are trying to explain things! 😊
I could really do without the music... as is difficult enough to process all the electrical data...(why does so many yters think they have to spice it up with music?
The background (music?) was too loud.
It's obvious you know what you're doing and much effort went into it. But as a novice you went too fast for my old feeble mind and the music was distracting. Also If you could have explained every component once you had it all put together would have been helpful. I see you have a battery charger connected as well as a charge controller. Isn't a charge controller essentially a battery charger?
I'm using 0 guage wire on everything so I don't get any CZcams comments.
music annoying!
I understand it’s one’s own video but the music is awful