Big Three....

[alpinecrick]

Have any of you used a breaker in lieu of a fuse on the alternator to battery power wire when upgrading the wiring? Pros? Cons?

 

[SUBURBAN5]

I've seen that for aux batt or aux power sources. Ima do mine soon so I'm curious the response you receive

 

[RawbDidIt]

From what I remember, the biggest difference you'll notice is the price. Personally, a breaker can mechanical fail to break the circuit, a fuse cannot, and fuses are cheap, so it's a win win. That said, people run breakers in everything from cars to boats, to houses (obviously) with no issues, so it's not like it's unproven technology. If you don't feel like dicking around with fuses in the most inconvenient time (that's when they blow) then go for the breaker, but I've never maxed out a fuse before, benefits of proper planning *knocks on wood*

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[alpinecrick]

That's kind've what I''m thinking. A fuse isn't mechanical and hypothetically should be more reliable. My concern is the effect of cold and heat under the hood affecting the reliability of a breaker over time.

 

[RawbDidIt]

That's kind've what I''m thinking. A fuse isn't mechanical and hypothetically should be more reliable. My concern is the effect of cold and heat under the hood affecting the reliability of a breaker over time.

I'm more concerned with getting into an accident, and shorting the power cable to ground with something jamming the breaker closed and the battery catching fire. Super long odds, but a fuse wouldn't fail, so it's an unnecessary risk in my mind, regardless of the odds, it's greater than zero.

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[PlayingWithTBI]

Circuit Breakers will get weak after a few trips and won't be reliable after that. We used to test our bigger ones (400A+ in industrial applications) yearly per our insurance co requirements - an expensive proposition! Stick with fuses.

 

[Erik the Awful]

You have to pay to replace a fuse, a circuit breaker can be 'fixed' by resetting it. That's why I prefer fuses - I'm more likely to fix the real problem so I don't have to go to the store.