No Fuse?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=15459
Printed Date: August 23, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Topic: No Fuse?
Posted By: Finishlyne
Subject: No Fuse?
Date Posted: June 25, 2003 at 8:43 PM
My friend is installing an amp himself, and hes telling me that you don't need a fuse on your power wire from his amp. I know that you have to have one, but I can't convince him. What would happen if he didn't have a fuse on his power wire? Thanks.
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-Andy
Replies:
Posted By: cool_greg
Date Posted: June 26, 2003 at 6:16 AM
if the wire should get damaged... it heat up really fast, starts on fire, battery may explode showering acid everywhere, or catch on fire and the car would burn!!
Put a fuse in!!
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Just a Guy, Wiring up those Vehicals
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Gool_Greg
Posted By: xetmes
Date Posted: June 26, 2003 at 6:43 AM
If it shorts he will be lucky if the wire just lights on fire and thats it, In other words for skipping the instalation of a $5 fuse he could cause a few thousand dollars in damage.
Posted By: testes
Date Posted: June 26, 2003 at 9:23 AM
My friend put an 16 awg wire from his battery to a switch to run some neons. He didnt put a fuse in and he ran the wire through the door jam and the wire melted and started smoking and melted some dash. Idiot? yes indeed. Just think if he was using a 4 or 8 gauge wire for an amplifier.
Posted By: ezridr
Date Posted: June 26, 2003 at 6:47 PM
As long as he is not installing the amp in your car, don't worry if he is ignorant enough not to listen to your advice, if it's in his own car I would suggest making sure you have a well thought out evacuation plan if you ever ride with him.
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My mechanic told me, "I couldn't fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder"
Posted By: xetmes
Date Posted: June 26, 2003 at 7:27 PM
hahaha maybe you can buy him a fire extinguisher instead...
Posted By: Finishlyne
Date Posted: June 27, 2003 at 11:19 AM
Thanks a lot guys, he's convinced now and we got his amp hooked up today.
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-Andy
Posted By: Big Purds
Date Posted: July 01, 2003 at 9:29 PM
hrmmm...
I have never used a fuse in my installs and everything is 1/0 wiring...I am not concerned with blowing anything up and I am not concerned with having fires in my car...I did everything myself and know exactly how much clearance every single wire has before it has any chance of contacting anything that could somehow damage the jacket...everything is securely fastened and I have never encountered a problem...
if you look at a fuse, take a real close look at the filament that carries the current...I think if you have 1/0 wiring and then u neck it down through a fuse (going from over 3/8" of conductive material to less than 1/8" of conductive material) there has got to be some power lost there...I have 1/0 off each of my batteries, 2/0 grounds, and 4 ga out of the distro blocks...the only fuses are in the amps themselves...
I would not reccommend this for any amateur, but I well understand the (small) risk that I take in not fusing this and I think its worth it to me...but as I said, I know where each wire runs and how it makes its way through the car and that there is no chance of it making contact with anything potentially dangerous...
if your friend is competent maybe you should let him be and let him do his install his way...food for thought...
Posted By: cool_greg
Date Posted: July 02, 2003 at 7:03 AM
You really don't have a clue do you, the fuse is there to protect the wiring and the electronics, if a fault developes some where the fuse blows proceting the wiring. Electronics fail and if they are fused then there are lots of sparks and fires, a car accident can damage the wiring, why do you think there is a fuse box in a car? It's not a small risk its a big risk not fusing.
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Just a Guy, Wiring up those Vehicals
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Gool_Greg
Posted By: Big Purds
Date Posted: July 03, 2003 at 2:26 PM
cool_greg wrote:
Electronics fail and if they are fused then there are lots of sparks and fires...
lol...its been awhile since someone here has accused me of not having a clue in this game...and after this statement who doesnt have the clue?
my car is very simple electronically and therefore I dont have concerns about "damaging my wiring" or any part of the cars electronics system...I have a spare computer for my car in case something goes as well as pretty much spare everything else...and as far as fires go, thats what I have insurance for...I have been wiring this way for many years for my own personal vehicles and have never had so much as a spark...I will continue to do so and the advice of some noob on this forum is probably not going to sway my opinion or how I do things very much...
I know what I am doing and I know the risks I am taking...to me I am happy to take that risk...lol, at least until someone comes out with a fuse block that I like and then perhaps I will run dual 200A fuses or something...but until Monster decides to make something appealing, I will run fuseless...
Posted By: Sebastian018
Date Posted: July 03, 2003 at 3:12 PM
the inline fuse in not to protect the amplifier is to !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!protect the wire!!!!!!
Posted By: ezridr
Date Posted: July 03, 2003 at 9:34 PM
Sebastian you are essentially right, that is one of the things it protects, as an end result. Without a fuse if a positive wire gets "shorted" to ground it basically heats up (very hot) and melts its coating off and anything else lying on or around it. Basically it is like a welding line at a lesser voltage. Eventually it will either melt the copper wire or continue to melt until the battery is fried possibly damaging other components in the vehicle and giving you that wonderful burnt smell in your car. Now some amplifier companies don't include a fuse on their circuit board (JL Audio for instance) so if not having a fuse with one of these amps the wire is going to burn and short whatever is at both ends. Amps that do have a fuse will blow the fuse in the amp but will not stopthe wire from burning back to the battery. As far as Big Purds is concerned, there is no "LAW" that says you HAVE to have a fuse or a circuit breaker, it is a reccomendation of every manufacturer though, and makes for good common sense. Not everyone is privy to have extra computers and electrical components for their car lying around and if you haven't looked there are a lot more companies other than Monster that make fuse holders and circuit breakers. I understand that you choose not to use a fuse at the battery and that's a big risk you are willing to take, but that is just your opinion, just don't ever volunteer to wire up any of my amps. ------------- My mechanic told me, "I couldn't fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder"
Posted By: mobile_chick
Date Posted: July 03, 2003 at 10:22 PM
Not using a fuse at the battery is a verry bad idea and it always should have a fuse there. The idea is for the fuse to blow at the source of voltage so that the wire does not set your car on fire which if you have a 8 or 4 guage short out to ground a fire will most likely occur . The fuse is only a little amount of money to replace but your car is not..
Posted By: BD pathfinder
Date Posted: July 03, 2003 at 10:49 PM
I'm sorry but your logic is flawed... If the only reason you refuse to install a fuse is because it (looks to small) and are afraid of loosing power or voltage to the amps? Than you are rely uninformed. Especially if you are running such a large gauge wire to the amps. They can only use and draw so much power off the 12-14v electrical system and if a fuse is rated at 100amps than that is the most it can carry, even though your system is only pulling 25 amps through your 300 amp wire.. It is overkill and a market fad to run such wiring to your system. As far as running everything in a good safe place so nothing rubs the jacket and causes a short, that's imposable to grantee. What about a car wreck and the wire is crimped and shorted out sparking that new fuel spill.. I have seen it happen. And for insurance, they have investigators that DO know what to look for. and when they find an aftermarket install of oversized unfused wire directly to the battery they will refuse to pay. You cant destroy your own car and stick out your hand. I have been part of insurance clam investigations and also seen personally the result of a fire caused by such an install. I wont just melt the copper or jacket. The thing will get red hot,, and hot enough in a matter of moments to catch other things on fire. Like melting a hard brake line or fuel line, interior carpeting or other wires they cross. It WILL burn your car to the ground. I suggest you study oams law figure out exactly what your amps are actually drawing, determine the real wiring size needed, and than think of what you are doing and risking. A 100 amp fuse will not restrict voltage or reduce the amount of power you system can draw. GOOD LUCK...
Posted By: mobiletoys2002
Date Posted: July 03, 2003 at 11:44 PM
What makes you think the fuse adds so much resistance that it will affect your sytem? Everything you will add to your sytem has resistance the 1 guage wire you have will cause a voltage drop to your amp just as a fuse will, but the thing is this drop is not much at all and your amp will still get the voltage it needs to perform at its best with or without the fuse. A fuse will add different amounts of resitance, a wafer style fuse will add a verry little amount of resitance compared to an agu style fuse but either fuse will not add enough to do anything to a system and one day when your car is burning up you will see what you have caused by not adding that fuse. But as they say to each there own and all i have to say is good luck to you and i am glad i can install my own sytems because if someone were ever to wire a sytem for me i would hope they knew enough to always be safe instead of me being sorry after my car is on fire.
Posted By: mobiletoys2002
Date Posted: July 04, 2003 at 12:51 AM
OH BY THE WAY A 8 GUAGE WIRE THAT IS ABOUT 12 FEET LONG THAT WAS SHORTED WOULD HAVE ABOUT 1,200 AMPS GOING THROUGH IT AND DISSIPATE ABOUT 14,000 WATTS SO THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU DONT FUSE THAT IS MORE HEAT THAN YOUR STOVE CAN PRODUCE.
Posted By: mobiletoys2002
Date Posted: July 04, 2003 at 1:55 PM
what if your amp decides to go and make its own path from positive to negative causing a direct short. all that good routing of wire will get you nothing but a burnt power wire and anything else in its path including your car.
Posted By: bigunner1
Date Posted: July 04, 2003 at 9:19 PM
i couldn't agree more, even at sound offs the judges look for fuses, and other saftey precautions. i have six fuses in my system, so that must mean i am only getting one sixth of the performance? i have a 100amp circiut breaker mounted within 18" of the battery, three 60amp fuses at the dist.block, also within 18" of all 3 amps, plus the 40 amp maxi fuses in each amp. all this protection and still the ability to hit a clean 130db. with only 2 10" subs in a reg. cab truck! safety is the key, and plus, the gold fuses and blocks and stuff give your system a nice professional look.
Posted By: Big Purds
Date Posted: July 05, 2003 at 5:52 PM
lol...
I said in my original post (if any of you can read thoroughly before running your mouths) that I install this way for myself in my own car...I install for people everyday and dont do it anywhere else unless the customer requests it and fully understands the risks...
I am aware that other companies make distros and fuse blocks, but everything I have is monster so I will keep everything monster...besides I dont really like any other manufacturers fuse blocks either...
my system as it stands can draw 270A of current...tell me that 100A or 150A fuse is NOT going to restrict the power going through there...they pop in seconds...bear in mind that this is just the system, not the car...
what if your amp decides to go and make its own path from positive to negative causing a direct short. all that good routing of wire will get you nothing but a burnt power wire and anything else in its path including your car.
mobiletoys, there is enough power there that the amp will burn up inside before anything else...the PCB will melt before "burning down my car..." dont believe me? put 270A of current through a PCB and tell me what happens...been there, done that...so your theory of the amp dead shorting and causing a fire has no merit...I am running 2 batteries, out of a diesel truck...1100CCA each...
in closing, everyone has their opinions and they are welcome to keep them...I fully understand the risks and havent read anything posted here that hasnt already been taken into consideration...
but thank you all for your concern 
Big Purds - RiskTaker...
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