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200 amp circuit breaker

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=103967
Printed Date: March 29, 2024 at 9:56 AM


Topic: 200 amp circuit breaker

Posted By: michael.laroya
Subject: 200 amp circuit breaker
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 10:33 AM

Ok maybe a dumb question but my friends amp got burned out this weekend, he has only one amp and the manual says to use a 120amp fuse on the battery  but he was running it off a 80 amp fuse and was working great for about a week then the fuse blew out. So he went out to get a new fuse (a 120amp) fuse and couldn't find one so he got a 150 amp fuse when he hooked it up and tried it out all of a sudden smoke was comming out of the amp and now does not work.

So I am teriffied of putting a 200amp circuit breaker on my system when my system only needs about a 100 amps. Will putting a 200amp circuit breaker on a system that only needs 100 amps damage my system? I also have a dsitrubition block in the back with additional fuses.



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bighead



Replies:

Posted By: slipitysmooth
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 10:40 AM
an inline fuse is not to protect the amp...the fuses on the amp serve this purpose. An inline fuse is simply to protect the wire. Also, a larger fuse will not "blow" an amp...either the amp shorted internally, or was ran at to low of a load..or the like.




Posted By: KPierson
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 1:35 PM
How big is the wire that you are putting the circuit breaking on?  If the wire isn't 2 guage or smaller the 200A circuit breaker is too big.

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Kevin Pierson




Posted By: michael.laroya
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 1:55 PM
0 gauge, so this will not damage any of my equipment?

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bighead




Posted By: theetimurban
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 1:57 PM

slipitysmooth wrote:

not to protect the amp...the fuses on the amp serve this purpose.

I disagree, what about the amps that don't have onboard fuses?



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Posted By: KPierson
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 2:52 PM

No, it won't damage your equipment and it will protect the wiring.

If the amp doesn't have a fuse in it, you should add a fuse inline near the amp.  The fuse at the battery is to protect the wiring, not the amp.



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Kevin Pierson




Posted By: theetimurban
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 7:51 PM

KPierson wrote:

If the amp doesn't have a fuse in it, you should add a fuse inline near the amp.  The fuse at the battery is to protect the wiring, not the amp.

Well yeah. I guess what I should have said was, inline fuses aren't just to protect the wiring.



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Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: April 14, 2008 at 7:58 PM

The 80 amp fuse blew because there was a problem with the amplifier.  The amp blew up and blew the fuse.  The 150 amp fuse did not blow the amp, it was already blown.





Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: April 15, 2008 at 8:49 AM
I was TRYING to post this yesterday, but the power went out at my office... I was able to actually copy and save, though, you lucky, LUCKY kids! posted_image

If an amp is built with no fuse protection, the manual SHOULD tell you what size fuse to use for IT'S protection. I would personally NEVER buy anything that isn't built with it's own overcurrent protection, and any RESPECTABLE manufacturer wouldn't either.

For a manufacturer to build a device with no overcurrent protection is just plain stupid, and unsafe. To assume that the user will provide it correctly is a guarantee that they will either have a lawsuit on their hands (for burning someones car to the ground), or a HUGE warranty department (for repairing all of the fried amplifiers that will inevitably make it back to them).

But slipitysmooth is completely correct. The underhood fuse is to protect the primary power wire and the car, and should be sized to the MAXIMUM AMPACITY OR LESS for the wire in which it is installed:

#8 - 100A
#4 - 150A
#2 - 225A
1/0 - 300A

Issues with this statement? Please read this thread...

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."




Posted By: theetimurban
Date Posted: April 15, 2008 at 7:52 PM

haemphyst wrote:

and any RESPECTABLE manufacturer wouldn't either...

Sure 'bout that? https://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=120&i=136HD7501&search=jl+amp&tp=115



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Posted By: audiocableguy
Date Posted: April 15, 2008 at 11:26 PM
"I would personally NEVER buy anything that isn't built with it's own overcurrent protection, and any RESPECTABLE manufacturer wouldn't either".

Looking back, My Hifonics Series 7+8, Linear Power, Monolithics, Early Orion, PPI AM and PG, only offered thermal protection. Certainly respectible products. None of them offered on board fuse or circuit breaker protect. A cheap fuse holder was included with some wire and instructions to mount fuse 18" from the battery and that's it.

I do agree the fuse or CB is to protect the wire. I also believe that some manufactures did in fact expect the proper protection to be installed by owner.





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