Fuse distance from the battery...

[BRUN]

right......as my battery is now in the scuttle panel i need to extend my power cable for my 4 channel amp

ive got a piece of cable that will fit to the battery from where the other cable finishes, and i was hoping to simply put the fuse holder there

the cable is just over 1m long but ill probably be trimmin at least 12" off it....

whats the max distance from the battery the fuse can be ?.......

cos id rather do that than have to connect the cable together and then make another cut nearer the battery

 

[Philuk]

as long as there is a fuse in the engine bay it doesnt matter how long the cable is.. as far as im aware this is correct but it will be something for me to learn if its incorrect

 

[Lunner]

I heard it shoudl be as close to the battery as physically pussible, cus if there is a short between the battery and fuse then the whoel thing goes bang.

Think max distance is sommet like 6", but dont quote me on that, all i know is it has to be real close.

Why not simply buy a junction box the join the cable together?

 

[MAXIBOY]

i will be ok as long as it doesn,t pass though any where it could short

 

[John V6]

As close to the battery as possible.

The further it is from the battery you have no protection from the battery to the fuse.

 

[Bryan]

the closer to the battery the better, most autoleads kits suggest around 12" from the battery, i personally prefer to have it nearer to 6"

 

[sajc]

Theres no minimum length. Remember that the fuse is there to protect the *cable*, not the devices attached to the end of it. So if you have a fuse, then all the cable after the fuse is protected from catching fire if it shorts (as long as you dont change wire gauge). The bit that is *before* the battery is NOT protected, so if it shorts, then it WILL burn. So the only reason that people say keep it as short as possible is so that theres less chance of it shorting. You can have it as long as you want, as long as youre completely sure that it wont short on anything.

The best spot for the fuse would be to have a fused battery clamp/distributon block on the terminal. That way, the entire wire is protected because there is nowhere it can short. But theres usually no room for that kind of thing.

If I have to run it very far from the terminal to the fuse holder, then I use a piece of garden hose to insulate it further. The 4AWG wire fits perfectly inside a powdered garden hose length

So basically, low long can you run the wire where you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that theres no way it could rub or short on anything? Thats how long you can make the cable before the fuse.

Scott.

 

[BRUN]

well the cable isnt gonna move, and its all properly insulated