Help: How do I wire these switches on this panel?

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Southcoasting

I bought this Tartan panel to retrofit it on my Tartan 34 Classic. The old wiring was connected to a fuse penal. I am trying to figure out how to wire this panel switches. Does it matter which connector it goes to (top or bottom?).



Any good diagrams out there for how to connect switches?

One side of all the circuit breakers are connected with a metal strip=DC + ( common)
Circ breakers are Amp rated, let's say a pump is rated at 10A you need to connect the pos from the pump to the appropriate rated C breaker 15A to the other side of the C breaker..and so on.
The DC neg goes to common bus bar which is connected to the neg battery.
Same concept as a fused panel...

[ccanupii]

I am sure this has been recommended, but always disconnect the power, even 12v system, before doing work.

As a licensed electrician I would be more than happy to tell you that you should hire a professional to do this. Wiring, even 12v can kill you, start a fire and ruin your electronics.

I will never understand why people try to tackle complex electrical systems themselves but want to call a plumber to replace a faucet.

Please know and recognize your limitations, there is no shame in hiring someone to do it, I know I did when I had to change out my charging system. Could I have done it, sure, did I want to do it, sure, was I uncomfortable doing it, I was, so I hired someone with more specialized knowledge.

Good Luck.

[Dalestr]

The circuit protection must protect the wire but also the load on boats and some loads, like bilge pumps, need targeted protection according to an article I saw. The breaker OR fuse (in many cases a fuse is more easily obtained or required to achieve the desired value) rating on these (slow blow fuse) should not be Greater than 110% or maybe 125% of maximum load I can’t recall. In rare cases a pump gets loaded down mechanically (probably no water) and draws enough current to overheat gradually yet not trip the protection at a higher rating. It’s possible it could actually burn without blowng a 150% breaker for example. There’s nothing wrong with an inline fuse in a watertight holder kept in a dry spot if needed, even secondary to a breaker.
Let’s say a bilge pump auto switch gets stuck on from debris. The plastic bearings may heat up and start dragging more and more. You want to halt that process and also avoid total discharge of the battery.


In the drawing, the separate Auto pump circuit connects in between the switch and protection. That can’t be done with breakers that have 2 connections so this implies a fuse (or pop up breaker) and switch scenario but better is the double throw switch with center OFF sold for pumps. A light to indicate pump operating is wise.