ANL fuses

[jr_spyder]

I want to try not to turn this into a rant but I'm dismayed by the pricing of ANL fuses. I want to stock up on some spares. At marine supply shops a 150 amp ANL fuse is priced at ~$20. At automotive stereo shops you can by a pack of two for $5. These are for high powered stereos and are gold plated. So the marine version costs 8x as much. I could buy my entire back-up stock for the price of one marine labeled fuse. While we're all used to a marine premium I find this one particularly annoying.

But then I get that annoying voice in my head that makes me wonder if the automotive version is somehow inferior to the marine brand and I'd be foolish to buy them. Penny-wise but pound-foolish. But a fuse is a darn simple thing, can there really be any difference?

Not sure what I'm asking here so maybe this is a rant after all. Opinions welcome.

JR

[Zil]

can a fuse not be water proof?

[chala]

Or ignition proof, if? Here they cost $28.-, A lot of money for a down sized piece of wire also they are automotive fuse, most vehicle have small battery. So you have to trust the manufacturer for its claims of fault current rating.

[twistedtree]

From what I can tell, an ANL fuse is an ANL fuse. This is why God invented standards. It appears that an ANL fuse by definition meets SAE J1171 which is the standard for Ignition protection. Just buy them from the stereo shop.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by twistedtree

From what I can tell, an ANL fuse is an ANL fuse. This is why God invented standards. It appears that an ANL fuse by definition meets SAE J1171 which is the standard for Ignition protection. Just buy them from the stereo shop.

The only ANL's that meet ignition protection that I am aware of are made by Cooper Bussman and sold by companies such as Blue Sea. You don't have to buy them from Blue Sea but you don't save that much buying them elsewhere. If you have a source for an IP rated ANL other than the Cooper Bussman fuse please let me know...

Earlier in the year I did some testing of cheap automotive ANL's. The trip delay is horrible in comparison to the Cooper Bussman, this means they don't handle in-rush currents like the Cooper Bussman's do, and three out of ten of them failed unsafely and blew the windows out. I suspect that many of the "ANL's" you buy for short money are really closer to an ANN fuse in trip delay. None of the inexpensive ANL's I've found carry an IP rating...

If you want to talk expensive buy some Class T fuses......

I used the Copper Bussman / Blue Sea ANL's and will continue to do so after testing a pile of cheapos...

[twistedtree]

Well, it was the Cooper Bussman spec sheets I was reading.......

[svinshallah]

Not all ANL fuses are equal. Some have better ignition protection (i.e., won't have an exposed spark when the blow). The good ones have a consistent behavior under over-current conditions. Look at the curve on the Blue Seas web site for their fuses to see how much over current for how long it takes to actually blow a fuse. Finally, one of the important specs for a fuse is the interrupt capacity. With cheap fuses, you just won't know.

[jr_spyder]

Thanks for all the input. Maine Sail - impressive testing!

I've stocked up on the good ones from Blue Sea.

JR

[Kettlewell]

I don't blow ANL fuses often enough to have to worry about the price much--in fact, I don't ever recall blowing one, so I figure the price is amortized down to practically nothing over the years I carry the spares around.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by jr_spyder

Thanks for all the input. Maine Sail - impressive testing!

I've stocked up on the good ones from Blue Sea.

JR

I've done lots of experimenting with fuses, wires and battery banks including LiFePO4.... Here's 15' of 8GA wire, 300A MRBF and a 400Ah LiFePO4 bank into a dead short.....

Marine Rated Battery Fuse Trip - YouTube

[smac999]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

I've done lots of experimenting with fuses, wires and battery banks including LiFePO4.... Here's 15' of 8GA wire, 300A MRBF and a 400Ah LiFePO4 bank into a dead short.....

have you done any larger stuff? I've been wanting to test 500-750a anl's on 2/0 in the same manner. I use them a lot on engine starting circuits for the same reason. I figure it's better then not having one at all. but have yet to try to see if it even does anything or not. I fuse every gen and engine I do battery work on. most of them bigger fuses then the wire.

I've done a test short circuiting 14awg with no fuse. thank god it was outside! LOL smoked the whole yard out.