Terminal tamer or other product

[Obrien1234]

Hello!

I have just wired solar panels into my boat and I now have too many connections on the positive terminal of my battery. I’ve done some googling for how to solve this problem and I came up with the “terminal tamer” https://boat-steering-solutions-llc....t/mini-tamer/2

Has anyone used this product, and how do you like it? OR does anyone have any other products or solutions?

Thanks!

[Pete7]

welcome to CF

What sort of boat do you have? only for a first post on CF your question looks more like an advert for a product. I should add a rather expensive one for a piece of brass and some stainless bolts.

The preferred way is with a bus bar, rather than a snake pit of wires all connected to the battery.

Pete

[BillKny]

Originally Posted by Obrien1234

Hello!

I have just wired solar panels into my boat and I now have too many connections on the positive terminal of my battery. I’ve done some googling for how to solve this problem and I came up with the “terminal tamer” https://boat-steering-solutions-llc....t/mini-tamer/2

Has anyone used this product, and how do you like it? OR does anyone have any other products or solutions?

Thanks!

Obrien,

It sounds like you have a lot to learn about boat electrical issues. That's OK, we all start somewhere.

I would suggest that instead of "googling" individual issues as you see them, you get a good book on the subject and READ IT. That are a lot of complexities that can come up--way beyond stacking too many wires on a battery post! Understanding the issues is important to help you avoid burning your boat down, and just in keeping your electrical system working as you hope.

By the way, in answer to your specific question, you need to learn about "bus bars". I'd also guess you might need to study up on how, why, and where to use fuses too...

[Sailmonkey]

That’s a terrible product!! It still keeps/encourages a mass of wires at the battery.

The proper way to work this is a buss disassociated with the battery.

[Mike Crothers]

Blue Sea Systems has lots of excellent bus bars for cleaning up your power system. The selection depends on your amperage, terminal lug size, quantity of posts you need. Examples are BS2105 or 2304. More expensive but you will have a much safer access to your battery terminals than using the "Terminal Tamer"

[denverd0n]

I would NEVER use that "Terminal Tamer" thing! As mentioned, what you want is a good quality bus bar.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Obrien1234

Hello!

I have just wired solar panels into my boat and I now have too many connections on the positive terminal of my battery. I’ve done some googling for how to solve this problem and I came up with the “terminal tamer” https://boat-steering-solutions-llc....t/mini-tamer/2

Has anyone used this product, and how do you like it? OR does anyone have any other products or solutions?

Thanks!

What you should do is buy 2 Blue Seas buses. One for positive and one for negative. All charge sources go to the positive bus including solar. Bilge pumps can also connect to this - fused appropriately.. From this bus one cable goes to the battery positive. Another goes to the battery switch. This bus should be covered.

The negative bus collects all negative connections. One from each battery bank as well as bilge pumps, solar, and charging sources.

Batteries should only have 2 connections - one positive and one negative - plus a temperature sensor if you have one.

[skipmac]

The terminal tamer I guess attaches directly to the battery terminal? If so that introduces another problem, how to fuse each one of the leads off the tamer. Instead of fusing each line individually as the terminal tamer would require use a bus bar as others have suggested and fuse the one wire between the buss bar and the battery.

[teccs]

Originally Posted by skipmac

The terminal tamer I guess attaches directly to the battery terminal? If so that introduces another problem, how to fuse each one of the leads off the tamer. Instead of fusing each line individually as the terminal tamer would require use a bus bar as others have suggested and fuse the one wire between the buss bar and the battery.

This is extremely poor advise which will cause a fire hazard. Each circuit requires a fuse. See ABYC requirements. The terminal tamer looks like a reasonable solution. I would run a main fuse (within 7 inches from the terminal tamer per ABYC regulations) on each circuit. Some will go to loads, and some probably to fuse panels.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by teccs

This is extremely poor advise which will cause a fire hazard. Each circuit requires a fuse. See ABYC requirements. The terminal tamer looks like a reasonable solution. I would run a main fuse (within 7 inches from the terminal tamer per ABYC regulations) on each circuit. Some will go to loads, and some probably to fuse panels.

Sorry but you misunderstand and my advise is perfectly correct. You fuse between the bus bar and the battery with the appropriate size fuse to protect the wires between the bus bar and the individual circuits attached to the bus bar.

The best way to do this is to use the MRBF terminal fuse from Blue Sea that attaches directly to the battery terminal. Sure ABYC allows 7" but fuse at the terminal is better.

The terminal tamer is a very poor solution that, as pointed out, creates a rat's nest of wires all running to the battery.