Simple wiring help

[cralph]

I am going to rewire my 16' seark heres the questions

I want to run a set of headlights,my bow and stearn pole lights and my bilge pump all from a fused switch panel with their own switch.

As far as the wiring should I go from the battery straight to the fused switch panel to my accesories?

Why does the term bus bar keep coming up?Do I need it and what purpose does it serve?

I want this as simple as possible but want it to last as my boat is a worker(duck hunting and fishing)

I know to use tined wire but any other suggestions and recomendations are appreciated!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Simple wiring help

Run separate +12 (red) and ground (black) wires from the battery to a fuse or circuit breaker panel. Include a circuit breaker at the POS terminal of the battery and connect the red wire to the breaker. Here is where the term +12V and ground bus enters the picture. The +12V wire is connected to a single stud or terminal on the fuse panel. If you look at the panel carefully, one end of each fuse or circuit breaker is connected to that stud also. Hence, the term +12V bus since that terminal feeds all fuses. The same holds true for the ground (black) wire but it is a little more obvious. Here the black wire also connects to a single stud or terminal, but you will also notice there are a number of empty spade terminals that are common with that ground terminal. These make up the ground bus. All of the ground wires from your lights or other accessories connect to the ground bus. Back on the +12V bus, 12V then passes through each individual fuse or circuit breaker to the corresponding switch then to the device that switch controls.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Simple wiring help

You may want to run a relay in that system rather than powering your head lights through the switch. Most 12v switches will not handle the amperage draw of you head lights if there of any kind of wattage.

 

[cralph]

Re: Simple wiring help

By headlights Im actually talking about the little euro style halogen driving lights they seem to do pretty well with the switch that the guy I bought the boat from used.

the question I still have is do if I use an inline fuse on the pos lead between the battery and the pos bus bar do I need the fused switch panel or can I use a couple of waterproof toggles to run my stuff?Keeping in ming my first priority is doing it right but with the least hardware(possible problems) as possible.

Will this work?

Battery>>>>inline fuse>>>>>bus bars>>>>>>waterproof toggles>>>>Lights,bilge,etc.?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Simple wiring help

You need to understand how a fuse works. What you propose is fine from a conceptual point of view however a fuse has an amperage rating. If you put a 10 amp fuse at the battery and then split the circuit into multiple branches for lights, radio, and other stuff, the size of the wire for the radio for example would likely burn up before the 10A fuse blew. The fuse at the battery protects the run of wire from the battery to the fuse panel and must be sized to handle the current needs of everything you will have on at one time. The fuses at the fuse panel are sized for the specific circuit they protect. Light gauge wire needs a lower amperage fuse than say the circuit for the lights.

 

[cralph]

Re: Simple wiring help

Thanks Silvertip and forgive my many questions on something that is probably so very simple but Im a real rookie as far as electrical goes!

If Im understanding you correctly I should go with the fused switch plate as opposed to the unfused toggles?

In other words fuse on the pos lead between the bat and the pos bus block and the fused switch panel will protect me?

I think whats confusing me from your original post is when you said
"Run separate +12 (red) and ground (black) wires from the battery to a fuse or circuit breaker panel. Include a circuit breaker at the POS terminal of the battery and connect the red wire to the breaker."

Is that 2 different breakers or fuses or just 1 before you get to the pos bus block?

Thanks and sorry to be such a pain

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Simple wiring help

Here ya go! This is a basic wiring setup using a separate fuse panel and whatever switches you want. The wires from the battery to the fuse panel should be heavy gauge (10 gauge would work in your application). The wires from the fuse panel to the devices can be 16 gauge except perhaps your driving lights should have 14 gauge. This setup allows as much future expansion as you want.

 

[cralph]

Re: Simple wiring help

Bingo.......The light went on.....Cant thank you enough for the time and advice!

 

[drewpster]

Re: Simple wiring help

I gotts to learn how to make them fancy diagrams! BTW- Outstanding technical description in your first post in this thread Silvertip.

Cralph, the link below is of a switch panel type you may want to consider. It has the switches and branch fuses already made in one package. You still need the main circuit breaker, but a panel like this will take care of the branches. You will also need a seperate ground buss insted of the one made into the fuse panel in Silvertip's diagram.
see below
http://www.iboats.com/Seadog_Vertical_4_Gang_Panel/dm/*******.655431741--category_id.216629--list_time.1212042415--**********.748343605--view_id.39732