Inverter Fuses & Battery Shutoff Switches

[rrueckwald]

CORRECTIONS:
# 1 I have to correct the fuse holder brand in the pictures. They are Zantrex because the unnamed fuse holders Parliament first supplied did not fit the fuses. Zantrex also shows on the cover compatible fuses in 200 amp, 300 amp, 400 amp versions. Use the same as you pull out. Blue Seas holders and fuses are compatible, but none are compatible with the original BB fuses.

# 2 I got snookered as I had the old fuses on hand from my '95 which were Shawmut A13X250 of 250 amp rating. I made the assumption they would be the same on the '00 LXi. Today I tore the rubber off the removed fuses and found them to be Shawmut A13X400-4 of 400 amp rating. Surprise, surprise. Looking into the Trace inverter handbook, which I should have done to begin with, I find the fuse rating depends upon the length of the cable run. In the '95 it was 5', but in the LXi it is 10'. ergo the difference. The manual shows 0000 cable for the 10' run with a maximum fuse rating of 250 amps in conduit and 360 amps in free air. NEC allows rounding up, so BB installed 400 amp fuses. This means 250 amp is too little for the LXi, but will work if not overtaxed. I will have to buy two more fuses for spares of 360-400 amp rating.

All clear?