Fuses or Breakers

[tuccitown]

Here is a cheaper alternative, an ANL fuse available on eBay:

https://m.ebay.com/itm/High-Quality-1-0-4-8-Gauge-ANL-Fuse-Holder-2-Pack-Gold-300-Amp-300A-Fuse-USA/232352201432?hash=item3619453ad8%3Ag%3APicAAOSwi7RZKyNB%3Asc%3AUSPSFirstClass%2186305%21US%21-1&_nkw=samurai+sanl1020&_from=R40&rt=nc

AN ANL fuse is not a T class fuse. If your manual call out for a type fuse then that's the recommended type. Most likely do to it's disconnect characteristics when she blows. Other types will take longer to fully disconnect causing potential damage to equipment. FWIW

Jack

[Jim Blackwood]

Additional considerations:

Power is what causes the fuse to blow. Wattage actually, against time. Fuses aren't rated for wattage but maybe they should be. They are not rated but are classified by time interval. So you have the wattage applied over the time period and the result is a power curve. Exceed the curve and the fuse melts. Also, AC power calculations require the use of an averaging factor or RMS number, usually about .7 to account for the sine wave.

Some fuses dissipate heat faster than others, roughly classified as slow blow fuses. The inverse is also correct. A FB fuse can replace a SB fuse if it is oversized by the correct fraction. The inverse is not really true.

Due to the RMS correction factor a breaker used for AC may not be rated correctly for DC.

Jim

[Geoff]

Oh, all so technical!  Does this mean I can't put a penny behind the screw in fuse at Grandma's house?

[bevans6]

There are DC breakers designed for this kind of application.  I think this one is designed for big solar installations and works in a Magnum inverter system setup.  Interestingly it calls out a slow response time to minimize nuisance trips.  I guess if Magnum has designed it for their inverters it's probably the right thing.  https://www.solarwholesaler.ca/product/magnum-250amp-dc-breaker-front-mount-copy/

[luvrbus]

There are DC breakers designed for this kind of application.  I think this one is designed for big solar installations and works in a Magnum inverter system setup.  Interestingly it calls out a slow response time to minimize nuisance trips.  I guess if Magnum has designed it for their inverters it's probably the right thing.  https://www.solarwholesaler.ca/product/magnum-250amp-dc-breaker-front-mount-copy/

that jewel makes a $45.00 class T fuse seem cheap 200 bucks for a breaker not on my watch

[Geoff]

Like I said before, I put the T fuse for my Trace SW2512, it has never blown in 15 years.  How do you blow an inverter fuse anyway?  Realistically, your inverter would have to have a massive internal malfunction to blow the intake DC cable.  A malfunction that would have to happen under warranty, otherwise it would be cheaper to buy a new inverter. 

I thought the fuse was more for the battery end, which would be a short.  The ANL fuse I replaced went between the house battery bank and the frame ground.  Obviously it blew when the batteries were replaced and someone touched the leads wrong.  The only other way the battery side of the fuse could blow if if you were T-boned by another vehicle directly into the battery pack.