Blue Sea fuse box vs bus bar

As I’m adding accessories wiring is quickly piling up and becoming unorganized. I recently ordered a @Mr.PowerTrays tray to mount an ARB compressor, and while I was at it I ordered an 8 circuit terminal block and a 10 screw common bus bar. I wasn’t really thinking about my plan when I ordered these, just threw them into the cart because they weren’t all that expensive.

Right now the accessories I have wired up are @XenonDepot HIDS, and I will be adding a @Baja Designs S8 light bar, plus adding an ARB single air compressor. I’m also adding a Smittybilt X20 winch but I’ll be keeping the wires for that right on the battery terminals.

Assuming I didn’t want to buy a fuse box, could I just mount the bus bar and terminal block to the tray and hook the positive wires up to the bus bar and the negatives up to the terminal block? Would I use 4 gauge wire from the battery to the bus bar?

If I did use a fuse box, how do I handle inline fuses as all my accessories have in line fuses? Would I put a higher amp fuse into the inline spot, and use the correct amp fuse into the fuse box?

What else am I missing / do I need?

 

The point of those bus bars and blocks is to organize your wires going to or coming from an auxiliary fuse management block.

Here is more info on it for a blue seas box but same goes for most systems: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/blue-sea-aux-fuse-block-install.340763/

 

So the accessories wire into the bus bar, and then into the fuse box? Isn’t that redundant?

 

You run one or the other, not both. Same thing with your fusing, if you have a fuse box with built in fuse slots then you don’t run an additional inline fuse. You just need one fuse on the line. Some, including myself, run an additional fuse for the large gauge wire that runs from the battery to the fuse panel.

Edit: for your grounds a bus bar is good to use. Some fuse panels have built in negative busses also just depends on what you get.

 

See my setup, Bussman RTMR, has built in 5 circuits that utilize relays and an additional 5 circuits for straight fused accessories (no relays) for 10 circuits total. You can see toward the firewall I have a blue sea buss bar for all my negative leads, and a large gauge cable attached to that which then runs to the battery ground on the fender adjacent to the battery.

 

Ok that’s what I thought. But if I remove the inline fuse won’t the accessory not work since power can’t make it without the fuse in the slot completing the circuit?

 

A bus bar is a common block where all the terminals are linked together. You would use that for all the negatives. The block is separate terminals. I think that combo is more commonly used for wiring up switch pros. With the blue seas you wouldn’t need either.

If you are just running a couple accessories though it may not be worth doing all that. You could either get a relay mount and in-line fuses, or wiring harnesses that have in-line fuses and relays all combined.

 

If you wire everything to a fuse block, you snip off the in-line fuse that was already attached to your accessory, and if let’s say you have a blue sea panel, you crimp on a ring terminal and attach it to the blue sea panel, and put in whatever fuse size your accessory needs in that circuit. The main power lead from battery to the panel already supplies power to the panel.

 

All my accessories have inline fuses and relays already. What would I do about all the leads adding up on the battery terminals then? That’s my only issue really. If I’m counting right I have four plus another fifth if you count the winch too.

Gotcha. Makes sense now thank you!!

 

You could either hook them up directly to the battery or use something like this and run one 4ga wire to the battery and another ground.

Fastronix 3/8" 4 Stud Power Distribution Block with Cover

$27 Fastronix 3/8" 4 Stud Stainless Steel Power Distribution Block with Cover

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VGKC8T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RSMiCbV6HD48S

Would just need to find somewhere to mount it in the engine compartment.

 

So that’s basically a bus bar which I already have so I could just use that right?

 

Haven’t shared my set up since I finished. Wasn’t real easy but I’m pleased with it. Winch power is run through the breaker the compressor is tied into the studs on the battery.

 

What about something like this? Just keep everything hooked up to the terminal in one place?

Blue Sea Systems 5191 Fuse Block Terminal 30-300 AMP

$27 Blue Sea Systems 5191 Fuse Block Terminal 30-300 AMP

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019ZBTV4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bmNiCb1M7XGF7

 

Have you winched since you installed it? A winch can easily pull 200A on even a small pull. My winch goes from my battery to a 350A disconnect. My compressor is also wired direct to the battery. My after market accessories go from battery to a 100A relay that is wired to the ignition. From the relay it goes to a 100A breaker. Then from the breaker to a Blue Sea 12 w/neg. As soon as I turn the key to the off position all my after market power goes dead because of the relay. My winch is dead all the time because the disconnect it always off unless I'm wheeling.

 

Yes but you will need one for positive and one for negative.

 

This is what I would use for the winch for sure. Clever little product. They also make multiple block systems that could be a good option too.

 

Ok so I could use this, one terminal for the winch one for everything else. Which fuse for each?
Blue Sea Systems Dual MRBF 30 to 300A Terminal Fuse Block

$32 Blue Sea Systems 2151 Dual MRBF Terminal Fuse Block - 30 to 300A

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002INJXO6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZXNiCb51DH1SX

 

Calculate your total amp draw. All your accessories are going to be wired in parallel with that setup so you can add up all your in-line fuses that your accessories have and put a fuse in equal to or greater than that. Or take the power (W) of each accessory, add them all up and divide by 12V to get the total amp draw and put a fuse in a bit bigger than that.

 

Excellent. Thank you so much for all the great ideas and answers!!

 

Not more than to cycle and re-spool. I will take tools with me and put under a load next respool and see if it kicks. Thanks for the heads up!