# circuit breaker vs fuses



## mine4118 (Dec 31, 2010)

what are the disadvantages of using a circuit breaker versus a fuse?

I've always used fuses but was thinking about switching to circuit breakers..

any opinions?


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## kyheng (Jan 31, 2007)

Well, you have problems on the circuit, pop a fuse will be safest....
But circuit breaker if pop, you can reset it back... But then if it keep on popping, it is not a good sign. And after sometime, will it still be sensitive?


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Usually it's cost, fuses are cheaper
And if u don't have any issues that cause a replacement then longevity vs cost is better
A CB is easier to change and doesn't really "wear out" unless u cycle a ridiculous amount.
If u find urself popping fuses or tripping breakers then u have more problems with setup/equipment


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## corrado33 (Feb 27, 2011)

south east customz said:


> If u find urself popping fuses or tripping breakers then u have more problems with setup/equipment


This..

If you're debating switching to circuit breakers because you keep popping fuses, then you're doing something wrong. I've replaced my main power wire fuse... once, in 8 or so years? And that was just because I did something stupid.


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## onefaststang (Mar 1, 2011)

I used a cb just because it was easier to break the circuit to do any service work. With a fuse you had to have tools, pull the cover, etc... The cb just hit the test button and your good to go.


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## corrado33 (Feb 27, 2011)

onefaststang said:


> I used a cb just because it was easier to break the circuit to do any service work. With a fuse you had to have tools, pull the cover, etc... The cb just hit the test button and your good to go.


How often are you servicing your audio system?  

If you want a quick disconnect for the battery they have them, and they're not that expensive. 

My brother uses one (not for audio, but for his street legal really fast almost race car).


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## mine4118 (Dec 31, 2010)

corrado33 said:


> This..
> 
> If you're debating switching to circuit breakers because you keep popping fuses, then you're doing something wrong. I've replaced my main power wire fuse... once, in 8 or so years? And that was just because I did something stupid.


Thanks for the info..I am not having any issues electrical issues..I was just planning the install on my new car. As well as making a decision on my other




onefaststang said:


> I used a cb just because it was easier to break the circuit to do any service work. With a fuse you had to have tools, pull the cover, etc... The cb just hit the test button and your good to go.


this is what I was thinking about for my other car...I rarely drive it and wanted to eliminate some of the draw in the battery while sitting in my garage or weeks at a time. I just wanted to make sure there weren't any performance concerns on using circuit breakers.


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## SQ_Bronco (Jul 31, 2005)

> And that was just because I did something stupid.


Which is exactly why you have fuses  Keeps "something stupid" from causing a really bad day.

Breakers also react faster- fuses can pass higher-than-rated current for 5-30 seconds before burning through- but as CBs age, they can become unreliable. If a fuse fails, it fails in a safe manner (open); circuit breakers fail in an unsafe manner (closed). CBs typically also have higher resistance, so you lose a small amount of end voltage by using them.

I like breakers because I can just break the circuit when I want to work on something, but I also have all of my wires smaller than 1/0 fused with individual fuses.


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## 9mmmac (Dec 14, 2010)

I'm wondering the same thing too. My take is that if you have a flat, vertical 3x3 inch space, a CB would be fine, but I've seen some CBs mounted horizontaly though. CB's also seem to be a bit cheaper, which is good. My only concern would be wire connectivity- a raw post would need some battery terminal spray, Vaseline or something over the tops to help prevent corrosion.


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## mine4118 (Dec 31, 2010)

SQ_Bronco said:


> Which is exactly why you have fuses  Keeps "something stupid" from causing a really bad day.
> 
> Breakers also react faster- fuses can pass higher-than-rated current for 5-30 seconds before burning through- but as CBs age, they can become unreliable. If a fuse fails, it fails in a safe manner (open); circuit breakers fail in an unsafe manner (closed). CBs typically also have higher resistance, so you lose a small amount of end voltage by using them.
> 
> I like breakers because I can just break the circuit when I want to work on something, but I also have all of my wires smaller than 1/0 fused with individual fuses.


thanks..that gets me thinking I may keep the fuse at the battery and a breaker in the back before the distribution block...worst case scenerio if the CB fails, I get to upgade my system...


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

Not to bring up an old thread but here's my perspective.

I used to valet cars during graduate school. High end cars, often. In fact, I was one of two that could actually drive (without grinding out the gear boxes) the exotics. I cannot afford one though... nor would I want one. If I'm going to spend $100K on a car, I'll get a custom muscle car and drive it to the ground. Anyway, for the most part, the worst I ever did to someone's car was accelerating mildly hard in second gear for about 20 mph worth of acceleration (if I was lucky) so I can safely get into heavy traffic on my way to the parking garage I had to run back and forth between (I was in better shape, then). My team was very honest, very forthright (if we got in an accident, we covered it! - and made fun of the guy for weeks for doing it). This was only like 6 years ago in Minneapolis but I've lately seen a degradation in valet staff with other valet companies in other cities. In Minneapolis, where I'm talking about, the owner still hires college and graduate students who have zero criminal history and a clean driving record, but in Chicago and Atlanta - I get concerned sometimes now. My mother got her minivan back with a gash on the front bumper - they didn't even mention it. My mother wouldn't have noticed unless I was there because it was on the passenger side. We had to argue that they did it (probably parking in a tight spot). Only reason we won... that bumper was just replaced the day before! Another time, I realized that they used my car as a place to sit in the warmth on a freezing day - they idled the car off and on for about 2 hours and used a noticeable amount of gas. How did I know for sure? I filled up right before I went to the restaurant 5 min. away and that particular car was a 4-cylinder - not a gas guzzler. There were also straw wrappers from McDonald's in the back seat. I hate McDonalds. I almost lost it when I got my Subaru back (which was a Legacy GT Spec B M/T) and it had 25 miles on it since I dropped it off and picked it back up. The parking garage was across the street, so there was no excuse for this mileage. I always write my mileage down on the valet ticket given to me and tip (at the lowest) $5 to make sure my car is treated well and to sort of make the guy not get pissed I'm writing the mileage down. Apparently $5 wasn't enough in that example. Needless to say I didn't pay the valet fee that day. Then again, about three weeks later, I reluctantly valet the same car elsewhere and when I got the car back, my radio was on a station I never listen to. The driver should only be adjusting the seat/mirrors so that it is safe for him/her to drive someone else's vehicle, and then driving from A to B and parking - not changing my radio station to B96 to catch the latest rap single. That stuff is just not acceptable.

If I'm going to have to deal with crap like that when valeting a car, I'd like the ability to pull over before I get to the valet station and flip the switch on my stereo. Therefore, if my car is going to be treated in the ways I've described above (maybe I have bad luck!), at least they won't be playing around with my system, potentially harming it or even finding a way to steal it while I'm gone. This time I'm building as stealth a system as I can and while the valet would just have to open the hood and flip the switch to turn it all on, it's not likely that he/she is going to go that far.

But that's just paranoid me, I guess...


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## nabman (Nov 6, 2011)

sirbOOm said:


> Not to bring up an old thread but here's my perspective.
> 
> I used to valet cars during graduate school. High end cars, often. In fact, I was one of two that could actually drive (without grinding out the gear boxes) the exotics. I cannot afford one though... nor would I want one. If I'm going to spend $100K on a car, I'll get a custom muscle car and drive it to the ground. Anyway, for the most part, the worst I ever did to someone's car was accelerating mildly hard in second gear for about 20 mph worth of acceleration (if I was lucky) so I can safely get into heavy traffic on my way to the parking garage I had to run back and forth between (I was in better shape, then). My team was very honest, very forthright (if we got in an accident, we covered it! - and made fun of the guy for weeks for doing it). This was only like 6 years ago in Minneapolis but I've lately seen a degradation in valet staff with other valet companies in other cities. In Minneapolis, where I'm talking about, the owner still hires college and graduate students who have zero criminal history and a clean driving record, but in Chicago and Atlanta - I get concerned sometimes now. My mother got her minivan back with a gash on the front bumper - they didn't even mention it. My mother wouldn't have noticed unless I was there because it was on the passenger side. We had to argue that they did it (probably parking in a tight spot). Only reason we won... that bumper was just replaced the day before! Another time, I realized that they used my car as a place to sit in the warmth on a freezing day - they idled the car off and on for about 2 hours and used a noticeable amount of gas. How did I know for sure? I filled up right before I went to the restaurant 5 min. away and that particular car was a 4-cylinder - not a gas guzzler. There were also straw wrappers from McDonald's in the back seat. I hate McDonalds. I almost lost it when I got my Subaru back (which was a Legacy GT Spec B M/T) and it had 25 miles on it since I dropped it off and picked it back up. The parking garage was across the street, so there was no excuse for this mileage. I always write my mileage down on the valet ticket given to me and tip (at the lowest) $5 to make sure my car is treated well and to sort of make the guy not get pissed I'm writing the mileage down. Apparently $5 wasn't enough in that example. Needless to say I didn't pay the valet fee that day. Then again, about three weeks later, I reluctantly valet the same car elsewhere and when I got the car back, my radio was on a station I never listen to. The driver should only be adjusting the seat/mirrors so that it is safe for him/her to drive someone else's vehicle, and then driving from A to B and parking - not changing my radio station to B96 to catch the latest rap single. That stuff is just not acceptable.
> 
> ...


I had the same concern since I leave my car parked in a garage (with attendants) every day. Fortunately I have a glove compartment that I can lock with my primary key (but the valet key will not open). I just put a defeat switch in the remote turn-on line (the one that goes to the amps etc when the HU is turned on) and located it in the glove compartment. Now I just reach over and flip it and lock the glove compartment as I'm entering the lot.


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## jadori (Jan 13, 2013)

sirbOOm said:


> Not to bring up an old thread but here's my perspective.
> 
> I used to valet cars during graduate school. High end cars, often. In fact, I was one of two that could actually drive (without grinding out the gear boxes) the exotics. I cannot afford one though... nor would I want one. If I'm going to spend $100K on a car, I'll get a custom muscle car and drive it to the ground. Anyway, for the most part, the worst I ever did to someone's car was accelerating mildly hard in second gear for about 20 mph worth of acceleration (if I was lucky) so I can safely get into heavy traffic on my way to the parking garage I had to run back and forth between (I was in better shape, then). My team was very honest, very forthright (if we got in an accident, we covered it! - and made fun of the guy for weeks for doing it). This was only like 6 years ago in Minneapolis but I've lately seen a degradation in valet staff with other valet companies in other cities. In Minneapolis, where I'm talking about, the owner still hires college and graduate students who have zero criminal history and a clean driving record, but in Chicago and Atlanta - I get concerned sometimes now. My mother got her minivan back with a gash on the front bumper - they didn't even mention it. My mother wouldn't have noticed unless I was there because it was on the passenger side. We had to argue that they did it (probably parking in a tight spot). Only reason we won... that bumper was just replaced the day before! Another time, I realized that they used my car as a place to sit in the warmth on a freezing day - they idled the car off and on for about 2 hours and used a noticeable amount of gas. How did I know for sure? I filled up right before I went to the restaurant 5 min. away and that particular car was a 4-cylinder - not a gas guzzler. There were also straw wrappers from McDonald's in the back seat. I hate McDonalds. I almost lost it when I got my Subaru back (which was a Legacy GT Spec B M/T) and it had 25 miles on it since I dropped it off and picked it back up. The parking garage was across the street, so there was no excuse for this mileage. I always write my mileage down on the valet ticket given to me and tip (at the lowest) $5 to make sure my car is treated well and to sort of make the guy not get pissed I'm writing the mileage down. Apparently $5 wasn't enough in that example. Needless to say I didn't pay the valet fee that day. Then again, about three weeks later, I reluctantly valet the same car elsewhere and when I got the car back, my radio was on a station I never listen to. The driver should only be adjusting the seat/mirrors so that it is safe for him/her to drive someone else's vehicle, and then driving from A to B and parking - not changing my radio station to B96 to catch the latest rap single. That stuff is just not acceptable.
> 
> ...


Geez that sounds really bad to have to go through all that just to get your car parked for you! Ive seen a guy using a CB for the first time about 5 months ago. He said he kept "melting" fuses and the shop said he was pulling too much power.......so they fitted him with CB that he keeps tripping. He thinks its cool cause he can pop the hood and push a button and his radio is back in business!


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

I wish I had one of those fancy valet keys. But now I drive a pick-up truck and if the manufacturer gave you a valet key, you bought a minivan with a bed in the back... not a truck.


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

jadori said:


> Geez that sounds really bad to have to go through all that just to get your car parked for you! Ive seen a guy using a CB for the first time about 5 months ago. He said he kept "melting" fuses and the shop said he was pulling too much power.......so they fitted him with CB that he keeps tripping. He thinks its cool cause he can pop the hood and push a button and his radio is back in business!


Obviously that guy has an electrical problem or needs bigger gauge wire (of he already isn't at 1) and a higher amp fuse. And a membership to the Hearing Aid Discount Program of America.


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