I've got the marine fuse block and am wiring a scanner and some fogs up to it. I've read some people using a circuit breaker. Is this really necessary since there are the fuses? Also, if it is necessary to get one, is this going to be the right one?

http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=26525&d_Id=7407&l1=7407&l2=

thanks

If it's fused there is no need for a breaker. They both do the same thing - protect in case of overcurrent - it's just that the breaker can be reset by flipping the switch and a fuse must be replaced.

That's a breaker that is for much heavier use. Must be for an electrical panel in a boat.

For a scanner and fog lights, you just need an inline fuse kind of like this:


A fuse or breaker do the same job, they open the circuit in case of overload or short circuit. The only difference is that you replace the fuse and you reset the breaker.

The scanner and the lights must include instructions that suggest which gauge wire to use and which rating of fuse to use. I suggest you follow that because if your wire is too small and the fuse too large, the wires will overheat and fail, but the fuse will not. On the other hand, if the fuse is too small, you will constantly have to replace it.

I personally would install a fuse close to the battery. That would protect the wire incase of a short/fault/overcurrent. The problem with having a fuse in your cab is that it will blow and protect your scanner, but what about the 10 feet of wire from the battery. If you had a dead short the wire from your battery to your fuse could overheat and potentially give you problems. That is why a lot of times you will see in large car audio installations a circuit breaker near the battery and then all the amplifiers indivdually fused.

You can do with this information what you would like. It just depends if you are a belt guy or a belt and suspenders kind of guy!

awesome replies, thanks.

Planning on using a 15A for the fogs I get (probably within the next month), and a 5A for the scanner.

Thanks everyone.