Fuses

Fuses are highly essential to all electrical systems, car audio systems most especially. Car audio components cost several hundred dollars, and to see them impaired in function is the most utter waste of money and effort. How much does you subwoofer cost? On high end audio system, prices could reach up to $600 a piece, and normally there are two subwoofers for each line. While subwoofers may be not as fragile as an amplifier, it could still be destroyed, inner wirings could melt. Or worse, sparks form the shorted circuit could feed on the upholstery and generate into fire. And did I suggest that amplifiers are the most susceptible to short circuit damage?

Newly purchased cars with OEM audio components normally have factory standard fuse, usually with normal amperage mounted in. This is okay if you, as the car owner, decide to forgo aftermarket audio system. On this scenario, then you can say that the fuses will be reliably sufficient. But if you decide to install an aftermarket audio system, even the most miniscule changes also would change the inherent electrical setting of your car. And then you have to rewire the car audio system, power and speaker wirings. And you have to change the car’s fuses with the corresponding ampere fuse.

Getting the exact amperage fuse is also a critical measure, because if you get a fuse designed for bigger amperage and use it on a lower voltage system, it would be the same as not using a fuse at all. And it will defeat the purpose of installing a fuse in the first place.

Basics Of Fuses And Short Circuits

Home theater system, household wiring, telegraph poles, all are governed by the same rules of electricity. Short circuits occur regardless of the design, complexity, and usage. Your car audio electrical network is not different than the electrical system of an auditorium. It is only worse though; when short circuits happen on these car settings, upholstery equipment makes a fine fodder for fires. It’s the truth, car fires may not be common but they happen easily. And the only bad thing is that, 10 chances in 10 occurrences, you won’t be saving any of those well secured, out of the way, really, really expensive sound equipment.

A short circuit occurs when an electric charge flow along an unintended path instead of the intended path. This can occur when the wirings overheat, due to the large amount of electrical charge passing on a small medium. The charge gets compressed tight, since there’s a larger volume of them, and the wire heats up, melting the protective insulating covers. When this happens, the wire is then bare with no insulation against anything that’s capable of relaying electricity. Short circuit then occurs.
Several fuses exist in the fuse classification: ANL, AGU and MAXI, with the cheapest the AGU fuse type. Almost all factory standard fuses use the AGU obviously for its economical benefits. The AGU fuses anyone can buy on packs of 4 and 5. The only problem with this type of fuse is it’s not really that reliable, and on really thin wirings, these won’t even detect a short circuit occurring. Always ask help in dealing with fuses, getting fuses that can handle the amperage of your system is as almost important in making sure it will work.

Fuse holders are designed to hold the fuse, so you’ll know how essential it is too. The only thing you need to consider that once you begin using one specific over-current protection device, you need to use it exclusively and its hard to switch from different makes of fuses, especially those types that needs to be adapted into a circuit like AGU fuses.

Remember, fuses not only save lives by preventing fire, it also saves the lives of not only your audio system, but also your car.