Icreasing the Fuse wattage

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shaqtus23

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My fuses blow sometimes for my cig lighter and power supply slots on the dash.:eek: I was wondering if I could up the wattage from a 20 mini fuse to like a 25? :rolleyes:

Whats the deal with increasing from a 20 to a 25/30? Is it giving the actual outlet more wattage to use?
for ex: my phone will stop charging at a certain point in the car and it'll blow my fuse:mad:. i've been through 5 mini #20s.:confused: NEED HELP.

Thanks
 

tonydiv

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Those fuses are sized according to the wire size used. If you up the fuse then the wire itself starts to become the weak link in the system. That's when wires start smoldering and you're calling your insurance company with a burned up truck. (ok, worst case there)

What is probably happening is that the cigarette plug that you are using is shorting when you insert it. Or, you are just trying to draw way too much current from the cig lighter. 20 amps is a lot, for example your phone charging draws, at the most, about 1 amp.

Go out and buy a 1 in to 3 adapter at Walmart or an auto parts place and keep it plugged in. Then plug in your accessories to the adapter. Most of them have a built in fuse, that will be easier to get to than the one in the dash.
It will also help you diagnose where the problem is.

What else are you plugging in?
 

ELVATO

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The fuse is there to protect the wiring. As current passes through the wire, it heats up. The thinner the gauge of wire, the less current it can pass through before overheating to the point of melting the plastic insulation, or starting a fire.

Normally, there's a safety factor to fuse rating, so I would think that going up 25% in rating (from a 20 to a 25) wouldn't technically mess up your wiring, but I wouldn't personally do it. The better option would be find the source of the problem.

Do the power points only blow the fuse with this particular charger? Do they do it at a specified time, or just randomly? It could be a couple of things.

-The charger itself might be drawing too much current, though I would imagine it would have blown up a long time ago if it was pulling 20 amps. Does this happen with other items other than the charger?

-You might have a chaffed wire for one of the power points that is grounding itself as you drive around.

One other question, you mention the power point and the cigarette lighter both blowing. Aren't they on a separate fuse?
 
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shaqtus23

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Those fuses are sized according to the wire size used. If you up the fuse then the wire itself starts to become the weak link in the system. That's when wires start smoldering and you're calling your insurance company with a burned up truck. (ok, worst case there)

What is probably happening is that the cigarette plug that you are using is shorting when you insert it. Or, you are just trying to draw way too much current from the cig lighter. 20 amps is a lot, for example your phone charging draws, at the most, about 1 amp.

Go out and buy a 1 in to 3 adapter at Walmart or an auto parts place and keep it plugged in. Then plug in your accessories to the adapter. Most of them have a built in fuse, that will be easier to get to than the one in the dash.
It will also help you diagnose where the problem is.

What else are you plugging in?

I'm also plugging in my neon lights. well I tried and then I just said screw it because the fuse blew.:confused: so I keep them off for now until I can find an answer.
 
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shaqtus23

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The fuse is there to protect the wiring. As current passes through the wire, it heats up. The thinner the gauge of wire, the less current it can pass through before overheating to the point of melting the plastic insulation, or starting a fire.

Normally, there's a safety factor to fuse rating, so I would think that going up 25% in rating (from a 20 to a 25) wouldn't technically mess up your wiring, but I wouldn't personally do it. The better option would be find the source of the problem.

Do the power points only blow the fuse with this particular charger? Do they do it at a specified time, or just randomly? It could be a couple of things.

-The charger itself might be drawing too much current, though I would imagine it would have blown up a long time ago if it was pulling 20 amps. Does this happen with other items other than the charger?

-You might have a chaffed wire for one of the power points that is grounding itself as you drive around.

One other question, you mention the power point and the cigarette lighter both blowing. Aren't they on a separate fuse?

yeah tMobile MyTouch4G Charger (purple illumination). every time my phone gets to like 75% it just blows. i tested 5 times to make sure. but it may be my neon lights as well, although i only have a long bar for the back and two short ones for the front.

And what would be the name for the power port in the fuse index in the manual. I was only able to find "cigarette lighter". So that's the only one I was actually able to change. I don't even know how many watts are used for the power port because i cant find the fuse. :confused:
 

ELVATO

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Heh, yea, you forgot to mention you have neon lights tapped off the circuit. :p

Get a relay, and wire them to the battery (and inline fuse wouldn't be a bad idea.) Use the doors, or lights, or w/e you want as the trigger to turn them on.

I'd guess it won't blow once you take the neons off.
 
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shaqtus23

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YEAH, not smart to leave out that interior neon lighting. ;) sorry about that!

With the infuse line and whatnot; do i just detach the cig lighter attachment and splice them??

And would I use the regular wires that came with the neons or should i upgrade to a different gauge?
 

ELVATO

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The wires that come with the neons would attach to the output pins on the relay (well at least the power, you'd have to attach the ground to something that's grounded).

You'd have a power wire going from the battery to the relay. What's the power rating on the neons? That would determine what sort of fuse you'd put inline (assuming the wire gauge safely supports it). You'd attach the trigger wire to what ever you want to trigger the relay. It could be your interior lights if you like.
 
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shaqtus23

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The wires that come with the neons would attach to the output pins on the relay (well at least the power, you'd have to attach the ground to something that's grounded).

You'd have a power wire going from the battery to the relay. What's the power rating on the neons? That would determine what sort of fuse you'd put inline (assuming the wire gauge safely supports it). You'd attach the trigger wire to what ever you want to trigger the relay. It could be your interior lights if you like.

They are 12V neon lights. 20in for the rear, 7 or 8 inch for the driver and passenger side. I'm getting a relay today to test this out.
thanks a lot!!:)
 
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