LIGHTS BLOW FUSES

[HERKYEC130]

I installed two Halogen work lights on my ROPS. I'm not sure what amperage they are. I bought them as a set at walmart." I'm not going to start the great ROPS depate on light installation, so I won't say how I mounted them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. But they're grounded I'll admit"
Anyhow they will work for ten minutes or so and then pop the inline fuse blows. I have the power connected where the main power cable from the battery connects to the starter. Everything seems in order :confused /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif . I grounded the switch to the frame.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Paul

 

[Bird]

Paul, it seems to me that the first thing you need to know is how many amps those lights are pulling. Either amps, or watts from which amps can be calculated, should be shown on the box. Then what size wire are you using? What size fuse are you blowing? And are you sure you didn't fray any wire during installation that might be shorting out?

 

[PineRidge]

Also are you using a heavy enough gauge wire to handle the draw and did you use a light relay or are you using the light switch to handle the load itself?

 

[clutch]

I had a similar condition and found that the bulb inside the light housing would build up excessive heat after about 10 minutes. This heat would inturn melt the wire, exposing the core and resulting in a short.

The difference with my situation being after the initial damage whenever I put in a new fuse it would blow almost immediately.

However, I can't hurt to opening the housings and inspecting the two wires to the bulbs. - Good luck

 

[yellowdog99502]

Paul,

What size fuse are you blowing? Is it big enough for your lights?

Watts/volts = amps Most of these rops lights run in the 55 watt realm. 2 lights at 110 watts divided by 12 equals 9+ amps. More than enough to blow a 10 amp fuse. Fuses are like circuit breakers, they are derated by 20% for continuous use.

Check your wire sizes, you may need to run a larger wire AND I would certainly recommend using a relay in lieu of pushing 9+ amps through your switch. By using the relay, the switch is only subject to a very light load as it simply trips the relay and does not directly power the lights. Not too many of the 'more economical' 12v switches are made to handle that load.

Don

 

[HERKYEC130]

Thanks for the help. I removed the lights and returned them. They left me exchange them in case it was a short in the light.
The lights are 55w each wired in sequence to each other. The fuse supplied with the kit was a 15amp fuse I tried a 20 - 25 - 30 and they all blew also. After the 30 amp blew I quit. I'd think the switch and wire that were supplied with the lights would be fine, maybe not. I've used lights like this before in vehicles and have never had an issue with them. I'm wondering still if it was the point that I hooked up the hot wire at the starter as opposed to directly to the battery or the fuse box. I didn't notice any shorts on the wires. I'll hook them up this evening again and see what happens.
Thanks for all your help


Paul

 

[AndyMA]

Assuming you don't have a mechanical short. Just remember that like motors have a starting curent, cold bulbs have what is known as an "inrush current" which is much higher than their steady state current until they warm. I believe halogen bulbs may have a particularly nasty inrush. Also in some of the posts people talk about using a switch which controls a relay to minimize the current on the switch and through the fuse. Remember that the circuit leading to the relay and then the bulbs also needs to be current protected. I would recommend one of those 30 amp inline circuit breakers typically used in trailer brake installations. It should handle the inrush better. It needs to be mounted close to the battery for maximum protection (leaves the minimum amount of wire unprotected). Wire needs to be sized to handle the max current of the protective device (in this case the 30 amp breaker) and not the current draw of the load. In this case # 10 stranded wire will work. Stranded because you do not want to use solid core wire in any location where vibration is an issue. If you have any more questions regarding vehicle electrical systems or wiring I'll try and answer them. I worked for several years designing electronic systems for automotive use. One thing many people are not aware of is that the electrical environment in a vehicle is worse than the environemnt in a rocket shot into space and orbiting the earth. I know I wasn't.

Hope this helps some.

Andy

 

[HERKYEC130]

The wire with the kit is a fused lead with a 15 amp replaceable fuse from the battery to the switch. I looked at the switch last night and it is rated at 20 amps 12v DC. I didn't get a chance last evening to hook it all up but I plan on hitting it this evening or tomorrow morn.
No snow to play with so I might as well do something while the ole girl is just sitting there. 47 hours on it so I may just change the fluids also.
Thanks
Paul

 

[wickman]

A bit off topic here but could someone recommend a good book or website for 12V wiring. The whole concept of relays is new to me and I need to study up.

Thanks,

Wickman

 

[Inspector507]

wickman,
A relay is nothing but a high current switch. Fell free to PM or e-mail me anytime. From one Central Ohioan to another /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif