BoatHowTo · video

What this video covers

Nigel Calder explains why a circuit breaker is preferred over a MEGA or ANL fuse in a windlass circuit: when an anchor fouls and the operator keeps pressing the switch, the motor overloads repeatedly, and a resettable circuit breaker lets the crew recover without replacing a blown fuse.0:41 A fuse works but requires a spare and a swap; a circuit breaker trips and resets.0:49 Calder notes he has burned out two or three windlass motors himself.Watch Both devices should be rated to the ampacity of the conductor, not the motor's nominal draw.1:49 Bow thruster circuits follow different logic — the motor cannot be mechanically jammed the same way, overload currents stay lower, and the high amperage required makes affordable, compact circuit breakers hard to source, so a fuse is standard there.1:22 A windlass circuit can carry both a circuit breaker and a fuse in series.1:33 Conductor sizing and overcurrent protection sizing are covered in the BoatElectrics101 course at BoatHowTo.com.2:13

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