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estrst25

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I am going to have toggle switches hooked to radio, running lights, bilge pump, fish finder. It will all be tied to a separate battery from trolling motor. My question is, can I Daisy chain all positives to each positive? I will have 14ga wire coming from battery with online fuse going to first positive wire. Is this ok?
 
the bilge pump might be the only issue in terms of draw from what you've listed there
 
I don't think you should. IMO, you should have a seperate fuse for each load. It'll help you troubleshoot in event of an electrical problem that blows a fuse, rather than try to figure it out on the water in order to keep the rest of the boat going.
You could daisy-chain the supply to the switches, but have a fuse on the load side of each switch, sized for the individual load.

Roger
 
I am new to the whole idea of wiring something. So by load side you mean the positive wires going to each item? Am I correct
 
No, load is the current draw of the device you're looking to power.

By putting your fuses between the switches and the load you can use a fuse appropriate for each device. For instance, you only need a 3amp fuse for a fish finder, but probably a 10amp to protect your bilge pump. If they were both on the same circuit with the same fuse you would need to use a 10amp fuse, or the extra power required by the bilge would keep blowing a 3amp fuse. However, as a result you would have no protection for your fishfinder as a 10amp current would be more than enough to fry it like an egg...

Having a larger fuse near the battery on the feed to all circuits then daisy-chaining the power supply side of your switches is a good first move, but then put individual fuses in line between the switches and the devices.

Or buy one of these terminal blocks and make it all nice and neat:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Blade-Block/dp/B000THQ0CQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449761355&sr=8-2&keywords=boat+terminal+block

1XxSDmrl.jpg
 
Please excuse my lack of knowledge. I have a tendency to over think things more than I should. Here's a diagram. Is this correct1449778900218-647303846.jpg
 
yup - only thing is you want a large fuse close to the battery on the link between the (+) terminal and the fuse block. That's a larger gauge wire run though a metal boat with lots of sharp edges everywhere to bite into the insulation. For the accessories you're talking about and the 14 ga wire I'd be thinking a 20amp fuse.

For reference - mind you the circuit length is the combined distance of the (+) side of the circuit and the (-) IE if you have 6' from your battery to your light, and you run a wire from the (+) to the light, and then another wire from the light back to the (-) battery terminal the circuit length as it applies to this chart would be 12'

ZBZu2L7l.jpg
 

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