Blown fuse question

Hooked up my portable pump to my accessory outlet and promptly blew the outlet fuse. Upon further investigation the pump must be connected to at least 15 amp fuse.It came with a 10. Went to Radio Shack. They had none,(15amp 250volt) only ceramic ones. My outlet is connected directly to the battery.I haven't gone to local autoparts store to look . If they don't have one either what are my options for replacement? Is 20amp OK? Does it have to be 250v?

If your accessory outlet is rated to 10 amp you shouldn't replace the fuse to 15 or 20. It might burn the circuit or the wires.
In my car there is an 10 amp outlet ( approx 120W ), but it's battery is an 74Ah, which is much bigger, than bike's.

BTW, if it is connected directly to the batt, you can use it's maximum capacity - if you have such enough strong wires. But that is not for that kinda usage. On the other hand, these wires and fuses are underrated, so it can handle more Amps.
But I wouldn't try it.
Maybe someone has different opinion or experience on this.

And look for 12V fuses!!

I blew one on mine this week and dealer tried to sell me a replacement for 4$. I bought 50 pieces in one stock on ebay for 8$.

Mandalorian said:

Hooked up my portable pump to my accessory outlet and promptly blew the outlet fuse. Upon further investigation the pump must be connected to at least 15 amp fuse.It came with a 10. Went to Radio Shack. They had none,(15amp 250volt) only ceramic ones. My outlet is connected directly to the battery.I haven't gone to local autoparts store to look . If they don't have one either what are my options for replacement? Is 20amp OK? Does it have to be 250v?

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Most tire inflator 12V pumps can pull up to 15 amps, but the ones I've used, usually use just over 10, like around 13 or so.

I've always been successful with 15 amp fuses in 10 amp applications for TEMPORARY hands-on accessory use, like a couple minutes of close watch while inflating a tire. I would not put in a 15 amp fuse for constant use in a 10 amp application, and definitely would not put in a 20 amp, just 'cause I'm too chicken, and have a vivid imagination.

If your outlet is connected directly to your battery, then I would worry less about putting in a slightly higher rated fuse, but still it would depend. *I* would be ok with it, because I know I would use properly rated wire, good connections, not have miles of spaghetti wiring going all over the place next to sensitive things that could be badly effected by melting and/or causing possibly dangerous results.

Since I don't know about, and have no control how others do their wiring, I can't recommend doing something against the warnings stipulated by the various items being used.

I know, the temptation is there to just make something work, but if after a few tries and any more blowing fuses (especially if you try a 15 amp) then I would stop and look closer at how you were doing things. Maybe the pump is just too much for this application, and a smaller one would be better.

Maybe reconsider the accessory outlet's use for such a task, and instead, wire in directly, an SAE Battery Tender type pigtail, that you can devote to tire pump duties, leaving the 10 amp outlet for ten amp or under, safer utilization. (that's what I do, anyway)

Oh, and if you haven't already, just go to an auto parts store, and buy a few packs of assorted fuses, and keep them in the bike somewhere. Radio shack probably isn't the best place for a great selection of 12v auto fuses.

It's coming straight from your battery? use whatever size fuse you want, as long as the wire and outlet are rated for it. Go to Autozone or Pep-Boys type of store for auto fuses, not radio-shack..... If something is rated for 10 amps you can use 1 trade-size higher if the rated size is not available. (ie. 20A fuse can be used in a 15A circuit, but 30A cannot be used in a 15A)

I agree completely with Jay Fridays. Your system is a 20 amp system. Use the 15 Amp, as the 30 might do a little wire frying.