Comments on: Can I use a home curcuit breaker in a car audio setup ?

By: cplkittle

cplkittle — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:59:07 +0000

It wouldn’t be safe, and if you are asking then I would assume the system keeps blowing fuses. If this is the case, I recommend troubleshooting your setup to find the cause of the blown fuses.

THere are circuit breakers for 12VDC systems such as these:
http://www.darvex.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=CB

I wouldn’t advise using a 120v circuit breaker even though it would probably work.

By: Franchise

Franchise — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:59:07 +0000

Your house is AC power where as your car is DC power so no… and its worth the $1 youde have to spend at autozone to get a fuse, rather than a car fire. Besides they arent really breakers in auto they are just rated fuses, so that when it exceeds the rated amps on the fuse the fuse blows, and you replace it rather than flipping a switch

give me some specs on the audio system and ill can help you further… just email me

By: eagle6014

eagle6014 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:59:07 +0000

The design is totally different so you’d be wasting alot of time. Do it right so you don’t fry your stuff. Don’t halfass it man!

By: oklatom

oklatom — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:59:07 +0000

Your home breakers are designed to run on 120 (or 240) volts AC while your vehicle is supplying 12 to 13.8 volts DC. No, you can’t.

By: KaeZoo

KaeZoo — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:59:07 +0000

Okay, I’m going to go ahead and disagree with the other answers here. I can’t see any reason why a circuit breaker designed for home use wouldn’t work for car audio. Note, though, that a circuit breaker in a vehicle is exposed to conditions that wouldn’t exist in a structure–engine heat and moisture, for example.

Fuses and circuit breakers carry voltage ratings because higher voltages have a greater potential of arcing, which is when an electrical charge "jumps" across the space between two terminals. A fuse designed for a 12v vehicle system wouldn’t work for 120v, because the higher voltage could arc across the fuse elements even if the filament was burned out. However, a fuse or circuit breaker rated for higher voltage should work perfectly well for lower voltage.

Circuit breakers work either by using an element that changes shape as it heats up, breaking contact when it overheats; or by using current to generate a magnetic field that activates an electromagnet to break the contact with too much current. In either case the system should work the same way regardless of the voltage level. There’s no difference between AC and DC current that should affect a circuit breaker’s operation, either.

I’m far from an expert on home wiring systems, so I might be missing something about a home circuit breaker’s design that would cause a problem with a low-voltage system. If so, I’m willing to be educated.

I should say that while I think a home circuit breaker could be used successfully in a car audio system, I personally would advise you to purchase a fuse holder or circuit breaker designed for car audio use.