Power Pole 50 amp shortstop breaker

[BassCatKev]

I'm trying to clean up some sloppy wiring. This 50 amp corroded and falling apart resetable shortstop wire has been traced to my pp switch located in front of bilge. Some folks on the Electrical/Trolling Motor forum have mentioned the wires coming into this breaker were too small to need a 50 amp breaker. We were discussing a different issue at the time and I hadn't traced it until tonight. Thought I'd post this particular piece on this forum. Regardless this nasty thing needs replaced. What does PP recommend? Lower amp breaker?
And please add anything else you find concerning. I've been told this looks bad. It's how it was when I bought the boat. I'm just trying to make it as right as I can.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=za1lj&s=9

[BassCatKev]

I did get some advice on this on the electrical forum while discussing other wiring issues but would appreciate any quick comments regarding this situation from PP familiar folks.

[mikesxpress]

Installation instructions say 30 amp fuse for each pump.

[BassCatKev]

Is switch optional for them? Do people put 30 amp fuse in each line then go straight to battery?

[Hydrilla Gear]

The inline fuse has been revised to 40amp

Install a 40amp in-line fuse on each pump

Switch is optional but recommend. Single master batter style switch like we sell or something that is capable of carrying total amperage of both pumps should be used. S simple rocker style switch will not cut it and eventually fail.

[BassCatKev]

Got it. Thank you both

[Nitro88]

I have an extra Battery Style switch you can have, i ordered 2 and only used the 1 but highly recommend the switch. Just the comfort of knowing they are disconnected i sleep better and i don't leave the poles on for days drawing power. Mounted my battery switch just inside the battery bay door that can be reached from the side of the boat...

[BassCatKev]

Sending you a PM Nitro88

[KandKKustomz]

I have an extra Battery Style switch you can have, i ordered 2 and only used the 1 but highly recommend the switch. Just the comfort of knowing they are disconnected i sleep better and i don't leave the poles on for days drawing power. Mounted my battery switch just inside the battery bay door that can be reached from the side of the boat...

We highly recommend a dedicated battery cut off switch to all our Power Pole customers.

[Hydrilla Gear]

I have an extra Battery Style switch you can have, i ordered 2 and only used the 1 but highly recommend the switch. Just the comfort of knowing they are disconnected i sleep better and i don't leave the poles on for days drawing power. Mounted my battery switch just inside the battery bay door that can be reached from the side of the boat...

Now that's Team Work

[KandKKustomz]

Now that's Team Work

agreed

[BassCatKev]

Thanks. We're going to meet up hopefully Wednesday when my 701 switch arrives that I had already ordered. I really appreciate him offering to help but want to prepare what I can ahead of time. I want to do this right because I'm SICK of this mess and all this shit being sloppily and carelessly rigged. I don't know who did it but GEEZ!! I don't understand much about this but will wait as long as it takes to get this done right and compliant with safety recommendations.
I have felt inside the wire sheath from actual PP to the silly rocker switch somebody installed in my system and feel or see NO 30A in-line fuse housing or anything else. I've searched a ton of old threads on this forum where people state "power poles come standard with a 30A fuse." Am I missing something? Do I have them and not know it? Does the installer have to cut the wire and install the fuse for each pump lead or not? I sure as hell don't see them and nothing would surprise me as I have found both Poles wired to a 20A rocker switch with a wire from rocker going to battery with 12 gauge wire and a 50A shortstop in-line. And that all just fell out of shortstop yesterday while handling it. Here is a pic of the switch both pumps are wired to. Should I convert those to ring terminals before adding the 701? John in electrical has helped tremendously but I'm admittedly ignorant with this stuff. But I'll be removing these poles before it's done wrong again. Any details you can add please feel free.

[Jonestrollingmotor]

Kevin, I've looked through the installation manuals and owners manuals for the powerpoles to see if I've missed something. this is the only mention of fuse in these manuals that I can find (manuals are under "help" in the powerpole website)

1. Connect the red fuse holder ring terminal to the main
battery cut-off switch and the black ring terminal to the
negative post on the cranking battery. The LED light on the
top of the HPU should begin flashing green

Yours should have had a fuse holder close to the end of the positive lead. Evidently, some one removed them when installing the breaker which won't work that way. Each lead should be fused. Wire size will not let you combine the wires and double the breaker (which looks like what someone did) Also, powerpole changed HPUs during the past couple of years which explains why the fuse size change. Need to know which HPU you have to determine appropriate fuse size.
John

[BassCatKev]

Kevin, I've looked through the installation manuals and owners manuals for the powerpoles to see if I've missed something. this is the only mention of fuse in these manuals that I can find (manuals are under "help" in the powerpole website)

1. Connect the red fuse holder ring terminal to the main
battery cut-off switch and the black ring terminal to the
negative post on the cranking battery. The LED light on the
top of the HPU should begin flashing green

Yours should have had a fuse holder close to the end of the positive lead. Evidently, some one removed them when installing the breaker which won't work that way. Each lead should be fused. Wire size will not let you combine the wires and double the breaker (which looks like what someone did) Also, powerpole changed HPUs during the past couple of years which explains why the fuse size change. Need to know which HPU you have to determine appropriate fuse size.
John

I'll check my PP paperwork when I get home. Thanks for the website reference and I've looked over the installation section as well.
Thank you

[BassCatKev]

I've posted some on this forum and some on electrical forum regarding this issue. But last night I visually inspected all the wiring from pump to switch pictured above and NO FUSE (30A or 40A). And of course there is the 50A shortstop that was near the battery between switch pictured above and battery. It literally fell apart anyway.
I've learned a lot from this. I've learned that even though each pump is supposed to have a 30A (and now some say 40A) fuse between the pump and switch, mine does not. I have literally had TWO pumps carry their load through a 20A switch and on to the battery for hours on end thankfully with no issues (that I knew of). As horrid as this sounds, I've also learned that BassCat (and I'm sure others) will rig your Power Poles at the factory with this 20A switch that I currently have. This is what I was told from someone saying they are affiliated with BassCat boats. Correct me if I'm wrong on this. But maybe most of those at least have the in-line fuse between pump and switch and somebody just completely forgot on mine. I don't know and will never know what happened on that front.
I have to say that in the one year I've had this boat I've never had a physical problem with my power poles working and my boat certainly never caught on fire. But since I ordered a nice Blue Seas on/off cutoff switch I'll do it the way John, HydrillaGear and others suggest. Sounds like I'll have more options available as to what to hook to it as well.
I have a 2017 Cougar FTD with 8' Power Pole Blades. What number off the pump is needed to determine if a 30A or 40A fuse is needed? Or are all 2017 PP automatically one of these?

[KandKKustomz]

you need a 40 amp inline, this is what 2017 powerpoles came with from the factory. the fuse is inline on the postive lead from the pump from the factory if yours did not have this then the installer had to have physically cut it off. no way to forget and did not come from powerpole without the fuse would be impossible.

[BassCatKev]

you need a 40 amp inlinem, this is what 2017 powerpoles came with from the factory. the fuse is inline on the postive lead from the pump from the factory if yours did not have this then the installer had to have physically cut it off.

And just to clarify. If I'm going to a Blue Seas 701 (Just arrived in mail) this fuse needs to be between the PUMP and the BEP SWITCH? If that is correct, does it matter how close or far away the fuse location is from the switch? And are we talking about blade fuses with a housing? I don't see a mention of this in the Power Pole parts list in installation manual online. I would really appreciate if someone could show me a pic of what this in-line fuse and fuse housing looks like when installed in the positive line.

[Jonestrollingmotor]

Kevin, you need to get a fuse holder with 10ga wire to connect to the pump positive wire, then connect the other end to the 701 "feed" side of the switch. This should be done on both pumps. Since you're getting the fuse holders, you can use either blade or glass fuses, your choice. Another choice would be (and this may be an alternative since you have another fuse for the outboard and a breaker for the jackplate. Purchase a fuse box and connect it with 4ga wire to the "feed" side of the 701 switch. The load side of the 701 would also need at least a 4ga. In the fuse box, use the two 40A for power poles, one 40 or 50 (depending on wire size of the jackplate) and one of correct size for the outboard. Connect each of the appliances to the ring stud or spade, depending on which fuse box you're looking at and mount the fuse box in an open area, possibly by the junction that Basscat mounts on the transom. Just some thoughts.
John

[KandKKustomz]

Goes in the positive line between the pump and the bep. Does not matter how close to the pump. Great info from Mr jones. I'd go blade style as an assortment kept on the boat will take care of any needs. Glass style while good are outdated, and harder to find at gas stations etc should you need a fuse while on the road.

[BassCatKev]

Thank you both