J/L Amps and Speakers

SKybolt said:
The cable will only support what it is rated for but won't limit the current (safely at least). If enough over the limit it will melt the jacketing and fry the wire. Hopefully popping the breaker before something bad happens, like a fire. But that statement is the wrong way to look at it.
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Perhaps I wrongly assumed the breakers were designed to prevent over current, protecting the cable? Isn't that the sole purpose of the breaker?

Either way I do appreciate the feedback fellas. I'm just struggling with the idea that the breaker, properly designed for the smaller original load, could somehow allow dangerous levels of current to flow. It would have been unsafe before I added the new amp if that were the case...
 
Stee6043 said:
Perhaps I wrongly assumed the breakers were designed to prevent over current, protecting the cable? Isn't that the sole purpose of the breaker?

Either way I do appreciate the feedback fellas. I'm just struggling with the idea that the breaker, properly designed for the smaller original load, could somehow allow dangerous levels of current to flow. It would have been unsafe before I added the new amp if that were the case...
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Think of it this way. Would you plug your 110V washing machine into one of those little old brown extension cords and then plug that into the wall?
 
techmitch said:
Think of it this way. Would you plug your 110V washing machine into one of those little old brown extension cords and then plug that into the wall?
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I'm not going to win this one :)

You guys are posting as if I ran 40' of that smaller gauge wire and then put a 200Amp fuse on it to make it all run...but I didn't...Sea Ray ran that cable, and protected it with a proper breaker...which I have popped before...so I know it works. I haven't defeated any of the original circuit protections...but that doesn't seem to matter! :)

What I should really do is look at the current draw difference between the 5 channel OEM amp I removed and the two Rockford amps I installed. It would be a real mind bender if the total current rating of the two new amps were actually smaller than the OEM 5 channel amp I ditched. Then you guys would have an entirely different argument to make!
 
Stee6043 said:
I'm not going to win this one :)

You guys are posting as if I ran 40' of that smaller gauge wire and then put a 200Amp fuse on it to make it all run...but I didn't...Sea Ray ran that cable, and protected it with a proper breaker...which I have popped before...so I know it works. I haven't defeated any of the original circuit protections...but that doesn't seem to matter! :)

What I should really do is look at the current draw difference between the 5 channel OEM amp I removed and the two Rockford amps I installed. It would be a real mind bender if the total current rating of the two new amps were actually smaller than the OEM 5 channel amp I ditched. Then you guys would have an entirely different argument to make!
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The issue is your basic 5 channel amp that provides 50w RMS x4 and 150w x1 is going to need 8 gauge wire to supply the amp. That basic amp is probably advertised as 600-700 watts @ 60amps 12v DC. And 8 gauge wire will need a 60 amp breaker. That's not stock anywhere in Sea Rays. Will the 12ga wire and 15 amp breaker work, probably for a little while and at low volumes, but not for long and then there's trouble.
 
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