powrsurg

The ARB Twin comes with two fuses. Both are 40AMPs 32volts. There are two red Cables that are connected to the battery both of the inline fuse.
One cable controls the compressor
The other controls the internal cooling fan.

I used the compressor last night to top off my girlfriends four tires and as soon as I was finished with the last one, the compressor cut out. I checked the fuses and after some testing realized what it controlled.


Anyhow, Ive used the compressor in quick spirts before and all was fine. Last night however I used it for 5 minutes and the fuse blew. I wired everything correctly. What could have caused the fuse to blow?

Freewill

Specs for the twin on ARB's site say the twin draws 50 amps. The 40 amp fuse is probably the problem.

If it draws 50 be sure the wire is good for 50 amps also. #8 would work but #6 would get more power to the compressor.

powrsurg

That's weird, the 40 amp maxi fuses ame with it.

I had to extend the wires and used the same gauge for the extension. Can't remember what the gauge was.

How / why would amps increase over time? I've run it before and it was fine. The longest run yet is what produced the blown fuse. I checked connections to the battery and all looked fine.

BoneShkr

If the gauge you used was slightly thinner than the original,
then over time the resistance will increase due to heat build
-up. This resistance will cause the fuse to fail.

When adding wire to a circuit, it's always better to use a
gauge that is heavier than what is recommended.
I personally use welding cables as the copper strands
are the best for nearly any circuit.
Also, it's a good idea that you use contacts that are better
than the ones that come with the unit.
For the important connections it's best to go with a pure
copper and/or a copper that's been plated with gold.

Hope this clears up some questions.

p.s.; If your still having issues use this easy chart for assistance;

http://www.windsun.com/Hardware/Wire_Table.htm

JK-Ford

This is the most likely explanation to your delima. Depending on the length you had to increase the conductor run, this may have required an increase in the wire size. If not installed correctly, this would cause an effect like "BoneShkr" was describing in his first paragraph.

PS: Gold Plated Conectors is a little extream.

Freewill

The fuses supplied by ARB would be the correct size to protect the wires, but that doesn't mean the wires are the best size for the compressor. Even without extending the run it seems they scrimped on wire size.

The twin draws 28 amps @ no pressure and up to 56 amps at maximum pressure. When I get my twin I will probably use #4 wire and a 60 amp fuse. #6 and a 50 amp fuse would be the minimum.

The suggestion to use welding cable is spot-on. It is durable, flexible, and easy to find at a welding supply.

This link, posted above, is a very useful table but it covers allowable voltage drop for a cable run, not maximum ampacity for the cable - although the two are closely related. DC Wire Table

KlausVanwinkle

I had the same issue this weekend. But I noticed a few possible errors in your description. The two power leads are for each compressor. If you pull one fuse, you notice that it kills one of the compressors. The fan wouldn't need a 40A fuse. The positive leads are intentionally redundant so if one fuse blows, you can still use the other compressor.

The max amperage draw at 150PSI is just below 70A. But that's split between two compressors and two fuses, meaning that the max amperage is 35A per compressor. That's why it comes with 2 40A fuses. The CKMA12 compressor runs at 13A at no pressure. That's why the twin is slightly higher at 28A (2x 13A +2A for the fan probably).

I don't know why my one fuse blew. But I'm going to replace it with another 40A fuse and carry spares. I'd rather blow fuses than blow the compressor.

jchappies

2 things..... if the compressors are mounted in the engine compartment you are pre-heating them and they will draw a few more amps because they are already hot when you go to use it. second , if the engine was off you will have voltage drop and it will cause a higher amp draw. If you had both scenarios at the same time your chances of blowing a fuse is greater.

jchappies

ARB says it's 50A under load
CKMTA12 MAX VOL ON-BOARD 12 28A 174.3LPM 6.16CFM 50A 131.7LPM 4.65CFM 8.8 19.4 100%

14Sport

Wire gauge required is a function of not only amperage but length. The longer the run the heavier the gauge for the same amperage. Depending on how much additional wire you added, you may need to bump up a gauge.