Fuse Taps

[Alasdair]

Has anyone used fuse taps for adding things like LED light strips. Is this an option or best to tap into the wiring itself at the lights?

[Gamith]

 Do you mean these? I have used similar ones to ease the load on the mess of wires behind the central console as there were items being powered from previous taps and the like so I have used them to clean things up and to have each item running off a fuse.

They work fine but I have found that, depending on the fuse box, they take up room and can block off the slot next to them so some locations are better than others. 

You also need to work on the connections and try and get the feed shrouded - as in the picture so that you don't have a live feed floating around. 

 

Oh - just mean to add that I haven't used them for LED lights but for; GPS speedo, dashcam, USB sockets, accessory (cigarette) socket and something I have forgotten 🙂 

Edited March 15 by Gamith
Adding the items that I have used them for.

[Alasdair]

That's the ones I mean.....I was wondering whether to use these fit the LED light strip but thinking about it..... I'm not sure that the light would only come on when the lights were turned on or just the ignition.....I think it may be the case that the strip will be powered when the ignition is turned on.

[Michael Brown]

That looks interesting, does come with a fuse in it and which fuse box did you plug it into ?

[Gamith]

Depends on what you buy. They usually come with one fuse each and you use the original fuse in the main socket. Obviously you can put whatever fuses you like in but you don't want a higher fuse rating than the original, so pairs of the same or the spur being on a lower rated fuse would be best.

When choosing which fuse socket to use you need to find out what it currently powers and / or do a test to find out whether its a permanent feed, comes one with the ignition or is only on when something happens, say headlights being on.

[Alasdair]

Ahh.....so when I find out which fuse supplies the lights....I can tap that for the under bonnet LED light strip.

[Gamith]

That would make the most sense - they you would have to work out which sort you need as the passenger fusebox uses a different fuse from the drivers side (at least they are on my 2005 face-lift model), but that's only an issue if you aren't aware of that when ordering.

Then it's a case of the termination - though that is more a matter of convenience than anything else, and how good you are with crimping tools 🙂

[Alasdair]

Mine is also a 2005 face-lift model and I have seen a good post on this site with fuse locations so will check that out again for clarification on where the fuses for the lights are.....the strip i have is also designed to do indication flashes too so needs a bit of further investigation on how that will be achieved too.

[Michael Brown]

I am looking to hard wire a Dash Cam