4. Install positive feed wire and negative return
Determine the positive feed (red) and negative return (black or yellow)
wire size by calculating the total amperage of the circuits that will be
routed through the panel. Blue Sea Systems? electrical panels are
rated at 100 amp total capacity. The positive feed wire must be sized
for 3% voltage drop at the 100 amp panel rating or the maximum
amperage that will be routed through the panel in any particular
installation, whichever is less. It is recommended that the positive feed
wire be sized for the full panel capacity, which, in most cases, will
require at least 2 AWG wire, assuming a 10 foot wire run between the
panel and the batteries in 12 volt systems. Refer to the Wire Sizing
Chart for other situations. Remember that the length of the circuit is the
total of the positive wire from the power source and the negative wire
back to the DC Negative Bus. Be certain that there is a fuse or circuit
breaker of the correct size protecting the positive feed wire. In the
case of the 24 position panel, jumpers from positive bus to positive bus
and from negative bus to negative bus should be the same size as the
positve feed and the negative return wires.
