Electrical Questions: Neg Bus, Plugs, Wire Sizes

[SportsmanJake]

In the past year I have added a lot of electrical accessories. I have wiring for 3 sets of lights, CB radio, and a dash cam. All of these accessories come together under the hood where my Blue sea fuse block and Hella relay box are located. Installing these was usually done in large chunks of time where I was working by myself. I always underestimated these projects and was eager to get them done. That being said, I always took time to make sure the system was safe. But it is very messy. I have wires everywhere and want to clean up my system.

Phase 1: installing all the above stuff.
Phase 2: Fixing any shortcomings from Phase 1

Questions

1. Why can I not find bonded 12 awg wire to use on my truck?
2. Can anyone recommend a good pos/neg waterproof plug/connector for 12 awg wiring? I have lights on my Leer cap and do not want to cut and resolder each time I remove the cap.
3. Can anyone recommed a good negative/ground bus strip to use on my setup? I want to ground 6 wires to this bus that will be grounded to the frame.
4. Is it okay to use different size wiring on the same relay? (Example: 12 awg running to battery, 12 awg running to lights, 16 awg running to switch)
5. Why do people use the Blue sea fuse boxes? I feel like inline fuses take up a lot less space.
6. I heard I need a resettable fuse or circuit breaker to go inline the 6awg wire that runs from my battery to the fuse box. Any recommendations?

I think I am asking the right questions as far as improving my setup. Thanks for any help.

 

[Hilldweller]

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http://www.powerwerx.com/

 

[4x4junkie]

#1.
Low voltage landscape lighting cable... Probably the least-expensive, yet high-quality "zip" wire you can buy (I just bought a 100' roll of #12 awg for a little over $50). Is sunlight-proof, and very abrasion-resistant. Polarity markings are fairly easy to identify also (highly-visible ridges running down one conductor). I use it for my portable solar panel, for campsite lighting, and even as an extension cord should I need to keep my fridge plugged in up to 20 feet away from the truck. Most of my on-board accessory wiring is single-conductor cable though (using eyelets under bolts/screws on the frame or body as ground).

#2.
I'd probably use an inexpensive trailer light wiring connector, or 12V SAE-type DC connector (like on a Battery Tender) for that. Weather-sealed or not, they do seem to hold up well.

#4.
Yep, perfectly fine (I think I used #22 wire for the control switch to my relays). The relay coil only draws about 0.15 amps or so.

#5.
I've always used inline fuses myself. Agreed, you do need to watch out for cheap-quality ones, they can cause you many headaches (I've found blade-type (ATC) inline holders are far more reliable than inline glass (AGC) fuse holders). Many allow you to see the fuse itself either by having the top of the fuse exposed, or by providing a little "window" to see the fuse through.

#6.
I'd just use a standard fuse (ANL or similar high-current type) there. With all the other circuits protected by their own fuses, it's not likely the main fuse would ever get blown unless you had a short on the actual cable connecting the fuse block to the battery.


Hope that helps