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What is torque (terminal tightness)?

Tightening every terminal to a specified force. Too loose makes a hot, high-resistance joint that can start a fire below the fuse’s trip current — so each connection is torqued and checked.

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Why it matters

A connection that is too loose makes a hot, high-resistance joint that can start a fire below the fuse’s trip current. Torquing each terminal to spec is quietly one of the most important safety steps.

Where it fits in your system

It applies to every bolted connection — battery terminals, busbars, lugs — each tightened to a specified figure and checked.

How Wattonomy handles it

Design your van, boat, cabin or RV system in Wattonomy and it gives a torque table for every connection in the build pack, in the units for your region — from the appliances you actually run, sized to the recognized standard for your region. You see it on the wiring diagram, in the sized parts list, and in a plain-English build pack that explains the reasoning behind every choice. No account, no email — about a minute to a complete, validated design.

Questions

Why does terminal torque matter?

A loose terminal has resistance, and resistance makes heat — enough to start a fire even though the fuse never trips. Correct torque keeps every joint cool.

How tight should battery terminals be?

To the manufacturer’s specified torque, not by feel. Wattonomy lists the figure for each connection so you can set a torque wrench correctly.

Design your system — free

It takes about a minute. No account, no email.