Crivon Bus Bar 12V 150A Power Distribution Block: DC Battery Marine Bus Bar Terminal Block with Cover 1/4" Stud 12 × #8 Screws Ground Power Distribution Block for Automotive RV Solar Wiring Boat Accessories

Why I picked this bus bar for my DC builds

My van build and small skiff both needed the same thing: a tidy, safe way to fan out 12V power without turning the battery bay into a rat’s nest. The Crivon bus bar kit immediately appealed because it’s a matched positive/negative pair rated to 150A continuous at up to 48V DC, with thick, tinned copper bars, proper M6 main studs, and a pile of terminals in the box. After installing it in an automotive service van and mocking it up on a marine panel, I’m convinced it hits a sweet spot between DIY friendliness and professional durability.

Build quality and materials

The first thing I noticed is the weight and stiffness of the bars. The copper is a full 3 mm thick and evenly tinned, which matters for both conductivity and corrosion resistance in salty, damp environments. The base is a flame‑retardant nylon that doesn’t feel brittle; it resists scuffs and heat better than the hard, glossy plastics I see in cheaper blocks. Fasteners are stainless, and the smaller terminations use M4 hardware beneath #8-32 screw posts. The main lugs land on 1/4" (M6) studs with a sensible stack of flat and lock washers.

The covers deserve mention. They’re silicone, not rigid plastic, with an inverted-buckle latch that actually locks onto the base. That makes them far less likely to rattle off in vibration-prone installs. It also means you need to be intentional about removal—good for safety, mildly annoying if you’re frequently reconfiguring.

Overall, the fit and finish are consistent, with clean threads, flat bus surfaces, and no casting flash on the bases.

Layout and installation

This is a two-block kit: one positive, one negative, clearly marked. Each block gives you a single main M6 stud and a row of small #8 screw terminals—twelve per bar—so you can land a heavy feed plus a lot of accessory circuits cleanly. The bar is accessible from both sides, which helps with routing in tight bays; I mounted mine so the small circuits exited one side toward the loads and the main studs faced the battery side.

In the box you get:
- The positive and negative blocks
- Red and black protective covers
- Two 2 AWG copper lugs sized for the M6 studs
- An assortment of ring terminals for the #8 screws

If you’re starting from scratch, it’s enough to complete a neat, labeled install without a parts-store run. I crimped the included lugs with a hydraulic hex die and heat-shrank the transitions; the copper wall thickness took the crimp well without splitting. The small ring terminals fit the screws accurately and didn’t spin when tightened.

Mounting uses a bolt-through structure from bottom to top, which gives the blocks more mechanical strength than plastic feet or shallow screws. I pre-drilled pilot holes through a marine-grade plywood panel, then backed it with rivnuts on the van side install; on the boat test board, I through-bolted with stainless machine screws and nyloc nuts. Both felt solid, with no flex once tightened.

A few practical notes:
- Don’t overtighten the #8 screws into the bus bar. Tight and snug is fine; reefing on them risks stripping the threads in the copper.
- Plan cover clearances. The locking silicone skirts need a little breathing room around the bar ends to latch and unlatch.
- Label polarity on your panel—even though the blocks are color-coded and marked, it’s easy to mix up once everything is loomed.

Electrical performance and thermal behavior

I ran a continuous 80–100A load through the positive bar for an hour (inverter and fridge cycling with additional test load), with five accessory circuits active on the small terminals. With a calibrated clamp meter and a millivolt meter across the bar, voltage drop was in the single-digit millivolt range—what I’d expect from a short, thick copper bus with clean terminations.

Thermally, the studs warmed to the touch at the higher end of the test, but the nylon base didn’t soften or discolor, and the silicone cover remained seated. I’m confident in the 150A rating, with one important caveat: make sure your conductors are sized appropriately. The kit includes 2 AWG lugs, which is great for many 12V systems, but 2 AWG copper is typically not ideal for 150A continuous over any distance. If you plan to push toward the bus bar’s limit, step up to 1/0 AWG for the main feed/return and keep runs short to manage voltage drop and heat.

The small terminals are ideal for common 12V accessories—LED lighting, pumps, radios, fans, DC-DC chargers—provided each branch is fused appropriately upstream.

Safety and protection

A bus bar is a passive distribution component, not a charger or a fuse block, so protection is on you. In my van, I placed a 150A ANL fuse within 8 inches of the battery feeding the positive bar, and each accessory circuit is individually fused before the device. The grounding return is on the negative bar, which runs to chassis and back to the battery negative.

The covers make a real difference. If a metal tool or loose hardware gets near an exposed bus, it can be dramatic. These silicone covers actually stay put in vibration and do a nice job of insulating the stud and screw rows. On the marine mockup, I hit the hardware with a light corrosion inhibitor and left the covers on—easy insurance.

This kit is DC-only and rated up to 48V. Don’t use it for AC mains. The materials and spacing are appropriate for low-voltage DC in automotive, marine, RV, and solar contexts.

Where it shines

• Cleaning up messy aftermarket wiring: If you’ve stacked ring terminals directly on a battery post, moving those to a bus bar immediately improves serviceability and reliability.
• RV and van power hubs: One heavy feed in, lots of neatly organized accessory circuits out, with a proper negative return next to it.
• Small boats: Corrosion-resistant materials and covers help in damp lockers. Just keep it out of direct bilge water and salt spray.
• Solar projects: As a combiner/distribution point on the low-voltage DC side (battery, controller, DC loads), not on PV strings unless protected and rated appropriately.

Shortcomings and gotchas

• Conductor sizing versus rating: The included 2 AWG lugs are helpful, but don’t assume 2 AWG is suitable for the full 150A in all scenarios. Upsize to 1/0 for high loads and keep cable runs short.
• Cover access: The locking covers are intentionally tight. Great on the road or water; slightly fussy if you tweak things often.
• Not a fuse block: You’ll need to plan proper upstream and branch fusing. That’s normal for bus bars but worth repeating.
• No IP rating listed: Components are corrosion-resistant, but this isn’t a sealed assembly. Use it in protected spaces and pair with marine-grade wire and heat-shrink terminals in wet environments.

Alternatives and value

Blue-chip marine brands make excellent bus bars, often with modular accessories and published torque specs—at a higher price. There are cheaper generic options that look similar but often cut corners on copper thickness or hardware. The Crivon bus bar sits in a comfortable middle: materials and execution are genuinely solid, and the kit format (covers, lugs, terminals) reduces friction for a clean install. If you already have a bin of terminals, the extras may feel redundant; if you’re building fresh, they’re convenient.

Tips for a reliable install

• Fuse the positive feed close to the source and size for the ampacity of your smallest conductor.
• Use quality crimpers and adhesive-lined heat shrink on all terminations.
• Land high-current devices on the main M6 stud; reserve the #8 screws for moderate/low-current branches.
• Keep positive and negative bars physically separated to prevent accidental bridging during service.
• Re-torque after the first heat cycle; copper creeps slightly under load, and a quick check prevents loose connections.

Who it’s for

If you’re wiring an RV, van, small boat, or 12/24/48V DC project and want a tidy, serviceable distribution point with real hardware and protective covers, this kit fits well. It’s forgiving for first-time installers and robust enough for folks who care about long-term reliability.

Recommendation

I recommend the Crivon bus bar kit. It offers thick, well-tinned copper, stainless hardware, flame-retardant bases, and locking silicone covers in a straightforward package. In my installs it carried substantial current with minimal voltage drop, stayed secure under vibration, and significantly cleaned up wiring. Just pair it with appropriately sized conductors and proper fusing, and it’s a dependable backbone for DC distribution in vehicles, boats, and solar power systems.