Getting ready for the road

[Robin G]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

(one on each side of the trailer with the ability to turn on the light from inside the trailer!).

I am sure there are handy people who aren't afraid of electrical DYI projects that have done it. But if I had my glass trailer down to a shell, I would make that project happen somehow, someway! The only trailer I have seen it done on out of the factory is Escape (another reason I am in love with the Escape).


Cathy,
I too agree with others/Donna D's suggestion of putting outlets, lights anywhere you sit, work etc. I would also suggest putting lighting in larger cupboards. Good Luck with your project!

[Cat futrell]

I agree, that is why I am having so much trouble understanding the pressure from "some" to take a gen. The last time I camped at a state park in a tent, there were campers on both sides of me. Both running something. Maybe not a gen, as there was power available, maybe the ac. either way, the reason I camp is to reduce the over stimulating sounds of "civilization". I need the time to have peace.

I realize that long term camping will be a different animal as I am sure I will share space with noise. But enough already, I do like to hear myself think. (usually) lol

[Cat futrell]

What sort off plugs do any of you use for your dc? Do you use the cigaret lighter looking things?

[Carol H]

I have one DC plug such as the one you mention. I have a little plug in converter I can use with it when off the grid to recharge the phone and camera batteries & once in awhile the 12v vacuum ;-). I could use my TV with it as well but if I am trying to save on power thats not a good thing.

[Carol H]

Cathy there is a lot of good info in regards to 12V usage and wiring at The 12 Volt Side of Life. There is a part one and two - both worth reading.

[rabbit]

I have the PD 9245 converter posted by Tom. It is a stand alone converter but in my case replaces the "real dumb" converter part of my older Newmark distribution panel. It cycles thru bulk, float, and periodic equalization charging as it is supposed to (according to the idiot light on the Charge Wizard pigtail) and has given me no problems with a group 27 deep cycle. I have lightened the load slightly upfront with a fiberglass LP tank (lower tare wgt. per capacity) and think I will go with a heavier group 31 battery next time. I'd like to go with 2 6V golf cart batteries except for the tongue wgt. issue. For the sake of the frame and the tug suspension, it does make sense to evaluate these additions to tongue wgt.

jack

[Cat futrell]

Jack, the weight issue is a big concern for me as well. About everything else you said is way over my head. I think I'm going to go and read the 2 links that Carol left and then check back thanks everyone .

[rabbit]

Yes to the question of DC accessory (cigarette lighter) receptable. It is handy for the same uses as in your car or truck.

jack

[jimmied]

Great thread. I am getting all sorts of ideas just from these postings. First off, PD4045 seems like a great idea, as others have sugested, as I am putting one in this week, as it is an all in one unit, with no distribution panel needed, and pigtails with numbers on them so the installation should be easy. There are 2 30 amp DC fuses, and 10 20 amp fuses so lots of available power.
As far as putting in a 12 v cigar receptacle, I would suggest putting in heavy wire, say 12 or 10 gauge rather than 16 gauge so your inverter does not turn off when plugged in with heavy loads.
For heating, a catalytic heater (pro cam is one of the lowest price) but there are other ceramic and blue flame models available (Vanguard, etc) and it does not require any power to operate. Of course it is not legal in Canada, but I have had them installed in the States and it does give out a lot of heat, and a thermostat is very helpful.
LED lights save on power, and I am still looking for some fixtures with about 300 lumen for reading. Still doing some research.

[Cat futrell]

Jim,

Keep us posted as you do your project. I would love to get your input as you work through it.

Cathy

[honda03842]

We have modified our Scamp to include 10 AC outlets, and 3 DC outlets.

The AC outlets are primarily located for convenience, literally all over the place. It's not that we use a lot of AC but like to have it where we need it. We increased the number of breakers from 2 to 4 to accomodate the additional outlets.

We primarily use the DC outlets for small 100 watt inverters for running things like the TV or Sat dish. One 100 watt inverter easily drives our TV and Sat dish.

We mostly use the 100 watt inverter when dry camping. We also have a 1200 watt Inverter that allows us to have AC throughout the trailer if we choose. I will say we rarely use the large Inverter.

As to lighting we have replaced everything except the Scamp Florescent
with LEDs. I believe the standard incandescent lamps produce about 120 lumens of decidedly yellow light. We have replaced ours with white LEDs of about the same lumen output.

Besides lower current draw, the LEDs are more tolerant of lower battery voltage, generally not changing light output much as the battery drops. Some people do not like the bright white LEDs, primarily, I think, because they are use to yellow lights. For us we find the white light provides higher contrast when reading.

We do have solar panels taped to our roof, 80 watts. In general they have been adequate to meet our power needs, not enought to run our electric hot water heater or electric heater but for virtually everything else, lighting, TV, Sat dish, charging phones, computers, e-books, running the water pump....

We have three ways to charge our battery, from our converter, from our solar panels and from our Honda's generator while driving. We tend to only use the Honda's generator if we're driving on a particulalry cloudy day, this is activared b a switch on the Honda's dash.

We no longer carry a seperate generator but do own a very small 1000 watt generator that we bought pre solar panels for a trip to Labrador. It was more than capable of running the trailer.

We also carry a 100 watt cigarette lighter inverter in the car that we use for charging our cell phones or on occasion our computer while driving.

We were gone for 315 days this year and I amazed how little utilities we use compared to being at home.

[Cat futrell]

thanks for that great information. I always enjoy reading your posts

[Cat futrell]

"As to lighting we have replaced everything except the Scamp Florescent
with LEDs. I believe the standard incandescent lamps produce about 120 lumens of decidedly yellow light. We have replaced ours with white LEDs of about the same lumen output."

What specific LED lighting did you use. Did you replace fixtures? Some say that they use replacement LEDs. Will you please clear this up for my muddy brain?

[Cat futrell]

Another question - what size wires should I run without knowing exactly what LED fixture I will be using and do I need a ground wire to each?

[Bob Miller]

Te PD9245 is designed to be used in an RV wih an existing AC & DC Distribution box, circuit breakers & fuses etc. It is only the power supply/battery charger part of the system.

The 9245 fits nicely in older boxes after the existing DC section is removed. I have installed several when the owner wanted to keep the original fuse and circuit breaker box.

Again, look at the PD-4045. It does the same thing, but includes the rest of what you will need, and often costs less for some reason or another.

[honda03842]

These are the LEDs we are presently using. They are rated for 190 Lumens. You do not have to replace the fixtures as long as your present fixtures use any of these bulbs, 1141, 1156, 1073, 1093.

We have gone thru about 4 generations of LED lamps in our trailers as LEDs have gotten progressively better and these have been the best by far. They have been in place for over a year and some have a 1000-2000 hours on them.

They are not the least expensive, about $10 on Amazon.

Amazon.com: HQRP BA15s Bayonet Base 30 LEDs SMD LED Bulb White for #93 1141 1156 1073 1093 1129 Replacement plus HQRP UV Chain / UV Radiation Health Tester: Automotive

It ends up costing about $100 to do our Scamp 16. Beyond functioning better than incandescents, they comparitively last forever and produce a better more even light with voltage variations. In a year none have failed where I'm certain in a year of RVing we would have replaced the frequently used incandescents more than once.

(One property of Incandescent bulbs is that their life is dramatically shortened by high voltages, when your converter suddenly jumps to 14+ volts to desulfate your battery.)

[Cat futrell]

Thanks Bob and, I'll say Honda since I don't know if Im talking to Norm or Ginny,

Honda, I don't have any fixtures so will have to purchase everything. There was only one LED when I purchased it and it was a plug in hanging light with the speaker plug. I don't think I will be using that one.

[Cat futrell]

Oops, here's my question - what sort of fixtures would you recommend and will they all sustain the same bulb or should I make sure of a certain wattage or voltage?

[Bob Miller]

If you have missing or older fixtures it is often cheaper to just replace the entire incandescent fixture with a new LED version.

These are the ones I have been using with good results. At about $14 each it's hard to justify using old fixtures and adapter style lights. The vendor also has a dual light version for about $24

68 LED RV Dome Ceiling Lights camper Trailer Marine Boat Cargo 12V Interior ZE | eBay

I have installed at least 20 of these in Scamps, BigFoots, Hunters and even in a 2013 Coleman hybrid.

[Cat futrell]

thanks Bob, I'll look at these. This is off topic but have you done rebuilds?