Basic electrical set up advice for my rare trailer

[spaghettiroad]

Spring is coming ! Planning on wiring my refurbished trailer. Re-stored this trailer BUT wiring is not my thing. I picked up a 3000 watt inverter, deep cycle and 12ft of 4 AWG wire. Unit has propane stove, heater and small sink with traces of older copper propane lines...There is a external plug in fused
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you so much !

[Joe MacDonald]

are you looking at putting in 110v power as well?, an ac-DC converter with charge function?
12v lighting?

Joe

[Jon in AZ]

It would help to know your goals. What electrical appliances/lights are you planning to run? Where will you be camping- with or without electric hookups, for how long, and in what what climate conditions?

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by spaghettiroad

Spring is coming ! Planning on wiring my refurbished trailer. Re-stored this trailer BUT wiring is not my thing. I picked up a 3000 watt inverter, deep cycle and 12ft of 4 AWG wire. Unit has propane stove, heater and small sink with traces of older copper propane lines...There is a external plug in fused
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you so much !

A 3000 watt inverter would draw 250 FLA at 12 VDC
#4 CU wire is rated for 85 amps
One deep cycle battery is around 100 AH or less
Sounds like just a pile of miscellaneous parts !

My suggestion is , " Find someone with the proper knowledge and who knows what he / she is doing and get some help. or have it done properly "
As you stated " Wiring is not my thing"

[spaghettiroad]

Yes it does have 110V with a breaker. Ideally I'd like to run a deep cycle and propane from the tongue. As seen there is copper tubing there that splits for an option for the heater that I picked up underneath the stove. There used to be the same heater there years ago and the cut out on trailer could easily be re exposed. I just don't know if this system is safe or to code? I'd like to install the 3000W inverter on the inside of the trailer? I need some kind of fuse breaker system for the sink/lights/heater ? Pardon my ignorance ! Thanks

[HawkBoler72]

What appliances will depend on the "3000 watt inverter"? The battery may not stay long, consider a solar panel?

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by spaghettiroad

Yes it does have 110V with a breaker. Ideally I'd like to run a deep cycle and propane from the tongue. As seen there is copper tubing there that splits for an option for the heater that I picked up underneath the stove. There used to be the same heater there years ago and the cut out on trailer could easily be re exposed. I just don't know if this system is safe or to code? I'd like to install the 3000W inverter on the inside of the trailer? I need some kind of fuse breaker system for the sink/lights/heater ? Pardon my ignorance ! Thanks

A 3000W inverter??? Are you trying to change the laws of physics? At 3000w the battery would have to supply approximately 250 amps. Typical trailer battery is around 100 amp hours. Dead battery in less than 15 minutes. Bad idea.
Like was said above got to somebody that knows what they're doing.....

[The Minimalist]

What AC appliances are you planning to use that would require a 3000 watt inverter? For the most part it would be better to run things that use DC current and skip the inverter process, which has losses you can ill afford when operating on battery.

Trailers usually have a dual system with both AC and DC. The AC from shore power runs through a small breaker box that feeds the AC items in the trailer, such as the reefer. One AC leg feeds the converter which changes AC to DC, which powers the DC items such as lights and also charges the battery. When not on shore power, the battery powers the DC. All of the DC legs are protected by individual fuses.

First thing, you need to make a realistic estimate of your needs, and which ones can operate on DC (preferred) and which require AC such as a 2-way or 3-way reefer. Then we can make reasonable suggestions.

You would do well to go here:

The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

This tutorial will help you get up to speed and help you to realistically determine your your electrical needs.

[steve dunham]

The National Electrical Code Art #551 covers the requirements for RV wiring . Unfortunately Art #551 also references other code sections such as #210 ,220 ,240, 250 ,310 ,100 ,110 and Section 300 wiring methods etc. Since the NEC is a safety manual and not an installation manual , it will not tell you how to wire your trailer.
Improper / unsafe wiring in a trailer is just as dangerous as improper / unsafe wiring in a residence.
The belief that since a trailer is only 120 VAC , there is no danger is a false assumption. More people are injured / killed by 120 VAC then any other voltage , partially because it is the most common but also because people believe it is relatively safe.
Knowing and recognizing what you DON'T know is just as important as what you do know.
If you persist in doing the wiring or propane yourself then at least have someone who is trained inspect your work .
I was a licensed electrician for over 40 years and I was still required to have my work inspected by a competent , licensed inspector . A thorough inspection protected me as well as the property owner.

[stude]

Originally Posted by spaghettiroad

Spring is coming ! Planning on wiring my refurbished trailer. Re-stored this trailer BUT wiring is not my thing. I picked up a 3000 watt inverter, deep cycle and 12ft of 4 AWG wire. Unit has propane stove, heater and small sink with traces of older copper propane lines...There is a external plug in fused
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you so much !

:in our Motor Home we have never used a larger than 160W solar panel and right now on the new one we don't use anything but the batteries, We also have never had more than a 1000W Inverter which my my wife installs.
3000W is kinda overkill?
Stude

[spaghettiroad]

Perfect !! I'll take the advice ! Like I said it's a new language to me. Happy camping

[spaghettiroad]

Ok. I'll keep the deep cycle battery I got and ditch the 3000 watt AC to DC inverter and look for one smaller. I'd ideally like to run the 12v heater, faucet, 2 internal lights, coffee maker, blow dryer, tv, laptop from 2 ac plugs off the battery or option to plug in at a campsite. Solar is not an option for me. What's the recommended inverter size and converter ?

Thanks

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by spaghettiroad

Ok. I'll keep the deep cycle battery I got and ditch the 3000 watt AC to DC inverter and look for one smaller. I'd ideally like to run the 12v heater, faucet, 2 internal lights, coffee maker, blow dryer, tv, laptop from 2 ac plugs off the battery or option to plug in at a campsite. Solar is not an option for me. What's the recommended inverter size and converter ?

Thanks

The issue is not so much the size of the inverter (DC to AC) .
You don't have to run it at 100% output / capacity. You can feed the inverter with smaller wire just fuse the wire accordingly.
An inverter is not a substitute for shore power especially with a single battery. You need to limit your load and your expectations.

Make coffee on a propane cook top , dry your hair with a towel , heat your trailer with a propane furnace , install 12 VDC lights.
If you absolutely can't live without all these items then plan on staying at a campgrounds with utilities or buy a big 4 KW generator.

** As Mick Jagger says " You can't always get what you want "

[spaghettiroad]

The 18,000 BTU 12v propane furnace (needs 12v for spark) , lights, and sink pump run off DC. So I need a converter and a fuse system of sort,,

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by spaghettiroad

The 18,000 BTU 12v propane furnace (needs 12v for spark) , lights, and sink pump run off DC. So I need a converter and a fuse system of sort,,

You are correct ; you need a CONVERTER.
Look at Progressive Dynamic 's converters.
They contain a 120 VAC circuit breaker panel , a DC fuse panel , a 4 stage battery charger and a DC power supply .

[HawkBoler72]

For AGM deep cycle battery, this one is a good one

NOCO Genius G1100 6V/12V 1.1-Amp Smart Battery Charger and Maintaine
https://www.amazon.ca/NOCO-G750-Ultr...%2Btender&th=1

or

NOCO Genius G3500 6V/12V 3.5-Amp Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer

https://www.amazon.ca/NOCO-G750-Ultr...%2Btender&th=1

[spaghettiroad]

Anybody in the Vancouver BC area want to get paid helping me install whatever I need ?

[Steve L.]

It's a lot to keep track of. Electricians have years of training and apprenticeships before becoming journeyman electricians. It's probably wiser to understand when a project is over one's head than plunging into it and hoping for the best. One isn't going to learn all about wiring from a couple of posts on an enthusiast's forum.

[Borden]

We use a M31 deep cycle house battery and have a backup M27 agm deep cycle we can use in a pinch. Everything is 12 v even furnace fan so rolled glass gel pack battery is great; we have blue top as they Garentied it can be totally drained and still recharge Some regular agm deep cycle have a total discharge recharge problem. We purchased wrong type first; the M31 is 61 lbs.

[Borden]

P.S. also Opti glass pack is a bit costly but worth the price over long hall. We also have purchased a gel battery that is fume free made for indoors use but it would give sticker shock lol. The Opti blue top rolled glass pack M31 was about $675.00 with free shipping and tax. Hope this is of help.