Electrical help and condensation issues

[Art VanDelay]

What I do not understand is why some of the experts on this forum quibble about the small over engering things like installing 12 gauge instead of 14 gauge wiring in these small fiberglass campers.

The Electrical code quotes the minimum essentual sizes so upgrading to a heavier wire just gives the user a better installation and the cost is absolutely MINIMIAL.

Price the several feet of 14 gauge Romex against the cost of 12 gauge and I predict it will not break the bank.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Art VanDelay

What I do not understand is why some of the experts on this forum quibble about the small over engering things like installing 12 gauge instead of 14 gauge wiring in these small fiberglass campers.

The Electrical code quotes the minimum essentual sizes so upgrading to a heavier wire just gives the user a better installation and the cost is absolutely MINIMIAL.

Price the several feet of 14 gauge Romex against the cost of 12 gauge and I predict it will not break the bank.

I agree the cost of 14 vs 12 in a single trailer is minimal but it is not necessarily a better installation . Installing 12 awg wire to feed a low amperage load is wasting money. The majority of the wiring in homes is 14 AWG because of cost but still complies with the code. I have done competitive bidding on Electrical projects of over $500.000 and the cost of using larger wire than the code specifies will guarantee you won't get the job. Why don't we run 1" water lines in our trailers , isn't bigger better??

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Trillium.Stella

Hey Everyone,

...... We plan to run the following devices off the surge protector: 110V fridge, 110V ceramic heater, charging laptops, ipad, etc. Is this recommended and considered safe? It should be noted that we no longer have 12V lighting. We're using battery powered led lights.

We are clueless when it comes to electrical. Any feedback on his idea would be greatly appreciated.......

Ashley

There are clearly some people on the forum who are very experienced in electrical work. The OP is not one of them so what do they need to know?

What information will help them get the best advice?

What would you experienced folks use for the extension cord (length/gauge) and power strip given what they hope to run? Can they run it off of a typical park 15 amp circut? Or should they have a second electrical cord just for the fridge?

Going forward what should they purchase to re-do the electrical? Like a parts list, or what it might cost to have someone do it?

I would know the parts to pick them out from the store (or ask our kid, the one that is journeyman electrician) but not the proper names or any idea of what an electrician would charge to do something like wire a FG trailer with some outlets. Sounds like some folks here can provide that info.

I "over engineered" some outlet circuts in my basement with 12 ga so if at some future point I wanted to make that circut a 20 amp circut I could, I used 14 ga for the overhead CFL lights. There are solid reasoned arguments and situations that make either choice a "good" or "bad" choice.

Some of it just comes down to opinion. My own opinion is not code based, I just find 12 ga romex harder to work with because it's stiffer and harder to bend than 14 ga, but if I was running individual wires behind ensolite that might be an advantage for 12 ga.