Need advice / guidance on Trillium 1300 rewire

[Trillium-Pettis]

I have to replace ALL the wiring on my 1975 Trillium 1300.
I am no electrician but it doesn't seem too difficult (trailer is gutted).
It looks as though there are 4 x 110v connections to the junction box in the closet.

1 is power in from the main cord
( where can I buy a new cord ?)

1 goes to the upper 110 outlet in the upper closet

1 goes under the floor and over to a 110 outlet for the fridge (is it easy to pass the cord under this area ?)

1 goes under the floor and over to the wall and up to the over-sink light junction box ( same question but also passing it through the wall)

It it easy to wire all 4 of these connections to the main junction box in the closet ?

As for the 12 volt, it appears that the main connection wire group runs from the trailer hitch and into the floor and under the fridge area ( Where can I get this main wiring harness ? )

From there it seems the wiring goes to several places ( 12v lights, fridge, tail light, front signals, rear signals)

I would have all this done by the local Trillium shop but at $150 an hour and materials costs it would cost way ore than I want to spend.

Does anybody have any tips or guidance to share ?

Amy help would be greatly appreciated

thanks




Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Raff]

Just my opinion, get yourself a Progressive Dynamics PD4045 and rewire the whole thing. If you can tackle some basic home wiring and some 12v wiring then you can do it. I put one in my Boler last year and it was $ well spent. Lots of info here and various other places to help you out. A few hours of shop labour rates would pay for the entire job if you do it yourself.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Trillium-Pettis

I have to replace ALL the wiring on my 1975 Trillium 1300.
I am no electrician but it doesn't seem too difficult (trailer is gutted).
It looks as though there are 4 x 110v connections to the junction box in the closet.

1 is power in from the main cord
( where can I buy a new cord ?)

1 goes to the upper 110 outlet in the upper closet

1 goes under the floor and over to a 110 outlet for the fridge (is it easy to pass the cord under this area ?)

1 goes under the floor and over to the wall and up to the over-sink light junction box ( same question but also passing it through the wall)

It it easy to wire all 4 of these connections to the main junction box in the closet ?

As for the 12 volt, it appears that the main connection wire group runs from the trailer hitch and into the floor and under the fridge area ( Where can I get this main wiring harness ? )

From there it seems the wiring goes to several places ( 12v lights, fridge, tail light, front signals, rear signals)

I would have all this done by the local Trillium shop but at $150 an hour and materials costs it would cost way ore than I want to spend.

Does anybody have any tips or guidance to share ?

Amy help would be greatly appreciated

thanks
Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

Hi, question for you is why do you think all the wiring needs to be changed?
Is there any kind of converter in the trailer? Doesn't sound like it from what you say. Being gutted this seems like a great time to add one.
Basic trailer wiring is pretty much straight forward. You can do a search on this site for wiring diagrams to give you a good idea of how it works. BTW, you won't find the harness you asked for. The separate wires you run will make that up. Although you can have a few end items on the same circuit if they are not generally used at the same time. Think of each circuit as a loop, power to ground.
Other's will be along soon with questions and more detailed info for you.

[Trillium-Pettis]

Thanks for the replies.
I don't know what a Progressive Dynamics PD4045 is.

Every wire has been compromised so they all have to be changed.

I have seen a converter but not sure what it does or how it changes things ( or where to install it)
Any other info on the above would be greatly appreciated

thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Carol H]

Do you have a friend who is good with wiring? Wiring if done incorrectly can be dangerous to users of the trailer and drive the owner crazy trying to figure out what the problem/issues might be if it was a DIY project done poorly.

The main wiring harness at the tongue of the trailer can be purchased at any RV shop and in some cases even Walmart.

Normally the wiring is done when the trailer is gutted and it bundled together running along the floor on the outside perimeter of the trailer and from there it branchs up to where it is needed through or behind cabinets.

There are a number of things you need to know/understand about how trailer wiring works. A good place to start would be to read through the 12 Volt Side of Life.

Attached is a Scamp wiring diagram which is pretty common to most/many trailers so it can be used as a guide.

[David Tilston]

I changed my power cord to a 15A power inlet. That way there is no place for bugs to get in, and I am not stuffing a muddy cord into my trailer.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ded-50948.html

[JRTrillium]

Will be following this post as we need to do some re-wiring ourselves.

[marijke]

And so do I (need to rewire)
Everything is laid out for 230V and 12V and all the plugs and plug- ins replaced. Little trailer is empty so easier. Also the gaslines need to move, because the floorplan changes from front kitchen to mid/ left side kitchen.
Thanks already for all the pointers (the above especially, you are a fine bunch!)
Spring garden clean up time here in Edmonton, hope to finish that today and then it is trailer time ;-) :-)

[Trillium-Pettis]

The 12v doesn't look to hard but the 110v confuses me.
I see (1) main wiring set coming into the JB from the long outside cord.
Then (2) sets joining in that JB to go to the fridge and under cupboard light.
Also the upper closet 110v plug in outlet gets spliced into that same JB.

So all that wiring confuses me into 1 area and all I know is that Black is ground.
From there I am lost


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Trillium-Pettis]

This is what I see in that JB right now


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[stevebaz]

I think at the minimum you need is to start here.

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-home-wir...e+wiring+books

This will not give you enough information to rewire your trailer but at least get you a start in basic understanding. These type of books won't cover the 12 volt side of life.

There is allot of information on the net to help you.

Not using an electrician or someone well versed in this type of work can be very dangerous. Under right conditions 120 volts AC can kill you and 12 volts DC can severely burn you. Both can start a fire and in a confined space like a trailer, you have no place to go. On top of that you are merging 2 different systems in one trailer. I recieved electrical training at my local JR College and studied electrician 1, 2, 3. This helps allot with the work I have done.
What ever you do don't guess and verify everything. Proper fusing and circuit breakers are there to protect you. Make sure you use the right sizes. Over size fuses and breakers are a false sense of security.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Trillium-Pettis

The 12v doesn't look to hard but the 110v confuses me.
I see (1) main wiring set coming into the JB from the long outside cord.
Then (2) sets joining in that JB to go to the fridge and under cupboard light.
Also the upper closet 110v plug in outlet gets spliced into that same JB.

So all that wiring confuses me into 1 area and all I know is that Black is ground.
From there I am lost


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

WAIT STOP!

With AC, Black is HOT, or line, not ground. White is Neutral, (similar to ground, but not). Green is Ground.

Please don't kill yourself.

It is good practice to separate the AC from the DC.

[Bob Miller]

Gotta say, I think that you should really get some outside help. Any residential electrician can help with the 120VAC stuff and that's where you are most likely to get into trouble with a capital "T".


To update a little from previous posts:


That's an older trailer and after 40 years of use, abuse and bouncing around it's a good idea to tear it all out and start from scratch. A missed damaged wire can lead to a short and even a fire. Better to be safe and know what you really have.


A PD-4045 is a Progressive Dynamics power center. It includes all new AC distribution, with up to 7 circuit breakers, a new DC fuse panel with 12 pigtailed leads, a 45 amp converter and a 3 stage smart charger. Right now they are being offered on Amazon.com for $160. It's what's current in many new RV's


Wiring an RV isn't rocket science, but it is about 3 steps above a game of Yahtzee and, if done wrong, can kill.....

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by stevebaz

Proper fusing and circuit breakers are there to protect you.

All good points Steve. I have done a little bit of home rewiring while under close supervision of an actual electrician BUT I would never feel I had the know how to do any 110 wiring on my trailer!!! to scary for me to even think about touching it!!

I did though after looking at the picture the OP posted wonder if Trilliums did not originally have a seperate circuit breaker fuse box that the 110 goes into? as most of the other trailers do?

[stevebaz]

My 1986 Scamp had 2 different systems 120 volt and 12 volt. No converter or charger panel. When I rewired to the PD-4045 panel I redid everything but the actual incoming trailer pigtail. It took far longer to figure out what to do, what I wanted to achieve and figure out proper loads to get the protection systems right than it took to do the actual wiring. The PD-4045 made it so I didn't have to share circuits and properly charge the battery so I didn't have to worry about it.
Its all pretty serious stuff not to be taken lightly.

[Chris from Comox]

Trillium-Pettis..
This is the perfect time to "update" your entire electrical system as has been stated earlier - this ain't rocket science but done incorrectly it either won't work or you can hurt yourself alot.. Some things to consider- As you currently don't have a "converter" in your unit - the only way that you can charge your 12 volt battery is by hooking the trailer to your vehicle when it is running - that's not not handy at all..

What I did (in no particular order) goes something like this..

- I cut a hole in the fiberglass below my furnace under the kitchen sink and installed a "converter" .. This unit is used to "convert" 110 volt AC to 12 volt DC.. It also contains a number of circuts with brakers/fuses for both 110 volt and 12 volt power lines..
- That octaginal electrical box in the closet needs to be repurposed - use it only as the box to connect the outside power cord to the main power line to the "converter"
- Mount a 12 volt battery in the tongue of the trailer and run lines along the frame and then up thru the fiberglass and connect these lines to the appropriate places on the "converter"
- Replace all existing power lines - AC and DC - by using attaching the new lines to the old ones and "pulling" the old lines out and thus pulling tbe new lines into the same locations..
- put in a few new "lines" to where you think you might need them - e.g. new recepticles where you think they are missing or new lines for more lights or .. the wish lost goes on..
- label all the lines as to their purpose and when it comes to hooking the lines to the "converter" this might be the time to hire that electrician or call that friend that can assist you in this..

Hope this helps ;-)

[Chris from Comox]

One last recommendation - You can never have to much "grounding" - Ground to the frame as much as you want - more is ohh so much better than less ;-)

[Trillium-Pettis]

Thanks for all this great info.
I am going to do as Chris suggested and route the wiring but have an electrician actually do the hook up


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Joe MacDonald]

A lot of the 1300's did not have a breaker box or distribution setup. And it seems like from year to year, they were very different. All the work you want to do can be done, but you need professional help. Ask one of the technicians from your local dealer if they do side jobs, maybe a little cash will get you going on the right direction. If you do the work yourself, take your time and do it well. You could just follow the existing wire routes, and so pull new wires to the same places. Saying that, usually the power cord comes in the left side of trailer, the non door side. In my 1300, the JB Was under the heater in the dinette.

[David Tilston]

If a Trillium has a converter, it acts as the main breaker as well. The breaker in the converter is a 10A breaker. If it didn't have a converter there was usually a breaker, either in the closet, or under the furnace in a 1300.