Need guidance wiring 12v Distribution panel - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-29-2009, 11:33 PM   #1
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I will be wiring up this panel soon and could use some pointers.
My trailer has only one 12v deep cycle battery- no converters or inverters.
I'll put in 5 lights, 1 12v outlet, and a shurflo water pump.

I found an Airstream website that pictured the same panel, so that was informative.
I'd love to see photos of others who have wired similar basic systems.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I have read several 12v books from my library, but they don't go into much detail on distribution panels.

Thanks!
-Fran
74 Compact II
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Old 10-30-2009, 03:19 AM   #2
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do a search on wiring and wiring diagrams using the search button, lots should come up as many of our members have re-done the wiring in the trailer.
Joe
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Old 10-30-2009, 06:02 AM   #3
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Fran

I can't tell really exactly what you are asking?
What do you want pointers with?

You will certainly need some way to charge and recharge the battery and it looks like you have room on that panel to just attach each load directly to the panal although I can not really see it that well to be sure.
You will also need some way to switch the loads on and off and many lights have switches already on them.

Are you looking for suggestions about the type and routing of wire or fusing or connections to the loads and panel??????

If you can more specific specific it will be easier to help.

Ed
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Old 10-30-2009, 08:30 AM   #4
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Fran,

Its a pretty straight forward panel, the gauge of the wire to each circuit will take in several factors like the length of the wire run combined with the load "usually in amps" or the work needed at the destination, this needs to be ball-parked together as an over view for the install, for instance a lighting circuit generally runs a thinner gauge wire than the gauge of wire for the shur-flo pump ect. A 12v toaster oven needs way more wire gauge than a pump.
Its a good question you are asking...I see the board itself will need protection from the battery so that its wire feed is protected, so figure what everything draws plus some and put a thermal breaker in line with this panel to the battery.

Just an idea here, when I install these in trailers I put them inside a wee box, like a cheap plastic cosmetic box, "mine is pink" so that when the project is done I can close the door and snap it closed, its protected and I can throw stuff in with it with out worry.

A list of what you are running and a guess of the distance each thing is away from the panel would help. Also the distance from the battery.

Hope it helps...more info please.

Happy Camping, Safe Trails.

Harry
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Old 10-30-2009, 08:33 AM   #5
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Why don't you go directly for an Intelli-Power http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html. That will solve all your problems for both 110 and 12 volts, battery charging etc..
A final solution.

This is what I have done after considering partial solutions like you are doing now. Check on eBay.
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Old 10-31-2009, 04:53 PM   #6
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Before you get in too deep, see how Scamp does it. They've done a pretty good job of documenting their electrical system in the owners manual. See it at http://scamp.n0kfb.org/manual/

-- Dan Meyer
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Old 10-31-2009, 08:42 PM   #7
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I don't actually like Scamp's take on their 12v load panel, which has one wire that connects the battery, vehicle charge line, and all the trailer lights onto one circuit with several fuses (one fuse at the battery, another to the vehicle, and a third at the load center). A setup like that can make it hard to troubleshoot electrical problems on down the line.

Here's how I would do it:
  • One circuit with a red wire for the battery and vehicle charge lines and a separate white "ground" wire connecting the battery and vehicle ground (negative) wire back to the load center. I'd use 10 gauge wire for both, and I'd put 30A fuses on the positive connections at the battery and where the the vehicle charge line comes inside the trailer shell, then a separate a 25A fuse at the load center.
  • The power converter/charger needs its own 10g wires, a red one with a 25A or 30A fuse for the positive connection and a separate white one that joins with the white ground wire running to the battery.
  • If you have a built-in inverter with a sustained output rating of 300 watts or less it needs its own 10g wires, positive wire connected to its own 25A fuse and a separate ground wire connected to the rest of the trailer's ground wiring. Inverters larger than 300 watts need their own dedicated positive and ground wire connections to the battery with its own fuse. ( It is worth noting, however, that most inverters advertise their "surge" rating in large, visible print and write their sustained output numbers -- which are about half the watts -- in small print. Use the sustained output numbers as your guide.)
  • Run one 12g ground (negative) white wire forward from the load center and across the front of the trailer and a second white ground wire to the back of the trailer and up the curb side (running separate wires makes troubleshooting easier to do) and connect them to the ground wires from the battery, converter, and inverter. Use this one ground wire for all other circuits.
  • All the lights can share a single 15A fuse, but run one 12g wire from the load center forward and another 12g wire from the load center back and along the curb side wall.
  • You can put all your 12v outlets and even your water pump on the same circuit as your lights (most trailer manufacturers do), but I prefer to put them on their own circuit with their own fuse.
  • As for the rest of the circuits, use 12g wires connected to their own, dedicated fuses for the furnace, refrigerator, and any other 12v goodies you have in your trailer.
  • If you have solar panels you'll need to give them a dedicated positive and ground wire connections, too. If you have panels that are permanently affixed to the trailer (like our roof-mounted panels) or a mix of fixed and loose panels, you'll need to connect them to a charge controller and then to their own fuse at the load center. If you have loose panels only you might find it easier to install your solar panel connector(s), charge controller and fuse outside your trailer, next to your battery.
  • One final suggestion: use different color wires for different circuits (anything other than white and green, which are reserved for ground wires): black for the lights, blue for the water pump, orange for the heater, yellow for the 'fridge and so on. Doing your wiring this way will make any future troubleshooting or additional wiring easier.
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Old 11-01-2009, 08:37 AM   #8
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I have this same fuse pannel install in the original power converter in my bigfoot
This afternoon i will take some picture of the pannel and check how the wiring diagram are organised

i know that the battery was plug on the main entrance of the circuit and the power supply at the other
Some fuse was powered by power supply and some other by the battery the original power supply, it have a selenoid to power one or the other
I put a jumper wire between the two entrances and all the fuses was powered at the same time when i replace the original power converter by an intelli-power converter

Yvon Chayer
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Old 11-01-2009, 06:43 PM   #9
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This afternoon i take some pictures of my fuse pannel
It is not exactly the same as your , it have some minor difference
In your pannel you have 2 main fuse 30 amps and i dont have in mine, in mine there was outside the pannel

In right lower you have the negative input ( all ground go there )( a big screw)
over the this big srew you have an other one , it was the possitive battery input
On the back of my pannel i have a other big screw , it was the converter input
on the bottom all smal srew was the fuse output to you accessory
In my fuse pannel the fuse 1 to 6 was power by the converter only and the 3 other by the battery only
I put a big jumper wire ( blue ) to power all in same time and for the converter charge my battery
I include some picture of my fuse pannel and one pic with the diagram
If it is not clear to you i can explain differently , i speak english just a bit
Yvon Chayer
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Old 11-01-2009, 07:24 PM   #10
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Yvon, I wish my French was half as good as your "just a bit" of English
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Old 11-02-2009, 12:05 AM   #11
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Yes, Yvon, thanks for the help. Your panel does look very similar. Thank for the photos, and for your advice.

Fran
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Old 11-02-2009, 12:08 AM   #12
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Thanks, Peter for your input, especially wire gauge sizes. My system is pretty simple since I do not have an inverter and the battery is not charged by the tow vehicle.

Fran
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Old 11-02-2009, 12:14 AM   #13
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Yes, that's a handy reference, Dan, for a variety of issues. I just bookmarked the Scamp manual website. (I used to have a Scamp 16) Thanks for sending that on!

Fran
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Old 11-02-2009, 12:16 AM   #14
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Thanks for your advice, Harry. Good tips to keep in mind.

Fran
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