Need help with 12v fuse panel and wiring update - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-24-2011, 12:37 PM   #1
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Need help with 12v fuse panel and wiring update

Firt off i want to apologize for the basic question on how to wire in this type of 12volt fuse panel. Here's the link http://www.princessauto.com/trailer/...-circuit-panel

I need to update the wiring in my 76 boler and i'm looking at this 6 fuse panel. I'm not sure if the screw terminal at the rear is for the ground or power. I'm going to run my lights to a couple of the circuits, eletric water pump that i'm going to install soon to anther, and in the future a fantastic fan to another circuit.

I was hoping i could just find a 12 volt fuse panel where i could run a 10 guage or so positive from the battery to it, and then also ground the panel to the frame, and then run my positive and negative out to each appliance. Like i mentioned, sorry if i'm totally off and this question has been covered numerous times before. A little help would be appreciated.

Mike
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Old 03-24-2011, 01:33 PM   #2
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12 volt panel

The panel has 6 circuits with a fuse holder for each ,the termial at the bottom center is the power imput If the panel is close to the battery 10ga should be good , lights ,water pump,furnace. If you are going to play with bigger toys You might want to go with a bigger wire ga and get away from a plactic fuse holder
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Old 03-24-2011, 01:37 PM   #3
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This one is a little cheaper AUTOMOTIVE FUSE PANEL - eBay (item 190515253611 end time Mar-29-11 09:51:49 PDT)

web site here Blue Sea Systems
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Old 03-24-2011, 01:50 PM   #4
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12 volt panel

A little example , one or two circuits hope this helps
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Old 03-24-2011, 02:25 PM   #5
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As Kens picture shows, ground is not involved in this fuse box. It is very seldom that you put a fuse in a ground(return) line.

Do you have a multimeter with a continuity tester? Most useful with these type of issues. If you were to take the fuse holder and put a fuse in one of the positions, a continuity tester would let you verify how the holder is constructed. Just a thought, Raz
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Old 03-24-2011, 02:26 PM   #6
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Thanks for the replies guys. So on the written diagram you provided is the triple horizontal lines at the end of the cirucuit a required ground? Is there an easy way to use a shared ground for all circuits? Thanks again
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Old 03-24-2011, 02:35 PM   #7
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ken h example Click image for larger version

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Old 03-24-2011, 02:41 PM   #8
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I don't have a continuity tester. I'm new to wiring a trailer but as a kid i wired up my car stereos all the time. Right now my trailer has no fuse panel. All i have are lights and i believe they have an inline fuse somewhere under the sink. I want to connect my sureflow pump i bought and also just clean up the wiring. I have different colours of wiring running everywhere. That's where i thought a common fuse panel labeled of course would just make it look neater and more organized. If there is a better way to do this please let me know. All i know is that my trailer's 110 system is totally seperate and that the original 110 panel works but is pretty much useless with it's one 110 plug in. Don't want to get off topic, i'd just like to update the wiring in my old yellow trailer.
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Old 03-24-2011, 02:47 PM   #9
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Ok, so that looks simple. Thanks so much for the quick replies. So i ground the battery to the frame from the negative terminal, then run a 10 guage or larger wire to the fuse panel, then all i have to run is a positive to each appliance, with a switch inline if required. Looks very simple. I have a switch for my water pump that i'll splice in. My furnace has no fan so no need for 12 volt power. I don't think i'll wire my old original dometic rm21 to 12v. One more silly question, do the inline switches require their own ground? I have one that has 3 terminal prongs off the back of it and it has a led to show when the circuit is active. Thanks again to those who have helped. Hope i've understood this correctly. Looks very simple on the 12v side.

Mike
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Old 03-24-2011, 03:09 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Kevin K View Post
ken h example Attachment 34260
Thanks Kevin ; Looks like you are also handy with your computer as well as wiring
Thanks again
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Old 03-24-2011, 05:47 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Michael Collins View Post
Ok, so that looks simple. Thanks so much for the quick replies. So i ground the battery to the frame from the negative terminal, then run a 10 guage or larger wire to the fuse panel, then all i have to run is a positive to each appliance, with a switch inline if required. Looks very simple. I have a switch for my water pump that i'll splice in. My furnace has no fan so no need for 12 volt power. I don't think i'll wire my old original dometic rm21 to 12v. One more silly question, do the inline switches require their own ground? I have one that has 3 terminal prongs off the back of it and it has a led to show when the circuit is active. Thanks again to those who have helped. Hope i've understood this correctly. Looks very simple on the 12v side.

Mike
No ground on the switch. It's center to one side in one position and center to the other in the second position. Use the center and either side. Another good use for a multimeter with a continuity tester. Poke poke
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Old 03-26-2011, 09:08 AM   #12
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If the switch has a light in it , it most likely needs a ground to make the light work. which terminal it is, well that changes by manufacturer.

Joe
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Old 03-26-2011, 09:16 AM   #13
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If the switch has a light in it , it most likely needs a ground to make the light work. which terminal it is, well that changes by manufacturer.

Joe
Since it's a pump switch, you are probably right. I was thinking a SPDT toggle switch. Good call. Raz
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Old 03-26-2011, 07:59 PM   #14
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So just so I have this correct, do I need a positive and ground going to each appliance? That's the way it is now in my trailer. If so, how do I make a common ground?
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Old 03-27-2011, 08:08 AM   #15
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to make a common ground you could use the trailer frame, and run a ground from your battery to the frame, then a wire from each appliance to the frame, or you could run a large ground wire inside the trailer then connect each appliance to it.
Most people elect to run two wires to each device because it may eliminate problems later on like bad connections at the frame. I used a short piece of ground buss bar to make a common point for all of my ground wires and have had no problems so far.
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Old 03-27-2011, 10:50 AM   #16
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This happens to be a fuse-block that does have a grounding bus-bar.

However, since your fuse-block does not have a grounding bus-bar, you can install something similar to my old system which I point out towards the end of this video.

I attached a heavy 6 gauge green grounding wire directly to the frame of my trailer by drilling a hole in a non-structural part of the frame. Grind this area to bare metal, apply dielectric grease, and then bolt the grounding wire to this point.


This grounding cable is then run up inside the trailer to a common grounding busbar with multiple attachment points. All your appliances can then be grounded at this one common point.

I also have a separate grounding cable that runs from battery negative to an attachment point on the frame.

Ignore the references to the shunt and battery monitor information as this does not apply in your case.

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