Teardrop newbie looking for electrical advise.

[Wishno]

The trailer I bought came with absolutely no wiring and because i have no experience with electrical systems building it from scratch is looking like a very daunting task for me. I has hoping you guys could at least give me a basic outline for what components I need to buy to accomplish what im looking for.

Here is what Im looking to accomplish:

12V interior and exterior lights

two 110V outlets (not for anything crazy just for a camera/laptop charger or maybe a small heater)

An onboard battery that can run my thermoelectric cooler and lights for a day or two if I don't have shore power

Exterior plug for shore power to keep the battery charged and run the 110V stuff when im parked

Im installing a 5k btu air conditioning on my teardrop and I would like to be able to run the power through the rest of the electrical system so I don't need to plug it in separately when Im parked. Im not sure if this is even possible due to the current it draws but it would be nice to have everything plugged in though one cable.

I would also like to be able to charge the onboard battery with my car while im towing.


Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance to my fellow teardroppers!



Some pics because i know everyone loves pics.

[bobhenry]

From 8 years of campground experience I would strongly suggest that you do leave the air conditioner on a separate line. I have found that if I use a heating cooking appliance while the AC unit is running there is a good chance I will pop a breaker. I plug the AC into the 30 / 50 amp outlet with an adapter, and then plug the trailer into the 20 amp one.

I used Joanne's pictorial schematic to help me understand the DC side of my build.....

[dales133]

I've got no DC experience and did ok.
Just get a blade fuse box, earth buss bar and related crimps and take your time one curcuit at a time

[kludge]

The pic posted by bobhenry is nice, but you might want to add a circuit for exterior "porch lights" or even tie into the trailer's running lights, so you can find easily find your trailer after visiting the restroom at night.

Blue Sea make a nice 12VDC fuse block with + and - busses.

https://www.bluesea.com/products/5031/S ... gative_Bus

14/2 wire will work for all your DC runs will work. 14/4 trailer wire will also work and is super easy to get, but you don't get "black and red" color coding. 14 gauge will take up to 15A, so fuse everything @ 15A or less with 14 gauge. Use automotive wire not romex for DC runs.

http://www.waytekwire.com/products/1465/Trailer-Cable/

Missing from the picture is a AC to DC converter/charger. Also for very simple AC, you might consider mounting a power strip or two plus an extension cord to shore power. the DC converter could plug into the power strip in the galley, as well as the interior power strip. Then it's just a matter of plugging the galley power strip into the extension cord and run the extention cord to shore power. Make sure the power strip is the kind with a circuit breaker... and I would FULLY recommend that the power strip is protected with a GCFI.

The cooler, depending on the size will probably drain the battery fairly quickly, the Igloo Iceless 28 draws ~75 Watts, doesn't have a thermostat, so it runs and runs. That, along with heating, cooling, or electric blankets are best used with shore power.

A group 24 battery will give you about 80 Amp*hours. 12V*80Ah=960 Watt*hours... 960 Watt*hours/75 watts for the cooler = 12.8 hours, so you would need four batteries to last two days... but you're probably not going to put four batteries in your trailer.

[Wishno]

Thanks for the replies guys. I really appreciate it.
I have seen some talk about the PD4045. What is it in laymans terms and is it something I should get?
Also I can't seem to find an online retailer for the blue sea fuse block. Where can I get one?
Is there a specific inverter that you guys like to use?

[kludge]

Blue sea fuse block

http://www.pbsboatstore.com/Fuse-Blocks-and-Fuses.htm

http://www.pbsboatstore.com/Blue-Sea-Sy ... aQodRoAAZQ

Progressive Dynamics AC-DC Converter/Charger

http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=pd+4045 ... 5&tbm=shop

[kludge]

Oh, the PD4045 has several DC fuse holders built in, so that could simplify things for you if you go with an on-board charger.

[Wishno]

So the PD unit takes the place of the inverter and the battery charger? Would it simplify my wiring quite a bit if I bought this as sort of the central hub for the entire electrical system?

[MtnDon]

So the PD unit takes the place of the inverter....?

No. The PD's do not have an inverter; DC power to AC power. They do include a converter; AC power to DC. That section includes a multi stage battery charger.

[Wishno]

So the PD unit takes the place of the inverter....?

No. The PD's do not have an inverter; DC power to AC power. They do include a converter; AC power to DC. That section includes a multi stage battery charger.

So if I get the PD system I would need an inverter as well If i wanted to periodically run small AC powered things?
Im kind of leaning toward the idea of just forgetting about the inverter just to simplify things. Plus i don't really have a lot of space for all of the electrical components to began with.

Should I just copy what this guy is doing?
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=62770

[Wobbly Wheels]

Looks like a great project you've got there - I love the deco coupler !

If you want to run AC devices from your 12V battery system then you will need an inverter.

That said, you mentioned camera/laptop chargers: check the label on the block of your laptop's power cord, it will tell you how many watts it needs (or post a pic of it). As for the heater, batteries are a grossly inefficient way to provide heat.
Inverters of around 75 or 100 watts are common and cheap and can be run off of a 'standard' 15A,12V socket (cigarette lighter, 'power point'). You can plug it in when you need it and stow it when you don't (they're only a little bigger than a deck of cards). The 12V socket can also be used for a lot of other things as well.

One thing you might want to do is a bit of online window shopping and get an idea of what devices you want and how much current (amps) they draw.
For example: LED lights use less power but cost more and provide a somewhat more directional light than incandescent bulbs.
How many lights ? Any area lights outside to light up the campsite ? Cabin fans ? Entertainment system ?
Blender for the margaritas ?

Because you want to go unplugged for a couple days at a time, that will determine how much battery capacity you need: everything starts from there.
Once you have figured that out (and a spot for it !) you can work out the rest of the system.
Are you planning on mounting a tongue box ? That's a great place to stow a battery, though it adds to the tongue weight.

[kayakdlk]

Skip the PD4045 and go with a simpler and cheaper super simple AC http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=37732. A power inlet, surge protector with built in circuit breaker and power strip are all that is really needed for your AC. I wired some AC outlets to the AC power strip using extension cord cable. Then for your DC add a battery a fuse block some wiring and LED lights. The only way my two systems connect is I use a Battery Tender 022-0157-1 that plugs into the power strip and the the red and black 12 volt lead plug into my fuse block. Without a battery and plugged into AC this batter tender will provide 5A of 12V more than enough to power all of my lights etc. and when I connect a battery and turn the disconnect switch to off it charges the battery. Without AC plug in at campgrounds the battery provides all of the power needed to the 12 volt LED lights and 12 volt outlets. The AC outlets are not used when we are not plugged into AC.

Good luck with your build
Dan

[Wishno]

Skip the PD4045 and go with a simpler and cheaper super simple AC http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=37732. A power inlet, surge protector with built in circuit breaker and power strip are all that is really needed for your AC. I wired some AC outlets to the AC power strip using extension cord cable. Then for your DC add a battery a fuse block some wiring and LED lights. The only way my two systems connect is I use a Battery Tender 022-0157-1 that plugs into the power strip and the the red and black 12 volt lead plug into my fuse block. Without a battery and plugged into AC this batter tender will provide 5A of 12V more than enough to power all of my lights etc. and when I connect a battery and turn the disconnect switch to off it charges the battery. Without AC plug in at campgrounds the battery provides all of the power needed to the 12 volt LED lights and 12 volt outlets. The AC outlets are not used when we are not plugged into AC.

Good luck with your build
Dan

I like this idea because it meets my needs while being simple and inexpensive. I can always go back and make things more complicated when I feel more comfortable with building this stuff.

I do have one question though. You mentioned something about removing the battery or disconnecting it? Does this mean I need to disconnect the battery when I'm connected to shore power?
What I could like to be able to do is just run off the battery when I'm not connected to AC and when I'm connected to AC I can use all the AC outlets, the battery tender is charging the battery while all of the 12v stuff is still running off the battery. Is that what you meant?

[kayakdlk]

What I could like to be able to do is just run off the battery when I'm not connected to AC and when I'm connected to AC I can use all the AC outlets, the battery tender is charging the battery while all of the 12v stuff is still running off the battery.

That's how it works.

I didn't have a battery when I built my teardrop and used it the first time. I plugged into AC and used the battery monitor and its 5A to power and test all of my 12V lights. When I added a battery I wired in a disconnect switch. I just thought is was a good idea and it allows me to completely disconnect the battery from the system to work on it etc. You do not have to disconnect the battery while plugged into AC. If you leave it connected the batter tender will charge the battery, but for example in the winter I remove the battery and I can still run my 12V lights off the battery tender. Just more flexibility and options. One day I plan to add solar so I can charge the battery without be plugged into AC.

My galley and build journal have lots of pictures of my wiring. I just added a couple of the 120V and 12V wiring diagrams. All of the ideas are borrowed from this great web site

Dan

[Wishno]

What I could like to be able to do is just run off the battery when I'm not connected to AC and when I'm connected to AC I can use all the AC outlets, the battery tender is charging the battery while all of the 12v stuff is still running off the battery.

That's how it works.

I didn't have a battery when I built my teardrop and used it the first time. I plugged into AC and used the battery monitor and its 5A to power and test all of my 12V lights. When I added a battery I wired in a disconnect switch. I just thought is was a good idea and it allows me to completely disconnect the battery from the system to work on it etc. You do not have to disconnect the battery while plugged into AC. If you leave it connected the batter tender will charge the battery, but for example in the winter I remove the battery and I can still run my 12V lights off the battery tender. Just more flexibility and options. One day I plan to add solar so I can charge the battery without be plugged into AC.

My galley and build journal have lots of pictures of my wiring. I just added a couple of the 120V and 12V wiring diagrams. All of the ideas are borrowed from this great web site

Dan

Awesome. Thanks so much for the help!
Anyone have recommendations for a battery?