Elec and converter help needed please.

[kansasman13]

Good news on the electrical. I scraped an old pop up camper and was able to get some of the things i need, i think. I got a 110 power source plug in for the campground plug that goes to a 110 fusebox which goes inside the camper. (I assume I wire any 110 outlets right into this fusebox like a regular house). Then I also have a converter but I don't know how to tell how much i can put through it.

Tell me if im wrong here but i wire the 110 fusebox to the converter then take the positive and negative off the converter to the battery and that charges it? From the battery i take the positive to the positive bus bar or barrier bar(are these the same thing) and connect all the positive wires from my lights, 12volt plugs, etc. Then i take all the negative wire from the battery to a bus/barrier bar that all the negative/grounds from my lights etc. go to? This should make everything work.

Do i need an individual circuits for each thing like Joanne did or can i put one big 30 amp circuit or so on the positive wire from battery to positive bus bar. I like how Joannne has l.e.d's that indicate if the fuse is good and i want a digital volt meter like her's but I guess i don't understand the type of fuses she used there. One last questions is how do i tell if my converter is big enough for the stuff i want to run?
Thanks
Kman

PS I have a pretty cushy A in the class so I think I'll pass

[Miriam C.]

Good news on the electrical. I scraped an old pop up camper and was able to get some of the things i need, i think. I got a 110 power source plug in for the campground plug that goes to a 110 fusebox which goes inside the camper. (I assume I wire any 110 outlets right into this fusebox like a regular house). Then I also have a converter but I don't know how to tell how much i can put through it.

I wired my 120 exactly like a house. I did put two 15amp breakers in.

Tell me if im wrong here but i wire the 110 fusebox to the converter then take the positive and negative off the converter to the battery and that charges it? From the battery i take the positive to the positive bus bar or barrier bar(are these the same thing) and connect all the positive wires from my lights, 12volt plugs, etc. Then i take all the negative wire from the battery to a bus/barrier bar that all the negative/grounds from my lights etc. go to? This should make everything work.

Do i need an individual circuits for each thing like Joanne did or can i put one big 30 amp circuit or so on the positive wire from battery to positive bus bar. I like how Joannne has l.e.d's that indicate if the fuse is good and i want a digital volt meter like her's but I guess i don't understand the type of fuses she used there. One last questions is how do i tell if my converter is big enough for the stuff i want to run?
Thanks
Kman

PS I have a pretty cushy A in the class so I think I'll pass

I won't answer on the converter because we have some people who are great with the 12 volt stuff who can do it better.

However, on the separate circuits, ours is two 15 amp breakers. The air conditioner and tv go to one and all others go to the other. If I put in a converter, I would want it on a separate breaker.

Be sure to put a GFCI in before all other outlets.

[Boodro]

Kman ,, reading your post a question. If you run a converter ( converts ac to dc ) why have a battery ? If you are using the converter to charge the battery to run 12vdc devices , you can run dc devices right off the converter wired to a fuse block to dc receptacles. I would run a few different circuits . You have to have shore power to run the converter so you can run your ac devices just like your house . How many amps does your converter put out? Usually 5 to 10 amps will run alot of things. Good luck.

[Alphacarina]

If you run a converter ( converts ac to dc ) why have a battery ? If you are using the converter to charge the battery to run 12vdc devices , you can run dc devices right off the converter wired to a fuse block to dc receptacles. You have to have shore power to run the converter so you can run your ac devices just like your house .

The converter is to enable you to run all your DC devices off the shore power, when it is connected so you don't run your battery down. Usually, the 12 volt items are only there so you CAN run them off the battery when shore power is absent - If you're going to be dependant on shore power 100% of the time, there's no need for 12 volt anything and then you wouldn't need a converter either - Just set it up so everything runs off 115V


You CAN run all your 115V accessories off an inverter, powered by the battery . . . . but only if you have a battery. I can't imagine any scenario where you wouldn't want a battery in your travel trailer - That would essentially make it a 'park model' and it would be pretty useless when travelling, as there isn't always shore power available

Don

[kansasman13]

To clarify what I want to do i guess Ill say I will for the most be camping where there is no shore power so i will run off a battery but i want to be able to perhaps go to places with shore power and use a few 110 volt stuff and use my 12 volt system, which will have my lights on it. The converter I found is an old starcraft converter and it say 1.5 amps output?? I don't know if i can use this or not? If i were to buy a new converter would i have to buy a battery charger to or can I just run a hot wire from the converter to the battery?

[TPMcGinty]

The converter I have has a built in battery charger. Did your Starcraft converter come with a manual? If not have you tried to find a manual online?

[Alphacarina]

The converter I found is an old starcraft converter and it say 1.5 amps output?? I don't know if i can use this or not? If i were to buy a new converter would i have to buy a battery charger to or can I just run a hot wire from the converter to the battery?

If it's an old converter, it's probably probably not well regulated and not well suited to taking good care of your expensive battery

I would just buy a modern, well regulated, computer controlled battery charger - 5 amps or so would be all you need

Hook that up to your battery and run everything off the battery - Whenever you do plug in, you'll charge your battery properly, fully yet without overcharging it. Likely the new battery charger will weigh about 1/4th what your old converter does too - Always a nice thing

Don

[kansasman13]

If i get a converter does it hook up to the battery then the battery to the fuse block, or does the converter hook up to the fuse block and battery both? When im plugged in does the power run through the converter to the battery then to the fuse block? Im getting really confused here with everything i think. Im not really understanding the diagrams.
kman

[Miriam C.]

Hi Kman
Here is the url for Elec. Considerations. Steve has indexed most of what you need. Scroll down to converters/chargers and read a couple of the threads.
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=11272

I have 12v power and found I only had one light = the galley lights to run on it. A waste of time for me to do so I have a 3 stage battery charger. Might get a back up battery too.