Wire size???

[sr160009]

I am building a small camper (12' with a 4' porch) what wire wire size do I need going from the battiery to the 30amp fuse panel. I am thinking 10awg should be ok. and running 12 or 14 though the camper from the fuse panel. Let me know if I am on the right track or not...

[mikeschn]

How long is the wire going to be from the battery to the fuse panel?

For 30 amps at 12vdc, here are the wire sizes for the noted distances...

#10 is 6.6 feet
#8 is 11 feet
#6 is 18 feet.

You can see more here http://www.windsun.com/Hardware/Wire_Table.htm


Mike...

[S. Heisley]

If you are going to use a converter, the installation instructions may tell you what size to use. I had already purchased #10 gauge wire before my converter came. The converter installation instructions specified use of #8 gauge wire for the battery line. I deferred to the converter instructions and used #8, so as to not negate the warranty.

[dh]

If you do go with 8g you might have to go to the car stereo place to get it. Also, there are some good charts in the wire and fuse size sticky.

[Engineer Guy]

While at Home Despot yesterday on a project, I did a quick survey of wire stock. In the usual Black, Red, White and Green separate colors, this Denver-area store stocked #8 AWG at $0.44/ft. #6 was $0.69/ft. This was stranded wire that is tougher to break; ideal for mobile applications with vibration.

[S. Heisley]

They have #8G wire here, in the No. California Home Depot as well...#8 is harder to work with than #10 because it is thicker; but it is still do-able. Decide what you will be using for a battery and charger and those may tell you what size wire to purchase.

[Senior Ninja]

We sacrificed a set of jumper cables that we included in the wall that we built before mounting it on the trailer floor. The deep cycle marine battery is in the tongue box and the fuse block is in the kitchen area. We also installed a fuseable link in the tongue box just in case. So Far so good.
Steve