Clueless about wiring

[Melle.17]

So i've been weeding through all the wiring posts and scouring the internet and am starting to get a basic understanding of how to wire this little guy. My plan is to only do 12v. I will wire in some LED lights, fan, and 12v and USB outlets. I have a couple questions... Can I still hook the trailer battery up to be charged by the tow vehicle if I only have a 4 pin connection. Also, should I have a master switch between the battery and the fuse box? Do I also need a master fuse there as well? I want to hook up a solar charger system eventually. Is that something I need to plan in the build (other than where I would put the panels) or can I add it on later? THanks for all the help you guys provide. Couldnt do it without you!

[saltydawg]

First no you cant not charge the trailer battery thru a 4 pin, even charging it thru a 7 pin is a bad idea ( voltage drop and charge issues happen when you do this ) . If you truely need to do that use a separate plug like an anderson 50 amp plug to connect the the trailer battery to the TV. You would want to run at least a number 10, but even better a number 8 for this.

You should have some sort of shut off and fuse. An easy way to do it is a breaker like listed below, push the button and its off, also does the over current protection.

Yes you should run the wires to the solar location now, but no need to connect them to anything, just get them ran. Once you put the panels and charge controller in, just take the output side of the charge controller to a fuse on the fuse block ( thats the right size fuse )

I would recommend putting in a master switch bank, does not need to be big. One switch each for lights, fan, and power points, this allows you to make sure everything is off when your not using it, as esp usb plugs use power when one even if nothing is charging.

Lastly if you plan on taking the battery in and out of the trailer ( say for winter ) use an anderson plug for the connection instead of messing with the screws and risking stripping the terminals on the battery. You can also use the plug as an off switch if it is easy to get to.

https://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Circuit-Br ... ljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.com/50Amp-Connector- ... ljaz10cnVl

[Melle.17]

If I hook up to a solar charger there would be no reason to need to use the tow vehcile for any charging or anything, right? I'd rather leave the TV out of it. Would also prefer to not need to convert to a 7 pin at this point. I will not have any big draws on power... no ac, no heater, no tv, etc... it will just be lights, vent fan, and outlets for chargers, etc.

[saltydawg]

Yes depending on battery size, solar size, if you camp in the shade vs sun, where you store etc.

You do probably want do want some sort of back up 120 volt charger, but you could just back feed the lighter plug if you have one with a 10 amp charger.

[Shadow Catcher]

I often say, plan on more than you think you need. What you think you want will I guarantee will fall far short of just ,wow this is handy I can add a...
We do have a 10ga from the engine battery charging set up and voltage drop from engine is a fraction of a volt for mine it is about 0.11%.

[working on it]

... My plan is to only do 12v. I will wire in some LED lights, fan, and 12v and USB outlets....

* I wired in both 12vdc and 110vac systems, due to configuring the entire trailer around using a 5000 BTU air conditioner. Thus, the first thing I installed inside was a 2500 watt generator, to supply either 110vac, or 12vdc through an inverter. I always have 2-3 battery chargers along at camp, to keep the battery up on the trailer and truck, but never wired the truck to supply power directly to the trailer battery (though I could, having wired the trailer with a 7-way, for the electric brakes I added).

* I use an Optima Yellowtop AGM battery in the trailer, always maintained/charged while parked in the garage, but at 8 + years old, I'm considering replacing it with a Lithium Power Pack, for possible longer life, and definitely more versatility.

portable power.PNG (397.85 KiB) Viewed 966 times

* I never camp long enough to warrant going solar, but that's a good option for the next owner of my trailer (at 70, I anticipate giving it to my grand-nephews, who are starting to camp and hunt). But, for short-term campouts, not near park-power, or needing to run the generator for the A/C, a power pack might be the best/easiest replacement for my AGM battery. It would probably suit your needs, too, at least getting started building/camping before you get all the details fine-tuned.

* And lastly, if you do plan to use an onboard battery, I agree with the following, having used similar devices on my race car & trailer(s) in the past:

First no you cant not charge the trailer battery thru a 4 pin, even charging it thru a 7 pin is a bad idea ( voltage drop and charge issues happen when you do this ) . If you truely need to do that use a separate plug like an anderson 50 amp plug to connect the the trailer battery to the TV. You would want to run at least a number 10, but even better a number 8 for this.

You should have some sort of shut off and fuse. An easy way to do it is a breaker like listed below, push the button and its off, also does the over current protection.

Yes you should run the wires to the solar location now, but no need to connect them to anything, just get them ran. Once you put the panels and charge controller in, just take the output side of the charge controller to a fuse on the fuse block ( thats the right size fuse )

I would recommend putting in a master switch bank, does not need to be big. One switch each for lights, fan, and power points, this allows you to make sure everything is off when your not using it, as esp usb plugs use power when one even if nothing is charging.

Lastly if you plan on taking the battery in and out of the trailer ( say for winter ) use an anderson plug for the connection instead of messing with the screws and risking stripping the terminals on the battery. You can also use the plug as an off switch if it is easy to get to.

https://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Circuit-Br ... ljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.com/50Amp-Connector- ... ljaz10cnVl

[tony.latham]

Hey, Melle:

Also, should I have a master switch between the battery and the fuse box?

You really need a fuse or a breaker that's sized for that wire. A breaker works for both a master and protection so the easiest thing would be to use a breaker. Something like this would work well for 12 AWG:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZQ6WFH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Speaking of which, get a fuse box with a neutral bus bar so you can hook your negative wires to it too.



If you use a two-wire color-coded cable, it'll make life easy for the runs from the fuse box to the lights etc.



This is the stuff I use, but 16AWG is fine too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074S253XY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is that something I need to plan in the build (other than where I would put the panels) or can I add it on later?

Planning saves a lot of down the road problems. Assuming you are planning a folding suitcase solar panel (which has its own controller) it would be easy to include a connector on the wall near where ever your battery will be.

Something like this would work fine:
https://www.amazon.com/Yeebline-Sidewall-Connector-Disconnect-Waterproof/dp/B08M36LKG5/ref=asc_df_B08M36LKG5/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475746627269&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12644912661383032512&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029516&hvtargid=pla-1057601925246&psc=1



Tony

[Melle.17]

Thanks Tony. That fuse box with bus bar is exactly what I was looking at. Along with that wire. My current plan, which I know needs some work, is to put the battery in a box on the tongue of the trailer, run an 8 gauge to the fuse box/bus bar. From there use that 14 gauge wire to run out to my lights, fan, outlets, etc. That's all I was going to start with for now. Hopefully down the road I may add a solar charging system. I'm thinking the batter would be easily accessible to add it being in a tongue box. I didn't really want to mess with a 120v set up as the 12v is intimidating enough at this point and I dont think i'll need it. Could I use the power at a campground to charge my battery though? I feel like every time I get one step forward I think of more things that take me 2 steps back... but I guess thinking of these things now will save me grief in the long run.

DOes anyone see anything wrong with the simple set up I mentioned above? Anything need to be added?

[tony.latham]

Thanks Tony. That fuse box with bus bar is exactly what I was looking at. Along with that wire. My current plan, which I know needs some work, is to put the battery in a box on the tongue of the trailer, run an 8 gauge to the fuse box/bus bar. From there use that 14 gauge wire to run out to my lights, fan, outlets, etc. That's all I was going to start with for now. Hopefully down the road I may add a solar charging system. I'm thinking the batter would be easily accessible to add it being in a tongue box. I didn't really want to mess with a 120v set up as the 12v is intimidating enough at this point and I dont think i'll need it. Could I use the power at a campground to charge my battery though? I feel like every time I get one step forward I think of more things that take me 2 steps back... but I guess thinking of these things now will save me grief in the long run.

DOes anyone see anything wrong with the simple set up I mentioned above? Anything need to be added?

12 AWG from the battery to the fuse box is fine.

After nearly two-decades of teardropping we have never missed 120 volts. A 12-volt system is fine for us. But we always boondock.



For charging at a campground, you could use that same wall connector I linked to up above (for solar) and plug in a battery charger.

Simple is good.

Tony