AC and DC Wire Diagram Planning

[DeadEye2003]

Hello Everyone,

I’m totally new to teardrops although my knowledge of building things is not, I have attached a very rudimentary wiring diagram of basically what I am trying to do. To sum it up in short, I am trying to create an electrical system for my teardrop that has 12V DC as well as 120V AC power and can be charged via solar or power outlet/shore power (I believe that’s what shore power is). I’m currently studying mechanical engineering so I understand the basics of ohms law and can calculate wattage and amperage but what I’m struggling with is what else I would need to add in my wiring to make all the electrical work safe, for example a breaker box or fuse buses and what not so there’s a failsafe in mind if components were to fail as well as just generally wiring as to where certain components should be wired too. If anyone could take a look at the very basic wiring diagram I have attached and either add in the diagram or make adjustments that would be very much appreciated as when I was going through the forum, I didn’t see much mentioned about having both 12V DC and 120V AC systems working synchronously together. Thanks for the help in advance!

Teardrop Wire Diagram Planning

Teardrop Wiring Diagram.JPG (71.81 KiB) Viewed 649 times

[bdosborn]

Wow, you're really starting from the basics. No need to reinvent the wheel, here's a one-line I did 20 years ago to get you started thinking about wire sizes, fuse and circuit breakers.
Bruce

[DeadEye2003]

Bruce! Thank you! I believe I actually came across your photo before I decided to make a post, but I do have some questions about it, is the charger/inverter one standalone unit or can I use a charger that came with the solar panels I purchased and use an Inverter I have or do I need to buy one unit that encompasses both? Another question I had was why is there only one circuit breaker for the 120V AC power whereas with DC you have multiple circuit breaker (which I believe is the same as a fuse box I think). One last question, I know I ask a lot of questions just to be sure, my lights I have are 110V so I assume they require AC power, do I need special circuit breakers/fuses for them or do the lights come with that safety measure already included as they are these puck lights that connect to a junction box which is where the power cables go to, so I guess what I'm asking is a junction box a safety measure or just where you connect the AC power too? This is the link to the lights I bought if it helps https://a.co/d/4jHmKOh Thank you!

[bdosborn]

Bruce! Thank you! I believe I actually came across your photo before I decided to make a post, but I do have some questions about it, is the charger/inverter one standalone unit or can I use a charger that came with the solar panels I purchased and use an Inverter I have or do I need to buy one unit that encompasses both?

That's the beauty of voltage based chargers, they all play well together. So you can use whatever combination of battery chargers you want, as long as they are compatible with your battery chemistry.

Another question I had was why is there only one circuit breaker for the 120V AC power whereas with DC you have multiple circuit breaker (which I believe is the same as a fuse box I think). One last question, I know I ask a lot of questions just to be sure, my lights I have are 110V so I assume they require AC power, do I need special circuit breakers/fuses for them or do the lights come with that safety measure already included as they are these puck lights that connect to a junction box which is where the power cables go to, so I guess what I'm asking is a junction box a safety measure or just where you connect the AC power too?

You only need one circuit breaker if the wire is the same size everywhere downstream of it. The fuse or breaker protects the wire, not the attached devices. You need another smaller fuse or breaker if the wire gets smaller downstream. An accessible junction box is required for all 120V splices.

Bruce

P.S. No way would I use 120V lights, you'll pay a 15-20% efficiency penalty for running your inverter just for the lights. Google Inverter efficiency for more info. Besides, 12V wiring has a lot fewer requirements (like no junction box). Also, your battery is only going to last for about 3 hours running the A/C.

[DeadEye2003]

Heck yeah then! You answered all my questions perfectly! Thank you! The reason I wanted the 120V lights was I thought they looked cool LOL, but I'll find some other ones because I didn't know that running the inverter took away from the efficiency of the system, I should have known that, but I guess that completely slipped my mind. So then is the reason you have multiple circuit breakers/fuses for the DC voltage is because you have different wire sizes for all of those items you are powering at 12V? Is that what the #14, #12, #10, and #8 stand for, the gauge of wire you are using? Also, in the diagram you have, is the shore power able to charge the battery or is it only for running the outlets? Thanks again!

[bdosborn]

So then is the reason you have multiple circuit breakers/fuses for the DC voltage is because you have different wire sizes for all of those items you are powering at 12V?

Yeah, no need to use big wires for small loads.

Is that what the #14, #12, #10, and #8 stand for, the gauge of wire you are using?

Those wire are AWG or American Wire Gauge

Also, in the diagram you have, is the shore power able to charge the battery or is it only for running the outlets?

Shore power is feeding the outlets and the battery charger.
Bruce