110 and 12 volt

[Reddiver]

I know in a house you aren't supposed to run low voltage and 110 in the same conduit. I don't really understand why.
Is there a problem bundling my 110 ten and 12 volt together.
Is there a small box that will accept a 15amp circuit breaker and an outlet ?
Would a good quality surge protector do the same thing as a fuse?
I am going to run two lights in the cabin can I tie into one ground and just run one ground back to the battery?

[Mark Freedom]

I know in a house you aren't supposed to run low voltage and 110 in the same conduit.
I don't really understand why. Is there a problem bundling my 110 ten and 12 volt together.

Shielding is the problem, I'd keep them separate.

Is there a small box that will accept a 15amp circuit breaker and an outlet ?

A 30 amp service is what you want.

Would a good quality surge protector do the same thing as a fuse?

NO

I am going to run two lights in the cabin can I tie into one ground and just run one ground back to the battery?

yes

[Reddiver]

If I use a heavy duty extension cord like I have read many do would that be shielded enough?
I really only plan on using a small ceramic heater occasionally . I don't want a micro wave or air conditioning. I will mostly use 12 volt. Would I still need 30 service?
Thanks for the help

[Leon]

I am going to run two lights in the cabin can I tie into one ground and just run one ground back to the battery?

yes

If one light is 110 V and the other is a 12V light, NO! They must be separate. It almost sounds like you may want to use the 110 ground to run the ground for the 12V stuff.
Can't do. There are different insulation requirements for low voltage and 110V wiring. Never put them in the same enclosure.
There are boxes available to run them side by side so they look like they are in the same box, designed for TV equipment and the associated signal cables, but it has a
divider in the middle so the two are kept separate.

This way the 110 is in the box and the low voltage stuff is next to it but separate.

[Mark Freedom]

I've already said what I think about running 110 and 12 volt wiring together, nothing else I can say.
As far as I know the smallest breaker box you can get is a 30 amp service with spaces for two 15 amp breakers.
If you cheapshot your wiring, you'll live to regret it, because when you repair it you'll be tearing panels apart to do so.
Best thing to do is bite the bullet now and set it up for whatever you might want to do in the future, it doesn't cost but a couple of dollars more to do it right.

[Mark Freedom]

I am going to run two lights in the cabin can I tie into one ground and just run one ground back to the battery?

yes

If one light is 110 V and the other is a 12V light, NO! They must be separate. It almost sounds like you may want to use the 110 ground to run the ground for the 12V stuff.
Can't do. There are different insulation requirements for low voltage and 110V wiring. Never put them in the same enclosure. There are boxes available to run them side by side so
they look like they are in the same box, designed for TV equipment and the associated signal cables, but it has a divider in the middle so the two are kept separate.

This way the 110 is in the box and the low voltage stuff is next to it but separate.

I didn't read that he was combining them in the same circuits, if that was his intention, then he needs to hire a professional to do the job since he obviously wouldn't have a clue as to
what he was doing and would electrocute himself in short order.

I understood he wanted to tie two 12 volt lights grounds together in the cabin.

That's why I hate answering electrical questions on the net, you never know what the other guy knows and doesn't know.

[Leon]

That's why I posted what I did, because the way he wrote it, it isn't clear what he wants to do.

[Reddiver]

12 volt and 110 will be two seperate circuits. I am not going to run a twelve volt to a 110 ground . Never the twain shall meet . The only 110 will be one outlet in the cabin and one in the galley . All lights will be 12 volt. I am just wondering about running 12 and 110 wire side by side no more for the distance of about 5 feet. INever mind I guess Iam not making myself clear.

[Mark Freedom]

12 volt and 110 will be two seperate circuits. I am not going to run a twelve volt to a 110 ground . Never the twain shall meet . The only 110 will be one outlet in the cabin and one in the galley . All lights will be 12 volt. I am just wondering about running 12 and 110 wire side by side no more for the distance of about 5 feet. INever mind I guess Iam not making myself clear.

That's about what I figured.
If it was me, I'd try not to let the 12v and 110v wires touch each other, in other words not to bundle them together.
Side by side if they have a half inch or so between them you'll be ok I would think.
I've built a lot of control panels with different voltage lines running parallel to each other and never had any problems.

[asianflava]

My 12VDC ans 110AC wires are run in the same groove in the roof. I guess I'm just waiting for mine to burn down I guess. Especially since my fire extinguisher is in a drawer (that's another thread).

There are a lot of tears wired like that, no fires there either. There simpily isn't enough room to do things the way you're "supposed to". I'm not going to argue "code" and "theory",
we already had a member for that, all I have to say is, that's how I did it and it's been fine for years.

[Leon]

Probably the best reason for keeping some separation between them is it cuts down on the accidental connection of the two together. Several years down the road someone (maybe a new owner) wants to replace a light and if all the wires are bundled together, there is a chance the two circuits get connected together. Maintaining some separation hopefully reduces that risk. Hopefully you're not equating me to that other member.

[Mark Freedom]

My 12VDC ans 110AC wires are run in the same groove in the roof. I guess I'm just waiting for mine to burn down I guess. Especially since my fire extinguisher is in a drawer (that's another thread).

There are a lot of tears wired like that, no fires there either. There simpily isn't enough room to do things the way you're "supposed to". I'm not going to argue "code" and "theory", we already had a member for that, all I have to say is, that's how I did it and it's been fine for years.

It's not likely to cause a fire, unless one or the other burns anyway.
What you might get is interference in radio, tv (lines in the picture) that sort of thing.

[ssrjim]

This is not a good idea for this reason. You are turning the 12 volt into 120 volts due to capacitance. It how a transformer works the two circuits are not physically connected but the power is transfer through electromagnetism surrounding the wires.

This is a very dangerous idea.

Here is a more nefarious use of this:
clicky clicky clicky

[Reddiver]

SSr thanks that anwers my question . I didnt understand the reason for not doing it. I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree but I wasnt going to ground a 12 volt dc system to a 110 ac.

[wlooper89]

I used Panduit power-rated raceways in my tear. Small ones about 1" by 1/2". I talked with Panduit and they did not see a problem running 12 D/C and 120V A/C wires in the same raceway, as long as it is rated for the higher voltage. That is what I did. No problems to date. There are no connections inside the raceways that contain different voltage wires, just the insulated wires. I use separate junction boxes for the A/C and D/C circuits where connections are made but do not see a problem running insulated wires of different voltage in the same conduit or raceway. Especially for the small distances we have in a teardrop.

Bill