I should know

[Gage]

I know I should know the answer but I just can't seem to think right now. My question is: If I run ground wires from my accessories to the battery, do I still need to ground the battery to the trailer frame. All the hot wires will go through fuses. Oh, I only have two 12v accessories.

[Miriam C.]

Mine go through a fuse and back to negative. Makes a loop!

A fuse block makes it easier.

[Gage]

Mine go through a fuse and back to negative. Makes a loop!

A fuse block makes it easier.

Yep, I'm using a fuse block but I'm just wondering if I still need to ground the battery to the frame seeing how my ground wiring is coming to a common point connected to the ground side of the battery.

[Kevin A]

Mine go through a fuse and back to negative. Makes a loop!

A fuse block makes it easier.

Yep, I'm using a fuse block but I'm just wondering if I still need to ground the battery to the frame seeing how my ground wiring is coming to a common point connected to the ground side of the battery.

No, grounding to the frame will not be necessary if you've already got completed circuits.

[Ageless]

You would only ground to the frame if you are using TV to charge the battery

[Gage]

Thank you gentlemen. That's what I was thinking. Just couldn't convince myself.

[aggie79]

Thanks Gage for posting the question. I was wrestling with the same issue.

[bdosborn]

Gage,

You don't need to ground the frame to provide an electrical path if you have ground wires to all your devices. But you should still ground your frame. The idea is to create a return path from the frame to the battery so that the fuse blows if a hot wire ever rubs through and contacts the frame. That way you don't have an electrified frame waiting for someone to ground it. Now granted, its not much of a hazard at 12V but frame grounding is still good practice. And it can't be good for the negative ground tow vehicle to see 12V through the hitch. Commercially built trailers have the frame grounded as it's a code requirement.

Bruce

[bobhenry]

Gage,

You don't need to ground the frame to provide an electrical path if you have ground wires to all your devices. But you should still ground your frame. The idea is to create a return path from the frame to the battery so that the fuse blows if a hot wire ever rubs through and contacts the frame. That way you don't have an electrified frame waiting for someone to ground it. Now granted, its not much of a hazard at 12V but frame grounding is still good practice. And it can't be good for the negative ground tow vehicle to see 12V through the hitch. Commercially built trailers have the frame grounded as it's a code requirement.

Bruce

Would you have 12 volts at the tow vehicle without a completed path back to the ground side of the onboard battery ? The only way to have a complete circuit from a 12 volt hot wire accidently touching the frame is if the frame IS grounded.

[flip18436572]

I am new to the site, but what is the bad thing about grounding the frame also. I would automatically do that out of habit from building cars from the ground up???

[PaulC]

Let's not get too involved here Gage is thinking of the torch principle, no need to have any wires anywhere near the frame so there is no need to ground to it. Easy, really.

Cheers
Paul

[bobhenry]

I am new to the site, but what is the bad thing about grounding the frame also. I would automatically do that out of habit from building cars from the ground up???

There is absolutely nothing wrong with grounding to the frame but it does tie the AC and DC system together if both grounds are connected to the frame. I chose to keep my 12 dc interior loads totally seperate from the ac system by only grounding to the on board battery and the AC ground is grounded thru the shore power only. Is it right , I don't know , it just seemed safer in my opinion. I went as far as providing dedicated grounds to each running light as well and they were ran back to a junction box on the tongue where they grounds to the frame and a redundant dedicated ground wire is ran to the tow vehicle as well. With almost 30 lights and other loads involved I have had no failures an no bad connections. Everything works every time.

[Gage]

I am new to the site, but what is the bad thing about grounding the frame also. I would automatically do that out of habit from building cars from the ground up???

Well, beings how I'm not building a car which you ground everything electrical to either the frame or body because there would be to many wires running to the battery and would look like crap and I also have no plans on running a hot wire between the car battery and the teardrop battery, I think I won't worry about running a ground wire to the frame. And I only have a couple of 'hot' wires and they are contained within a wooden box (big wooden box). So I have no worry about a wire accidently touching the frame and charging it up. Boy would the Raccoons get a shocking surprise with that.


Hey Paul, welcome back. How was the trip?