Electrical & 12V system

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by Minno

I'm dreaming of a white wire...

Kay and I both end up dreaming about Little Girl, or other household projects when we're working on them. One of the hazards of working on things we care about. I bet I wired that thing a thousand different ways last night...

I'm with TG on the pump switch and light - replace the wiring with new. Would you like that wiring added to the drawing, or do TG's instructions make sense to you?

I'm going to go work on it in a little bit and see if, when I'm with my instructions, diagram, pump manual, water pump, and wiring, I can make sense of it. If not, I'll let you know.

[TG Twinkie]

Good Morning Lindy;
When you think you have the pump wired correctly with the light; you can test it with the charger. I'm assuming you haven't connected the battery yet. Just put a fuse in for the pump. Connect the red lead of the charger to the center post of the fuse block and the black lead to the ground/common buss on the lower left. Turn it on and see what happens. don't leave the pump running for very long.

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Good Morning Lindy;
When you think you have the pump wired correctly with the light; you can test it with the charger. I'm assuming you haven't connected the battery yet. Just put a fuse in for the pump. Connect the red lead of the charger to the center post of the fuse block and the black lead to the ground/common buss on the lower left. Turn it on and see what happens. don't leave the pump running for very long.

I was wondering if I would be able to test it. I didn't get too much done this morning - too cold and snowy - so I'll have to wait a while. I changed out the black wire on the pump to white and put it in the ground buss. Hooked a wire up to the red and was going to run it to the switch then it got too cold.

I also re-did the front wiring and was able to get the heat shrink stuff to work. I put the 2 blues and the black from the breakaway switch in a barrel connector instead of the wire nut and put the heat shrink over the whole thing. It looks much better.

No, I don't have my battery hooked up yet. I'm having a hard time finding a battery box small enough to fit in the space. If all else fails, I'll make one.

It seems that weather, holidays, commitments and company keep getting in the way of me doing what I really want to do.

I'll let you know when I make more progress.

Lindy

[TG Twinkie]

I understand, it got down to 14 here last night. Up to 27 the last time I checked. My trailer is setting in the shade right now, so it doesn't warm up much during the day, even when it's sunny. I plan to redo the berthing area before next spring so I'll move the rig to a sunny spot and hook up the auxillary heat.
Just checked the battery in the trailer. It's toast! will have to replace it and the cables before the next road trip. Looks like it's time to replace the Old Univolt with a more modern converter.

Stay Warm!

[lucymcdog]

FYI - the Optima (blue top) battery I bought isn't supposed to freeze - it has no acid in it and is supposed to be good to -40 degrees. *It* may be good to that temperature but *I* certainly am not! It is pricey but if it really doesn't freeze then you wouldn't have to take it out every winter and/or replace it.

Found a battery box that will work - it is steel so should withstand being out in the weather.

My trailer is inside and facing south but there is no door on the man-cave where it lives. On sunny days I can run the electric space heater and it will stay warm but on cloudy days, it's cold even with the heater going.

At least its a good day to stay in and bake cookies for Christmas.

[lucymcdog]

Through cold and snow and dark of night...
I toil to get my wiring right.

This is what I've done:

on ground buss: (all white wires) water pump, brake, battery (through the 30 amp fuse), Ucord, wire from frame bolt. (I only show 4 in picture - I'll have to figure out which one I haven't connected yet)

Water pump (20amp fuse): Black (white) wire - goes to ground buss
Red wire from pump to yellow wire to switch w/ black light wire
Other switch yellow to fuse box
Light - 1 wire w/ yellow and 1 wire w/white to screw in wall

I checked the pump with the charger AND!!!! the pump worked!!! the light came on!!!! the switch worked in the correct on/off mode!!! I am a VERY happy camper without even having a finished trailer.

Wires on frame bolt: white to brake, white to battery, white to UCord

Breakaway switch: black to +12V, black to blue to brake

In fuse box:

Lights (15 amp) - blue from trailer (connected to the two blue wires that are tied together) for ceiling light and yellow going to back of trailer to other lights (not yet installed)

Propane (5 amp) - yellow #16 wire to propane detector (not yet installed)

Fridge (15 amp) - yellow #14 to fridge (not yet installed)

on Ucord fuse box: at 30 amp fuse - white to battery and white to ground buss on fuse box

On battery: +12V black to fuse box w/ black Ucord, black breakaway switch.

Hope that makes sense. I have not yet received my battery box but should get it this week. At that point I will connect the black and white wires to it and I think that will be it. right?

Is it safe to hook my car up to the Ucord to see if the taillights/turn lights/running lights work?

You guys are incredible! Thanks!!!

[wasagachris]

Excellent Excellent work Lindy. Congrats on a job well done. I don`t want to sound critical but I would have used insulated male connectors on all those terminals at the fuse panels. Right now you have 12VDC+ terminals exposed and the pssibility exists to have then get shorted if something touches them and connects to the metal of the trailer. Also if one of the terminals get bent and touch the other ones you will have cross connected circuits. I would also insulate the large lug with the two black wires on it.
P.S. I have been following this thread and am very ahppy with your progress.

[Minno]

Wow - quite a bit of progress!!! Congrats!!!

Originally Posted by lucymcdog

on ground buss: (all white wires) water pump, brake, battery (through the 30 amp fuse), Ucord, wire from frame bolt. (I only show 4 in picture - I'll have to figure out which one I haven't connected yet)

I think you'll find that the brake wire is the one "missing" - it's attached to the frame bolt outside, right? You even mention that 3 paragraphs later.

Wasaga Chris has a valid point on protecting the connectors. You could install non-metal covers over the fuse blocks to protect them - that would help.

Did you hook up the charger to the battery wires outside and test the lights and pump?

Do you currently have the battery connected to the wiring? I know you're waiting for the battery box, but you have a battery already, right?

I think you're ready to try hooking up the TV to check the lights. Be sure to cover the exposed ends of the battery wires - at least the positive 12 volt one - to prevent any shorts while connected to your TV. Unless the wires are already connected to your battery. Then you should be fine.

Chris

[TG Twinkie]

GREAT JOB LINDY!!!!
All of this success and a poet too!

I don't think you are missing any white wires.

I you want to test the lights with the TV; just pull the 20 amp fuse for the brakes, then go ahead and try it. Since you haven't checked out the brakes you need to remove the fuse.

If you don't want to remove and replace all of the "uninsulated" stab on connectors and feel they should be. You could cut short pieces of heat shrink and slip over each of them. Insulating every other one would reduce the chances of them touching.

Since the fuse blocks are going to be located in a protected area. I wouldn't bother with it. You could just use some insulated wire clamps and fasten the wires to the wall so they won't move around when you're on the road. Kind of like you did the romex. Just bundle them together where convenient and clamp them down a couple of inches from where they terminate. I think you will find they won't move around much if any.

Through cold and snow and dark of night...
I toil to get my wiring right.
And with the help of all my friends
Days of work were successful in the end.
And now onto brakes and tires..
I'll bet you're glad to be done with all those wires

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by tg twinkie

i don't think you are missing any white wires.

i do just have 4 white wires in the fuse ground buss - they are the brake, the water pump, the 30a fuse wire and the ucord. What i am missing, and not sure what to do with, is the white wire from the frame bolt that was going to go to the battery (-). So now i have the #10 white from the 30a fuse wire going outside to connect to the battery as well as the #10 that is on the frame bolt. Do i connect it to the battery or to the frame bolt? Or do i just go with 2 #10 wires on the negative battery bolt - one from the frame and the other from the 30a fuse wire? Does that make sense?

i you want to test the lights with the tv; just pull the 20 amp fuse for the brakes, then go ahead and try it. Since you haven't checked out the brakes you need to remove the fuse. i'll do that tomorrow.

if you don't want to remove and replace all of the "uninsulated" stab on connectors and feel they should be. You could cut short pieces of heat shrink and slip over each of them. Insulating every other one would reduce the chances of them touching. i have lots of heat shrink stuff. If that will work ok then i'll just use it.

since the fuse blocks are going to be located in a protected area. I wouldn't bother with it. You could just use some insulated wire clamps and fasten the wires to the wall so they won't move around when you're on the road. Kind of like you did the romex. Just bundle them together where convenient and clamp them down a couple of inches from where they terminate. I think you will find they won't move around much if any.
i don't know what insulated wire clamps are - can you post a picture of one? Or do i just ask the store guy for them and he'll know?

through cold and snow and dark of night...
i toil to get my wiring right.
and with the help of all my friends
days of work were successful in the end.
and now onto brakes and tires..
i'll bet you're glad to be done with all those wires

amen!

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

P.S. I have been following this thread and am very ahppy with your progress.

I'm very happy with my progress too! Thanks! I could not have done it without the forum. This is my first time to do anything like this and it is so gratifying for it to actually work.

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by Minno

Did you hook up the charger to the battery wires outside and test the lights and pump? I did hook up the charger but I hooked it up to the fuse box instead of the battery wires outside to test the pump. I haven't put any connectors on the outside battery wires yet.

Do you currently have the battery connected to the wiring? I know you're waiting for the battery box, but you have a battery already, right? I do have a battery but nothing is hooked to it yet. I wasn't sure what to do with the white wire from the frame (see previous posting) and from the 30A "in-line" fuse wire.

I think you're ready to try hooking up the TV to check the lights. Be sure to cover the exposed ends of the battery wires - at least the positive 12 volt one - to prevent any shorts while connected to your TV. Unless the wires are already connected to your battery. Then you should be fine.

Chris

Today the pump, tomorrow the TV hook-up!

I'll let you know what happens (and will remove the brake fuse first).

[TG Twinkie]

i don't know what insulated wire clamps are - can you post a picture of one? Or do i just ask the store guy for them and he'll know?
Here you go. They come in different sizes. I don't think you would need anything smaller than 1/4" or larger than 1/2". This one is made out of nylon. But anything like it will work. As long as it is not bare metal that would wear thru the insulation on the wiring.

[TG Twinkie]

So now i have the #10 white from the 30a fuse wire going outside to connect to the battery as well as the #10 that is on the frame bolt. Do i connect it to the battery or to the frame bolt? Or do i just go with 2 #10 wires on the negative battery bolt - one from the frame and the other from the 30a fuse wire? Does that make sense? The wire from the 30 amp fuse can connect to the battery or the frame. It is the ground/common wire from your TV. Whichever is most convenient. I would chose the frame, That way you have only one wire on the negative post of the battery.

As long as the battery negative is connected to the frame; Everything else can connect to the frame in one fashion or another. Directly to the frame; the skin of the trailer (like the pump light) or the aluminum frame under the skin.

the #10 that is on the frame bolt. Is this wire connected to the frame outside? Is the other end just hanging right now? If so; it goes to the battery.

[TG Twinkie]

Have you bought a converter yet? If not there is a 45 amp unit on EBay for a really good price. It's an Inteli-Power PD9245C for $129.59 including shipping. I just bought one for the TWINKIE. It's suppose to be one of the latest and greatest. For that price, I just had to try it out. 45amps would be more than you will ever need. OH! and it's new not used.
I've been wanting to replace the old Univolt for some time now. So another project is in the making.

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

the #10 that is on the frame bolt. Is this wire connected to the frame outside? Is the other end just hanging right now? If so; it goes to the battery.

Thanks - that makes sense. I will run the 30Amp wire to the frame and the existing #10 that is already on the frame bolt will be the only wire to go to the battery.

I got my battery box in today so tomorrow I'll hook it all up. Yikes! That means I'm almost through with wiring!

What next? check the brakes?

We're putting formica on the counter top tomorrow as well (assuming the weather cooperates) - that will be another first! I watched a youtube video on how to do it so I think I'm ready! I always figure if I don't know I can't do it then I can. Makes sense to me!

This whole process has been so much fun!

[TG Twinkie]

Lindy: When you do the formica; do it in a warm well ventilated place with no open flame or ignition source. Contact cement is very volatile. It can make you higher than a kite as well. The photos you saw of the galley and dinette were of the first time I've ever worked with formica.

[Minno]

One other formica tip - be sure it's in the right position before you let the two surfaces touch each other! Contact cement is not very forgiving. Once they make semi-good contact, they're not coming apart without breaking the formica. Lots of dowels or scraps of wood will keep the two surfaces apart while you position the formica. Then, remove the spacers, starting in the middle, and work your way out to the edges.

If you're going to formica the edges, do them first. Trim them flush with the top, and then do the top surface.

Do you have an edge trimming bit and a router?

You are going to be one very handy lady once you have this trailer done!

Chris

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Lindy: When you do the formica; do it in a warm well ventilated place with no open flame or ignition source. Contact cement is very volatile. It can make you higher than a kite as well. The photos you saw of the galley and dinette were of the first time I've ever worked with formica.

If that was your first time doing formica - and it turned out so beautiful - then that is certainly encouraging!

The hard part will be the WARM place with no ignition source. The man-cave is heated with a wood stove.

We might have to wait a while on this project.

[lucymcdog]

Originally Posted by Minno

One other formica tip - be sure it's in the right position before you let the two surfaces touch each other! Contact cement is not very forgiving. Once they make semi-good contact, they're not coming apart without breaking the formica. Lots of dowels or scraps of wood will keep the two surfaces apart while you position the formica. Then, remove the spacers, starting in the middle, and work your way out to the edges. I bought some dowels to help with positioning it. Good idea to start in the middle and work my way out. Fortunately, the countertop is just a little over 4' long. I think I have enough formica to do a practice piece first.

If you're going to formica the edges, do them first. Trim them flush with the top, and then do the top surface.

Do you have an edge trimming bit and a router? I do but I've never used it before.

You are going to be one very handy lady once you have this trailer done!

Chris

I have learned a LOT on this project. And am keeping my eyes open for another AS to start on when this one gets finished.