Gauge of wire used for running lights

[campngirl]

Hi All,
I have looked throught the exterior lighting threads and I could not find any mention of the gauge of wire used for clearance lights, tail lights, ect. My wiring for the exterior lights is not in the best shape......also...copper or aluminum wire?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Karol

[lewster]

Originally Posted by campngirl

Hi All,
I have looked throught the exterior lighting threads and I could not find any mention of the gauge of wire used for clearance lights, tail lights, ect. My wiring for the exterior lights is not in the best shape......also...copper or aluminum wire?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Karol

Hi Karol,

I always like to over-do the wiring a little, so I would use a minimum of 16 AWG and preferrably 14 AWG. Be sure NOT to use lamp cord.....rather, go to a marine supply store and get what is called '105*C' wire used on boats. It is tinned copper with a heavier insulation layer, and the best stuff you can use in this application.

[campngirl]

Lew,
Thank - You so much. That is just the info that I was looking for.

Love this forum.

Karol

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by campngirl

Hi All,
I have looked throught the exterior lighting threads and I could not find any mention of the gauge of wire used for clearance lights, tail lights, ect. My wiring for the exterior lights is not in the best shape......also...copper or aluminum wire?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Karol

Airstream used 16 gauge wire.

We also suggest using the next larger size wire, namely a 14 guage, as lewster suggested as well.

Using a larger size wire than necessary is a good thing.

Using a smaller size than required, is a very bad thing, always.

Andy

[campngirl]

Thank - You Andy for your knowledgable advice.

Loving this forum.

Karol

[SilvrSausage]

With 14 or 16 gauge wire, you won't go wrong.

If you are switching to LED lighting, you could go thinner theoretically. However, the minimum wire gauge in a circuit should be limited not by the LOAD but by the FUSE!

Say your 14 gauge circuit is protected by a 20 amp fuse; a short way at the back of the trailer will blow it. If you decide to use smaller gage wire, the wire might catch fire before blowing the fuse, should there be a short. Even if it doesn't set the vehicle alight, it is a real mess when one wire randomly burns into other wires in the same bundle along their whole length!

If you go to a smaller gage, run smaller fuses.

[moosetags]

I agree, I would use 14 gauge, and upgrade from the OEM 16 gauge.