Enclosed trailer electrical questions

[jake414]

I'm wanting to add some power to my 7x16.
Going to run a 1800watt generator outside.

Would like to wire up a light or two inside (LED) the trailer. 3 outlets. And run a 1200 watt ac unit / heater.

Would like to just wire it up somehow that I can plug extension cord into the trailer box inside. Then just use the outlets.

Assuming I will wire it to a circuit breaker. What size?
Any good write ups.

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[Steve W.]

You are going to need at least 14 AWG wire to support your heater, that goes well with a 15 amp breaker.

If you are going to plug in much more than that, you might need to go to 12 AWG wire and a 20 amp breaker. That would, however, strain your generator.

.

 

[jake414]

You are going to need at least 14 AWG wire to support your heater, that goes well with a 15 amp breaker.

If you are going to plug in much more than that, you might need to go to 12 AWG wire and a 20 amp breaker. That would, however, strain your generator.

.

My generator is rated at 1800w. The heater and ac unit is 1200w max.
I dont plan running much more than the ac unit. Some led lights and phone chargers. That's really it.

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[jake414]

Could I just run a heavy duty extension cord to a good power strip
Then plug my led lights and ac into the strip?

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[Bogie1632]

Easy to install a small circuit breaker panel and hard wire it all in. Popular upgrade in the great white north (AK) for enclosed trailers. Lots of folks use for hauling sleds up to the mountains, camp in the trailer or use for powering freezers on fishing trips. Keeps cords off the floor too. I'd keep your A/C @ heater on a separate circuit.

I would also recommend you make the generator able to come off what ever you mount it to. If by chance you mount it to the a-frame, if you have room, it adds a bit of vibration and noise inside the trailer. Set it on the ground and it's much quieter.

Good luck. Post some pics of what you come up with. May inspire some others.

V/R
Bogie

 

[pattenp]

You don't need a circuit breaker panel on the trailer for a single 120V 15A circuit. The generator should have its own over current protection. Just put a RV 120V 15A power inlet on the trailer and wire up your lights and outlets from there.

 

[jake414]

Easy to install a small circuit breaker panel and hard wire it all in. Popular upgrade in the great white north (AK) for enclosed trailers. Lots of folks use for hauling sleds up to the mountains, camp in the trailer or use for powering freezers on fishing trips. Keeps cords off the floor too. I'd keep your A/C @ heater on a separate circuit.

I would also recommend you make the generator able to come off what ever you mount it to. If by chance you mount it to the a-frame, if you have room, it adds a bit of vibration and noise inside the trailer. Set it on the ground and it's much quieter.

Good luck. Post some pics of what you come up with. May inspire some others.

V/R
Bogie

The generator more than likely will be on the ground. It will not be hard mounted. But thanks for the info!

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[jake414]

So you think 15a is all I will need for that stuff

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[jake414]

You don't need a circuit breaker panel on the trailer for a single 120V 15A circuit. The generator should have its own over current protection. Just put a RV 120V 15A power inlet on the trailer and wire up your lights and outlets from there.

I see those inlets look like the mount to the outside of the trailer. This means cutting a hole into the trailer.. which I'm not too excited about. I was wanting to run an extension cord through the floor and plug it in inside

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[Specracer]

I went overkill. Have a circuit breaker panel, and all the wiring is in EMT. Have 2 florescent lights, and 2 outlets. The trick to making it easy is cutting in a generator plug on to the backside of the trailer (a male outlet basically). This allows fast hook up, and also locates the gen set behind the trailer (noise, and exhaust).

 

[jake414]

I went overkill. Have a circuit breaker panel, and all the wiring is in EMT. Have 2 florescent lights, and 2 outlets. The trick to making it easy is cutting in a generator plug on to the backside of the trailer (a male outlet basically). This allows fast hook up, and also locates the gen set behind the trailer (noise, and exhaust).

Yea I'm not too fired up about cutting in the plug to the outside. Mainly for water leakage issues.
My trailer is completely black so I dont want some tacky white epoxy or silicone for water proofing

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[Redwolf947]

Yep, a quality power strip for your lights and phone charger. I would run dedicated heavy extension cord for heat a/c... 12awg at least keep the heavy extension cord as short as you can get away with..

For what you are asking anyway..

NUTTSGT, has a thread about what he did to his car hauler..

 

[jake414]

Yep, a quality power strip for your lights and phone charger. I would run dedicated heavy extension cord for heat a/c... 12awg at least keep the heavy extension cord as short as you can get away with..

For what you are asking anyway..

NUTTSGT, has a thread about what he did to his car hauler..

The generator to heat unit extension cord should be no longer than 20ft. Plannin on chaining generator up in the back of truck. I guess I need to get a material list price for the two ways. Hard wired and extension cords. I'd need 2 extension cords and 1 power strip.

I'm just not excited about cutting a hole in the side of my trailer for the inlet plug. Although I could mount it internally

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[75gmck25]

For your simple needs you probably don't need a sub-panel, but it might be more convenient in the long run.

Stop by an RV sales lot and an RV parts store to see how they provide a pass-through connection for electric and water. I've seen several types of small doors that are hinged at the top and have a hole behind them. Some are designed with a small cutout in the bottom so they can be closed around the cord.

For a simple wiring solution you could just pass a heavy duty 12 gauge extension cord through the hole and put a power strip on the end inside. I would use a power strip with a built in GFCI.

Bruce

 

[jake414]

For your simple needs you probably don't need a sub-panel, but it might be more convenient in the long run.

Stop by an RV sales lot and an RV parts store to see how they provide a pass-through connection for electric and water. I've seen several types of small doors that are hinged at the top and have a hole behind them. Some are designed with a small cutout in the bottom so they can be closed around the cord.

For a simple wiring solution you could just pass a heavy duty 12 gauge extension cord through the hole and put a power strip on the end inside. I would use a power strip with a built in GFCI.

Bruce

Correct, the pass through connection with the door, will work just fine in the front in the floor. But with the 120v inlet plug, I do not think it would work very well in the floor
Would you run the ac on a seperate extension cord?

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[Bogie1632]

Is your trailer a v-nose or do you have some exposed frame in the front? If so tuck a connection box in the inside of the frame. Keeps it out of site and its be easy to run just a small conduit along and up through the floor where you want it.

V/R
Bogie

 

[jake414]

Is your trailer a v-nose or do you have some exposed frame in the front? If so tuck a connection box in the inside of the frame. Keeps it out of site and its be easy to run just a small conduit along and up through the floor where you want it.

V/R
Bogie

Yes. I will have to look. Almost leaning toward the extension cord though. Itll be easier.

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[sberry]

If you use a power strip a 14 is fine but,,, this is similar to a pop up. Use a 12 cord and then its legal for multiple outlets, allows for 20A feed thru. Acord and a 3 way and a power strip or 2 to switch lights, simple move the plug to the genest to use that. Use ready made cord standard length. There was a time I would have hard wired it with every fittibng they ever invented but they make so much so easy with a common plug on it that's what I would do today,,, at least first, if I needed something else would figure this out as it came.

 

[jake414]

If you use a power strip a 14 is fine but,,, this is similar to a pop up. Use a 12 cord and then its legal for multiple outlets, allows for 20A feed thru. Acord and a 3 way and a power strip or 2 to switch lights, simple move the plug to the genest to use that. Use ready made cord standard length. There was a time I would have hard wired it with every fittibng they ever invented but they make so much so easy with a common plug on it that's what I would do today,,, at least first, if I needed something else would figure this out as it came.

Kinda having a hard time understanding this.
Use a 12 gauge cord not 14 with a 3 way on the end? I was just going to get standard plug with 1 on each end into a powerstrip.

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[sberry]

A 12 wire allows for 20A feed thru from a typical outdoor outlet. A 3 way lets you plug in before a power strip, plug the strip to it. If there are multiple outlets from a 14 wire it really needs a strip with a 15 breaker in it. 12 wire lets it be used with multiple outlets like on a 3 way or duplex wired on somewhere to this.
A common pop up trailer is wired this way, it may have a couple duplex in it like a general use circuit. It doesn't have other breakers in the trailer, it uses the one on the source circuit its plugged in to, it will trip before any accumulated load can overheat the cord.
Alfred and others may chime in here and tell about tap rules,,,, a 14 with a 15A strip on the other end may be limited in length,,, at least in theory. A lot,,, most of any code issues go away with the use of a 12,,, basically hook anything you want to it that doesn't trip the breaker.
As for 20 ft,,, use a standard 25 cord, I like it all ready made ends.

 

[sberry]

I was going to add some lights to my hoist. There were already switched outlets up on it. It was tempting to get some wire and some strippers out and a hand full of fittings then come to the conclusion that a couple 3 lamp cords to route it a little and use 2 way was so easy.
The hoist is wired the same way, it has a 12 cord and several outlets. Any place someone can plug in to an outlet is fed 12 wire, can pass thru 20A

 

[jake414]

A 12 wire allows for 20A feed thru from a typical outdoor outlet. A 3 way lets you plug in before a power strip, plug the strip to it. If there are multiple outlets from a 14 wire it really needs a strip with a 15 breaker in it. 12 wire lets it be used with multiple outlets like on a 3 way or duplex wired on somewhere to this.
A common pop up trailer is wired this way, it may have a couple duplex in it like a general use circuit. It doesn't have other breakers in the trailer, it uses the one on the source circuit its plugged in to, it will trip before any accumulated load can overheat the cord.
Alfred and others may chime in here and tell about tap rules,,,, a 14 with a 15A strip on the other end may be limited in length,,, at least in theory. A lot,,, most of any code issues go away with the use of a 12,,, basically hook anything you want to it that doesn't trip the breaker.
As for 20 ft,,, use a standard 25 cord, I like it all ready made ends.

Ok
From the sounds of it, if I get a 25ft 12gauge extension cord I will be okay. I'm only planning on plugging 1 powerstrip into the cord.
The power strip has a trip circuit along with the generator.

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[sberry]

A 12 cord makes it all legal, strip or not.