Tell me if this electrical plan needs to be different...

[Rocker]

Take a look at the diagram below and let me know if it doesn't make sense or what you'd do different!

I recently bought a 20 x 8.5 enclosed trailer that I'll be using as a dirt bike/ATV recreation trailer or to haul my '65 Dodge Coronet if I need to. I've been working on the walls and floors (epoxy gray floors with chips, first 2 ft of walls epoxy with no chips, then painted white to the top). Doing a bunch of e-track installation on floor and walls, along with a Risk Racing Lock-N-Load set up for my dirt bike (one for now, two if I like it for my other or a friend's dirt bike). Time to wire some lighting/electrics.

I'm not going to live in this trailer...might possibly sleep in it overnight here and there at some point, but not looking to build in all the comforts of home. Power is mainly for interior lighting and low draw/short usage tools or appliances.

I bought the following deep cycle 12V/122AH battery: http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Group-Size-29DC-Marine-Battery/20531543
--Disregard the Duralast reference in the diagram, I bought that one first, but then realized it was already seven months old so I returned it and went for the Everstart instead and picked up a couple AH on the rating--

I've got a 115V/15A shore power pass-through RV hook up to install (so I can use an extension cord at home to charge the battery, or hook up to that with a 15A-30A adapter at a place that has hook-ups). I will build a work bench area up front which will also house the battery box, battery tender/charger, battery switch, voltmeter, and toggle switch assembly for my lights (all LED on separate switches: loading floods in the back, COB LED bars along the sides, and strip under-mount lighting for the work area...and provisions for future external LED floods for the door side of the trailer).

The majority usage for this would be a day trip or overnight on battery power. Not planning to run any heating/cooling stuff, but may one day buy a generator to run outside to be able to do that.

Below is the basic diagram for what I'm thinking. Please give me your opinion and let me know if you see anything dumb/dangerous or if I need to add anything. 1000W inverter would mainly be for the capability to run something like an air mattress pump for a few minutes...not a major appliance (although a 12V cooler or mini-fridge may not be out of the question at some point). Also, for the battery tender, I got a 1.25A Battery Tender brand charger since I won't really be using it to charge on-site, should have zero parasitic loss, and don't care if it takes awhile to charge back up after a weekend.

I will get pictures of the trailer up when I get more done to it hopefully this week.

Thanks for any help or advice!

 

[rockwithjason]

Looks ok for what you want. Use heavy enough wire for the inverter

 

[why worry]

I would put a fuse in on the inverter and treat it as a seperate circuit

 

[dogdas]

you need to fuse the inverter and you also should fuse that voltmeter for protection. The inverter will come with fuse size in the manual and like rockwithjason said use proper size wire to handle at least 90 amps. 1000w x 12v = 83amps. Use welding cable also, super flexible. I think that you would need a AGM and not a Gel battery but ask the experts at a battery shop. I use Deka/East Penn batteries in my van for the inverter.

 

[Rocker]

Thanks very much for the advice, guys. I will add inline fuses to each circuit. For the inverter line to the battery, wouldn't the lines it comes with for direct connection to the battery do the trick? And I think they usually have a couple of blade style fuses in the inverter body itself. Or is there another type of inverter I'd be better off with that you guys are referencing? Was looking at the Chinese modified sine wave inverters on the ebay in the $75 range...I figure they pretty much all come out of China anyways. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Rocker]

The battery is just a lead acid deep cycle. I know it'll be good enough for the lighting (all LED), and I'd think it'd be good for light/limited usage of the inverter. It's already on hand, anyway, so probably not going gel or AGM at this point... If I fry it in the next year, at least Walmart will give me another one.

 

[ambenz]

Ya, inverters usually come with built in fuses.
Looks good...maybe a solar panel on the roof too?
And check out a few 12vdc fans for the interior from your local camping supply store, you'll be glad you did!

 

[Rocker]

Definitely will - thanks a lot!

 

[nehog]

I would put a fuse in on the inverter and treat it as a seperate circuit

This... All lines off the battery must be fused.

 

[KSB]

Does this trailer have electric trailer brakes? You may want to consider tying the battery into a breakaway switch if it does not already have a separate system. You can also have the truck charge the battery if you are using a 7 way plug.

 

[Dreaming]

I believe the battery tender should also be fused. Be sure to place your fuse(s) as close to the battery as possible as any wire prior to a fuse will be exposed to full battery current.

 

[Rocker]

This... All lines off the battery must be fused.

Good info, thanks! I'm gonna fuse my fuses!

Does this trailer have electric trailer brakes? You may want to consider tying the battery into a breakaway switch if it does not already have a separate system. You can also have the truck charge the battery if you are using a 7 way plug.

I do have electric brakes, but a separate stand-alone battery for that with the breakaway line. I hadn't really thought of running off the power pin for that battery.

I believe the battery tender should also be fused. Be sure to place your fuse(s) as close to the battery as possible as any wire prior to a fuse will be exposed to full battery current.

I bought a fuse block this evening, and I'll run an 8 ga. line to a bus, then individual lines from the bus to the fuse block, then out from there.

Thanks a lot for the advice here, this is exactly what I was looking for. Keep it coming if you see anything else.

 

[Aquamoose]

I'm a master electronic technician for emergency vehicles and do this type of stuff for a living. You would want to have a combo of 12/120v in your trailer to maintain flexibility. Shore power through a special relay would power the 120v outlets while charging your battery (you can get more than one to provide more amp hours). The relay would automatically transfer trailer 120v outlets to the inverter when shore power is absent. A cheaper alternate is to use a transfer panel switch for generators.


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[Rocker]

I'm a master electronic technician for emergency vehicles and do this type of stuff for a living. You would want to have a combo of 12/120v in your trailer to maintain flexibility. Shore power through a special relay would power the 120v outlets while charging your battery (you can get more than one to provide more amp hours). The relay would automatically transfer trailer 120v outlets to the inverter when shore power is absent. A cheaper alternate is to use a transfer panel switch for generators.

Thanks very much for the input, I appreciate it. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to this stuff - would something like this work?
http://www.invertersrus.com/powerma...VVgTj1-lKYXH5nfm2s50q7VwSxIqfkLzHgaAoyu8P8HAQ

I need to determine if I'm going to make a 30A RV hook up, or use the little 110V/15A one I have on hand (that I ordered off ebay). All it is is an externally mounted male end (with weather tight cap) with screw tight contacts on the other side. I don't like it because it needs to be glued/sealed to the exterior - it doesn't have a threaded body with large circular nut to tighten from the back like I expected.

It would be great to be able to use the same AC 110 outlet for both shore external AC and DC-AC inverter power, as opposed to just bolting down an inverter on the work bench somewhere and having a separate outlet somewhere else that does nothing when it's not hooked up to shore power. Would I run a short line from an off the shelf inverter to the back side of the outlet, or is there another type of inverter that's designed to run a remote outlet?

I just finished the walls last night and should be getting the e-tracks and the rest of my lights delivered tonight. I'll start getting the work bench area built probably tomorrow - nothing too fancy - and will make a separate panel for my battery switch, fuse block, volt meter, and rocker switch assembly. Actually, the fuse block will be underneath, down close by the battery and charger, and all the switches will be up top on an easily accessible panel of some kind. Probably get a rectangle piece of aluminum sheet or DTP or something and work with that for the panel itself.

 

[Aquamoose]

There's a 20a connector available, which would be my choice. You could cobble together some parts to mound the shore power receptacle in its own enclosure instead of through the wall and mount it in places to give you more options.

I'd get the smaller 30a transfer power unit. 50a is overkill unless you're wiring up an 80 gallon air compressor and/or a massive Miller welder. 20a is ideal but I don't see that option.

Yes, using the same 110vac outlets throughout the trailer is a no-brainer when it can be used either on shore power or on the inverter. Later, the generator can be used on shore power. Make sure you use 12g for 110vac wiring and maximum wiring size for the inverter while keeping it close to the 12vdc battery. If you can splurge, get two and wire them in parallel.

If you plan to use the vehicle power to keep the battery topped off while driving, I recommend an isolation circuit IF your vehicle doesn't cut off the power when it's shut off.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

you need to fuse the inverter and you also should fuse that voltmeter for protection. The inverter will come with fuse size in the manual and like rockwithjason said use proper size wire to handle at least 90 amps. 1000w x 12v = 83amps. Use welding cable also, super flexible. I think that you would need a AGM and not a Gel battery but ask the experts at a battery shop. I use Deka/East Penn batteries in my van for the inverter.

That should be watts divided by voltage to get amps.

 

[dakotart1984]

Also look at the inverter when you get it, most if not all should be fused. They might advertise it as "1000W" but thats if lightning struck it and the fuse popped. If it has an 80A fuse and input voltage is 13.8 (Most vehicle circuits) 80a x 13.8 = 1104W. Remember that this is the maximum itll do before popping the fuse and given that the internal circuit is designed right. Id consider doing a dual battery setup with an isolator just to be super safe, but thats just me. This math also works for car amplifiers as well. You can easily tell what an amplifier really can do based on the fuses.