12v Wiring Confirmation

[RavensFan24]

I have a 2015 Keystone Premier. I'm getting ready to purchase and install a Fantastic Fan. I checked the RV today to see if it was already pre-wired in the vent port. While it wasn't pre-wired, I did find some wires that were reachable from the port. One went to the LED light and was red and white. The other one I couldn't see what is was connected to, but it was black and white and seemed like the wire may have been a touch thicker than the red and white wire.

Based on my extremely limited electrical knowledge, I'm assuming the red and white wire is for 12v and the black and white wire is prob the 120v for the AC unit which is right near there.

Can anyone confirm or deny that this is accurate? I checked the manual and there was no real info. I know you can tie the fan into the wiring with the lights, so I'm pretty sure the red and white cable will work for my purposes, but wanted to get some confirmation if possible before I start splicing wires.

[RavensFan24]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
My Fantastic Fan simply does not require -that- much amperage to worry about robbing from a convenient pair of wires. The trick is making sure the wires to be robbed from are hot all the time.

Who in their right mind would wire a dual voltage system with incorrect NEC wire colors?

The "Hot Setup" is to dedicate primary colors:

120VAC
Black L1
Blue L2
White L0 (neutral)

12VDC
Red Hot all the time. Not swithed at source
Yellow Battery negative
Remaining Colors: Switched or dedicated fuse circuits

You cannot appreciate how much EASIER this makes things years later. Find a color wire then go to the fuse panel and read the function label.

That's funny cause in my trailer the red 12v was switch based and the purple 12v was the constant.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

My Fantastic Fan simply does not require -that- much amperage to worry about robbing from a convenient pair of wires. The trick is making sure the wires to be robbed from are hot all the time.

Who in their right mind would wire a dual voltage system with incorrect NEC wire colors?

The "Hot Setup" is to dedicate primary colors:

120VAC
Black L1
Blue L2
White L0 (neutral)

12VDC
Red Hot all the time. Not swithed at source
Yellow Battery negative
Remaining Colors: Switched or dedicated fuse circuits

You cannot appreciate how much EASIER this makes things years later. Find a color wire then go to the fuse panel and read the function label.

[RavensFan24]

So I installed my Fantastic Fan this weekend. My frustration level was high because the black and white wire that Keystone said was the constant 12v, was in fact not at all a constant 12v. I was able to get a constant 12v from the AC control unit as suggested by another forum member and it worked perfectly. I was able to easily fish the wire across from the AC unit to the vent and the fan worked beautifully. I did have a panic moment though when I went to turn the AC on and my thermostat just gave me an error message. turns out one of the thermostat control wires wasn't in the right spot. Once I fixed that we were golden.

I think the one thing that most of these Fantastic Vent installation videos nee to spend more time on is the wiring. That's really the main issue for most people from what I've read. Putting it on the roof is easy, but making sure you have the right wiring available and that you're hooking in to the right source is a pain in the ass.

[RavensFan24]

I spoke with Keystone today. They confirmed that the black and white wire is the hot 12v wire, so I'm good to go.

[derh20]

You might want to call Keystone Customer Service. They should have the information. I have a Monaco and call them regularly and get good answers.

[time2roll]

A voltage detector will instantly tell if you have 120vac vs 12vdc.

http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contact-voltage-tester-97218.html

[Chandalen]

ALL my 12v DC wiring in my camper is thicker white and black.
ALL my 120 wiring is the standard household wire that you would get at Home Depot.

There are voltage sensors that will detect 120v by holding it near, and they are super cheap.

A Multimeter is your friend.

[westend]

If the puck light has the switch close by and you can access the wires for it, it may be easier to pull a wire to the light's switch rather than make a home run to the distribution center.

Your distribution panel probably has a vacant fuse slot. I would use that and fuse the fan's power wire. You'll also need a ground or (-) phase wire connected to a ground terminal. There should be either a (-) terminal on the back of the distribution space or a group of wires connected together. You could also capture (-) phase at the lamp fixture.

[MrWizard]

moved from technology corner

[donn0128]

The only guarantee you will get is with a volt meter. Don't be surprised I'd the thicket one turns out to be 120VAC.

[RavensFan24]

Any tips for hooking straight into the fuse box? I'm betting that's going to be my best option if the 12v line is switch based.

It seems I'll need to fish the wire through the ceiling into the pantry and then drill a hole in the top and bottom of pantry to get to fuse box to tap in.

On the Keystone forum one of the users suggested that the black and white wire I found may also be 12v, which I'm hoping is the case, so I can access a line thats not switch based.

[neschultz]

I believe any AC wire should also include a ground wire and the 3 wires should be covered like your house wiring at home. So maybe your black and white wires feed another 12 volt item. Also - Is it possible to feed another single wire back to the light switch? There will be a constant 12 volt wire there.

[Ron3rd]

RavensFan24 wrote:
I did confirm that the red and white wires go to a 12v LED puck light in the ceiling. I'll have to grab a meter to do the proper testing. This should do the trick, right? MultiMeter on Amazon

I'm almost positive that the wire would be switch based since the light is switch based and there is no other way to operate it. Assuming it is switch based, is my only other option to go straight to the fuse box?

Here is a pic to give you an idea of how it's laid out: Screenshot of Area

That multimeter will work just fine for you.

[RavensFan24]

I did confirm that the red and white wires go to a 12v LED puck light in the ceiling. I'll have to grab a meter to do the proper testing. This should do the trick, right? MultiMeter on Amazon

I'm almost positive that the wire would be switch based since the light is switch based and there is no other way to operate it. Assuming it is switch based, is my only other option to go straight to the fuse box?

Here is a pic to give you an idea of how it's laid out: Screenshot of Area