Electrical question - Wiring in the battery

[Scott_P]

As mentioned in an earlier post, we recently bought our first TT, a 2005 Dutchmen 18b. We bought it from a neighbor who bought it from a guy who had used it as an office. So, it has been through some modifications. We are taking it on our first camping trip to JellyStone in a few weeks, so I plan on parking it in the driveway next weekend to get it good to go. I plan on washing and waxing it, cleaning everything out and making sure it is ready to go.

The 12V converter has been replaced by a unit designed for low voltage lighting. I have a new Progressive Dynamics 4600 ready to go in. It did not have a battery installed, so I bought a marine deep cycle one and battery box from Napa last week so it would pass state inspection.

The only connections I have coming out of the camper for the battery are two wires. I would say they are about 12 ga or so. They each had ring terminals that I connected to the smaller threaded posts on the battery. Is that normal? I guess i was expecting something a bit heavier to serve as the main power cables to go into the trailer. Since the unit had been used as an office previously, I am curious if some of the original wiring had been stripped out.

I don't plan on camping without power too much. Any campground we go to will most likely have full hook ups. I'll use it at a BBQ cook off, but I'll have my generator there too since I need the A/C. But, I would like to know that I will be able to run off a battery if needed.

So, what wiring should I have there? The camper is in the storage unit for now, so I can't exactly run out to check things on it. I want to have any parts I may need on hand or within a short distance for when I start working on the thing. I'll probably replace the bulbs with LEDs to reduce the electrical load when on the generator too.

[westend]

Yeah, not a magnet, a compass (fixed my post). I've used a compass but I'd expect a balanced needle would work as well.

[Scott_P]

westend wrote:

I'm a stay at home Dad with these 17 month old twins, so my time to work on things uninterrupted is limited.

Oh, do I remember those days...:B I only lasted until our twins were about 12 mos.. I was remodeling the house with one twin in my arms and another in bed or in the playpen. My Son didn't seem to absorb any special knowledge or skill about remodeling, lol.

I'd suggest that before you tow the trailer, pull the break away switch pin and carry a magnet, positioning next to each wheel hub. If the breakaway system is working, it will pull the needle towards the magnet.

Thanks for the tip on testing the brakes. I'l have to give it a shot. What needle? Needle on a thread? Compass needle?

[westend]

I'm a stay at home Dad with these 17 month old twins, so my time to work on things uninterrupted is limited.

Oh, do I remember those days...:B I only lasted until our twins were about 12 mos.. I was remodeling the house with one twin in my arms and another in bed or in the playpen. My Son didn't seem to absorb any special knowledge or skill about remodeling, lol.

I'd suggest that before you tow the trailer, pull the break away switch pin and carry a compass, positioning next to each wheel hub. If the breakaway system is working, it will pull the needle towards the magnet.

[Old-Biscuit]

The storage unit is a 5-6 mile round trip, so I'm not too worried about needing the break away switch to get the camper here.

It is against the law (and safety of others on the roadways) to tow w/o functioning trailer brakes and means of engaging them IF trailer becomes disconnected (Emergency Break Away Switch and functioning trailer battery) whether it is a block down the street or 1000 miles.

Texas Transportation Code
Section 547.405:
Emergency Brakes Required

(d) A trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer that is equipped with air or vacuum brakes or that has a gross weight heavier than 3,000 pounds shall be equipped with brakes that:

(1) operate on all wheels; and
(2) are promptly applied automatically and remain applied for at least 15 minutes in case of a breakaway from the towing vehicle.

[Scott_P]

These questions make me wish the camper was already in the driveway so I could look at everything easily. I was hoping to be able to have anything that I would be better off ordering online in hand and ready to go. I'm a stay at home Dad with these 17 month old twins, so my time to work on things uninterrupted is limited.

I do have a good multi-meter and am competent in wiring. I just haven't had the time to fully examine everything. The wires I connected to the battery go up into the camper through a metal port that looks like an exterior dryer duct cover The thin wires connecting to the break-away switch also come out of that duct. I did not look up in there to see where they connect. I also have not removed the cover to the electrical panel to see what connections are in there. What I do know is that the battery is not connected to anything inside per the previous owner. I has assumed the break-away cable power was connected to the main battery where the wires go into the camper. It's just me guessing though.

The installation instructions for the new converter look easy enough to do. Once that is don'e I can start testing out the rest of the system. I also need to start finding some LED bulbs to replace the stock ones. He has a mix of LED and regular in there now. I'd like to switch everything over for the sake of consistency in parts and look/appearance.

The storage unit is a 5-6 mile round trip, so I'm not too worried about needing the break away switch to get the camper here.

My goal is to get everything back up to standard or better. As this is our first camper, we will use it for a couple years to see if it is an activity we enjoy as a family. Then we can sell it and move up to something bigger if needed.

[westend]

Scott P wrote:

westend wrote:
Regardless of poor inspection and the minimal off grid use, you do want the 12 V system to be functional and correctly wired, right? Has anyone tested the emergency break-away switch to see if it operates the brakes?

Yes, I would like the 12V system to be functional and correctly wired. I apologize if that was not made clear in my prior posts. No, I have not tested my break away switch. It is on my list of things to test when I work on the trailer in two weeks.

Sorry, reread my post and it looked like I kind of jumped all over you there. Thanks for the reasonable reply.

Do you have a hand held meter? It would be a good tool to have for this sort of situation. If Dutchman could email a schematic, it would also be a good thing to have. Lacking the schematic, there are only a few connections and they shouldn't be problematic. Post back up here if or when you need any help with the connections.
Good luck with the trailer, camping season is almost here!

[Old-Biscuit]

Can't always go by color on cables BUT Black is used for Positive and White is used for Negative.

Are your cables different colors?

Need to trace cable back to trailer frame ground.
If battery cables are connected backwards....reverse polarity fuses on converter will blow and NO DC power from battery

And Emergency Break Away Switch is connected directly to positive battery terminal then to/thru switch and then electric brake trailer feed (typically Blue) that comes from trailer plug going to brakes.

[Scott_P]

westend wrote:
Regardless of poor inspection and the minimal off grid use, you do want the 12 V system to be functional and correctly wired, right? Has anyone tested the emergency break-away switch to see if it operates the brakes?

Yes, I would like the 12V system to be functional and correctly wired. I apologize if that was not made clear in my prior posts. No, I have not tested my break away switch. It is on my list of things to test when I work on the trailer in two weeks.

[westend]

Regardless of poor inspection and the minimal off grid use, you do want the 12 V system to be functional and correctly wired, right? Has anyone tested the emergency break-away switch to see if it operates the brakes?

[Scott_P]

The stock power converter was bad, so teh guy replaced it with a cheaper unit to supply 12V to the camper. The battery is not hooked up to converter. I see the two larger wires go from the battery into the camper and to smaller wires come out of it and connect to the break away switch. Texas hasn't been to strict on trailer inspections until March of this year. When I went to register it, I was told I needed to have it inspected. I only had enough time to buy a battery and battery box, hook up the wires and get to the inspection station.

The inspection station did not test anything other than the lights. They did a visual inspection of everything else. The trailer is titled at 4,500 lbs, the minimum that requires an inspection.

We have 17 month old twins, so I don't think we'll be doing much off grid camping. The only places that would be off grid are the cook off (no generator rules) and a Ren Fest, also without such rules as far as I know.

[opnspaces]

The two wires sound like the normal battery wiring for a travel trailer. Trace the wires back to where they are connected to the trailer. One (probably white) should go to the frame. This is your negative cable. The other (probably has a fuse or circuit breaker) goes into a junction box or the trailer and this would be your positive.

I would not connect these two wires to the battery though until you can locate the positive wire inside the trailer where it would connect to the fuse panel. Make sure it is connected to the panel before you hook the battery up.

As said above, RV's in general use 12v lighting from the factory. This is so you can use the lights when you don't have a hookup site. In fact about the only items on most trailers that need 120v are the microwave, air conditioner, the household outlets in the walls and maybe a DVD player.

12volt items would be furnace, overhead lights, stove vent fan, rooftop vent fans, water pump, and RV refrigerator control board.

[westend]

Those two wires could be connections to anything if the converter was removed. At a minimum you will need a positive phase with fuse/circuit breaker from the battery to the converter, a ground from the battery to frame, a connecting wire from the battery to the breakaway switch. You may also have a junction box on the frame that has a circuit breaker and a connection to the converter. Look underneath.

If you have an electric jack, you may also need a connection for that. If it's possible, get a wiring schematic from the mfg.. That will help establish the correct wiring schemes for your 12V system. Good luck.

While I was typing, RoyB posted the wiring diagram. 'Attaboy, Roy!

[RoyB]

Depending where you camp most places have generator run time restrictions. A couple of hours in the morning and maybe three hours in the early evening. Never allowed after 8PM...

Here is a simplified 30AMP Electrical Setup.. Might give some clues of what works off of what...


If you plan to camp off the power grid any a couple of batteries is usually needed...

Sounds like a fun project...

Roy Ken

[naturist]

I doubt that the unit was modified for low voltage lighting. They come that way from the factory. I've never seen an RV or TT that had high voltage lighting. Beyond that, do be aware that it is quite likely illegal to tow it without a battery to run the brakes in case of breakaway.

Trailers with a gross weight of 3,000 to 3,500 lbs (depending on your state) are required to have brakes, and to have a breakaway system that will apply those brakes, and that requires a battery.