Adding a 30 A 12V circuit

[Vermilye]

I can't speak for all the Escape wiring methods, but the original wiring for my 17B used #10 wire. The ground ran from the battery to the converter, with an additional wire from the converter to the trailer frame. The + side ran from the battery through a 30 amp thermal breaker & to the disconnect switch, then to the converter.

All loads had both positive & negative wires; the frame was not used as a current carrying conductor for the trailer wiring. I didn't check to see if the same was used for the brakes, brake, tail, clearance, etc lighting, however the sections of that wiring that I could observe were all wired with + & - wires, again not using the frame as a conductor.

In my experience, having dealt with wiring problems on many trailers, using the frame as a conductor is asking for future failures. Maybe because I live in the rust belt, but connections between wiring & the frame almost always fail. You do need a safety ground connection between the converter & frame for both 120V & 12V, however it should not be used as a current carrying conductor.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I can't speak for all the Escape wiring methods, but the original wiring for my 17B used #10 wire. The ground ran from the battery to the converter, with an additional wire from the converter to the trailer frame. The + side ran from the battery through a 30 amp thermal breaker & to the disconnect switch, then to the converter. ...

Thanks, Jon, for the confirmation.

Originally Posted by Vermilye

In my experience, having dealt with wiring problems on many trailers, using the frame as a conductor is asking for future failures.

I agree, absolutely.

Originally Posted by Vermilye

Maybe because I live in the rust belt, but connections between wiring & the frame almost always fail. You do need a safety ground connection between the converter & frame for both 120V & 12V, however it should not be used as a current carrying conductor.

So, true. On the Pacific coast we experience the rust/corrosion issue a lot. It will even occur for those occasional travelers occupying the ocean-facing campsites. We live about 10 miles inland, and the marine breezes transmit salt-carrying moisture at least that far.

Thanks, Jon, for the post.

[BCnomad]

So, in the solution category:

1 - tie another wire into the battery negative, then run and tie into first frame "intrusion" (ground point) and then tie into second frame ground point.

2 - spray anti-rust paint/other onto the frame where it was screwed into?

3 - buy the E25 with triple slides, w/d and built-in electric melon baller in 5 years and not worry about it much?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by BCnomad

So, in the solution category:

3 - buy the E25 with triple slides, w/d and built-in electric melon baller in 5 years and not worry about it much?

I wanna see that. Reace didn't mention any plans for it, but then again, it was LAST week.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by BCnomad

So, in the solution category:

1 - tie another wire into the battery negative, then run and tie into first frame "intrusion" (ground point) and then tie into second frame ground point.

Or just a cable between the two ground points, lug to lug contact would be better than relying on the bolt in frame contact. Still, any connections exposed to the elements under the trailer aren't great for long term trouble free use.

Ideally the cable should go from the battery negative to a lug in a dry location. In my case it goes to the inverter negative and from there to the converter negative. All terminations are kept dry and corrosion free.

Ron

[OneOleMan]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

In my case it goes to the inverter negative and from there to the converter negative. All terminations are kept dry and corrosion free.

Ron

Ron, if the inverter is part of the build sheet wouldn't the same be true?

Oh - - and what about the under carriage spray insulation, wouldn't that protect the exposed grounding connections?

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by OneOleMan

Ron, if the inverter is part of the build sheet wouldn't the same be true?

Oh - - and what about the under carriage spray insulation, wouldn't that protect the exposed grounding connections?

I can't answer for how ETI wires the inverters that they install.

On mine, the battery ground went to the frame about 3" forward of the fiberglass so there's a chance that it wouldn't be covered by foam. The other two wires, one straight down from the 7 pin connector junction box and the other, connected to the converter, would be covered in foam. I don't know if water would eventually find its' way in or not.

The shocker for me was when I exposed the trailer brake wires to confirm continuity of the ground wire. I happened to peel back the protective wrap at a place where the trailer brake wires had been connected to the trailer wiring during construction. What I see is unacceptable. The blue plastic crimp sleeve obviously broke when it was crimped. The exposed wired is frayed, with some broken strands. To me, the minimum standard for important wiring such as this in a location exposed to road moisture would be crimp and heat shrink.

I want reliable brakes. I'll be removing all crimp connectors, splicing and soldering the connections and protecting them with heat shrink.

Ron

[markvt]

Hi Ron,
I see you did not insulate the underside of your trailer that kind of surprised me. That being said I have my underside insulated on my trailer and the foam is over everything under the trailer. If a guy has to do any repairs to under side the the trailer the foam is going make it a lot harder to work on. I just hope I don't have any brake wiring problems for a long time
Mark

[Ron in BC]

Hi Mark,

No I didn't have the insulation done for several reasons; I can have it done by a 3rd party any time; I knew I'd be running a lot of new wiring and it'd be in the way; I wouldn't mind dry camping on rare occasions in really cold weather and I could split the difference by gluing slabs of foam under the floor area that's walked on.

The poor connectors are located on the swing arms so hopefully, if your brakes start having problems, you can still access the area easily.

Ron

[markvt]

[QUOTE=Ron in BC;87476]
The poor connectors are located on the swing arms so hopefully, if your brakes start having problems, you can still access the area easily.

Hi Ron,
You can bet life on I will be under my trailer now checking all the brake wiring before we go camping the year and thanks for bring this problem to light.
Mark

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I can't speak for all the Escape wiring methods, but the original wiring for my 17B used #10 wire. The ground ran from the battery to the converter, with an additional wire from the converter to the trailer frame. The + side ran from the battery through a 30 amp thermal breaker & to the disconnect switch, then to the converter.

All loads had both positive & negative wires; the frame was not used as a current carrying conductor for the trailer wiring...

I believe that's normal for the 17, but some other models do use the frame as part of the path from battery negative to the converter and DC distribution panel. If that's what I get, it won't stay that way.

[OneOleMan]

I really didn’t want to drill holes in “Escaping Reality” to get power from the batteries; finally I realized the wires coming into the trailer terminate at the inverter. Why not take the radio circuit from there? So using fused 10 AWG wires I made a short 3 foot run terminating with an Anderson PowerPole. The 8 foot fused power supply that comes with the radio is 12 AWG so I’m quite comfortable with what I’m using. Heck, the radio uses less than 10A.

Next came deciding where the body of the radio and tuner should be located. My first try in an overhead cabinet looked like s disaster with ugly wires hanging down. Not only did it look ugly but would be something for Gonzo th’ Dawg to get tangled in. I looked under the rear seat again and saw plenty of unused room so off to Home Depot for cleats, Velcro and a plastic container large enough to hold everything. Screw down the cleats, cut a couple slots at the bottom of the container to thread the Velcro through, cut a hole in the back for the antenna wire, cinch everything down and wola, project complete, I think.