Adding Wiring at a later date

[AKCamper]

Hi,
We are picking up a new escape 19 in July. I was wondering how difficult it is to run wiring after the trailer is picked up. Is it possible or difficult to run wiring through the upper cabinets or behind/above the bathroom? How about the other side? I was thinking of adding a Trimetric TM-2025-RV Battery Monitor System at a later date. I thought maybe mounting above the sink or on the other side. I have not been to the factory and it seems like it won't be cost effective to go there beforehand.
Cody

[memobug]

It's easy to get from the upper dinette cabinets to lower dinette storage using the corner upholstery baffles. Same for the rear cabinets to underbed area. Getting past the bath, I have no idea.

Regards,

Matt

[BCnomad]

Based on previous posters, I believe Reace will either run your supplied wire or place conduit to make your later wire runs easier. Been awhile since I read about that though. I'd phone for updated options.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by AKCamper

Hi,
Is it possible or difficult to run wiring through the upper cabinets or behind/above the bathroom?
Cody

Behind the bathroom is fairly easy. I did that when adding an extra exterior light on the that side. The first photo shows the forward locker next to the bathroom wall. The wood batten with the "X" on it had a cord taped to it and was pushed through to the rear area.

There's pretty much a way to get the wiring anywhere you want to add mods.

Ron

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by AKCamper

Hi,
We are picking up a new escape 19 in July. I was wondering how difficult it is to run wiring after the trailer is picked up. Is it possible or difficult to run wiring through the upper cabinets or behind/above the bathroom? How about the other side? I was thinking of adding a Trimetric TM-2025-RV Battery Monitor System at a later date. I thought maybe mounting above the sink or on the other side. I have not been to the factory and it seems like it won't be cost effective to go there beforehand.
Cody

Might search through the "It's Friday" thread for posts of a 19 in construction; easy to spot the wiring routes - they're pretty common in all Escapes.

[MyronL]

I needed to run a wire from my inverter at front drivers side dinette seat to behind the bathroom wall and to a duplex outlet I installed on the cabinet wall just under the fridge. It is a bear to do if the wire is 12 gauge because that's a long, very tight way to be pushing wire and, cannot to be done without a stiff pusher. I used my plumbers reel of spring steel. Then, on advice from the forum safety counsel, I retracted that wire, and replaced it with a heavier Romex line.

But, the bigger issue became reaching into that cavity to grab the emerging wire at the wall over the wheel well and pull it to its final destination. Got long arms but I decided I had to remove the furnace to do it. That for me was the bigger pain. I was able to return the furnace snuggly in place the first time. Not so the second time.

[currinh]

I've installed a Trimetric and SeeLevel monitors on our 19. I put both in the cabinet over the driver's side dinette. I also installed a stereo under the cabinet over the passenger side bed. For this I pulled wires for power, four speakers in the trailer corners, and a sub-woofer under the bed.

I used the covers in the corners of the trailer to route cables up and down. The routing through upper cabinets used plastic cable clamps at the front top of the cabinets. This routing through cabinets is nearly invisible and doesn't seem to get in the way. Finally, I was able to route wiring over the door using a coat hanger to pull them.

ETI used the same techniques when they installed a, post build, solar panel for us.

Pulling wires is a project but can be done. I suspect it would be harder to pull 120V romex wiring. It would be larger and hard to hide in the cabinets.

Hope this helps.

[Ian G]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Behind the bathroom is fairly easy. The wood batten with the "X" on it had a cord taped to it and was pushed through to the rear area.

There's pretty much a way to get the wiring anywhere you want to add mods.

Ron

I did exactly the same method as Ron to fish new speaker wires, was quite easy.

[fudge_brownie]

I found that ETI was unwilling to install a Trimetric Battery Monitor. However they will run the wiring for you during the build process, provided you supply the necessary materials. Trimetric sells a wiring harness, I had one sent to ETI from We Go Solar on Vancouver Island. For a cost of the harness plus shipping and $25 ETI did the wiring.

On the 21 the wiring is a pretty simple process due to battery location. More difficult on the 19. The harness is not much, the colored wires and an inline fuse made the installation easy. I understand one can use Cat 5 wire but the harness was an easy way to get the necessary items to ETI.

I received confirmation from We Go Solar but a charge never appeared on my charge card, It seems ETI and We Go have a relationship so all the costs appeared on my final bill. I ordered the Trimetric and shunt from the states and took them with me for pickup. Installation was and easy process the first evening of camping.

[currinh]

Originally Posted by AKCamper

....I was thinking of adding a Trimetric TM-2025-RV Battery Monitor System at a later date.
Cody

Read the Trimetric manual before ordering your parts. If I remember there are two sizes of shunt available, 100A and 500A. The larger is the more common and is too large for our small systems. The large shunt is for house size installations. Again, if I remember correctly.

[padlin]

I sent eti a 25' cat 5 cable and a 25' rJ11 cable with the ends on it and told them where I wanted the ends to terminate. Just had to change the pin out on the rJ11 to get it to work. Having eti run the wire was a good deal to me. Used a 500A shunt which is what Bogart suggested.