How to fish 12v wires?

[dbailey]

I'm about ready to install my stereo shelf in my 19, and I need to get 12v to it. This is something I haven't done before, so I'd appreciate some advice.

I want to put the stereo under the front shelf, to the passenger side of the light.

It looks like the best bet is to draw power from the 12v outlet in the passenger side front bench, run up the corner into the overhead cabinet, through the corner of the cabinet into the shelf, and through the shelf to where I want the stereo.

Short of cutting large holes, there doesn't seem to be any way to see inside the corner of the overhead cabinet. Looking at various early build pictures it seems to be empty space.

I have a fish tape (purchased for this job) and an inspection camera, so I've got some exploring to do. Regardless of what I find, can anybody suggest techniques for this sort of thing?

I was thinking a small hole in the underside of the corner, where I will mount a speaker, would let me fish from two sides -- put the fish tape up from the corner, and a wire through the hole into the corner, grab the wire with the tape and pull it down. Feasible?

Another problem: how can I get a hole connecting the blocked off corner of the overhead to the interior of the front shelf? There may already be a hole for the existing wiring, but I wouldn't count on it. Maybe a better bet would be to go through the side of the overhead on top of the front shelf, then down into the top shelf, leaving the wire exposed in the corner (only visible if you've got your head stuck up in the corner -- nothing a bit of duct tape won't cover ). But if I do that, maybe the best bet would be to simply run it in a hidden spot on the top of the front shelf. Still need to get through the corner, though...

Anyway, I'm about to head out to the trailer and start exploring with tape and camera. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, all.

[RickM]

Doug,

Are you referring to the 90° corner from the shelf to the overhead cabinet? If so, just drill two holes to allow the wires to make the 90° corner between the shelf and storage cabinet. Just be aware of the corner brace, see the "bird's eye" drawing. I used a short piece of stiff wire, bent in a curve, to fish from one hole to the other. Then taped the LED wires to the stiff wire to pull thru the corner.

I did this to install LED lights on the shelf,
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...ight-2121.html

[cpaharley2008]

There are 12v supply wires to the light, just tap into the light next to where you are mounting.

[dbailey]

Can't, 'cause I'm also putting in some additional 12v outlets, and I want to use a heavier gauge wire...

Actually, I should double-check that. My original plan was to run new wires, but that plan was hatched in the dead of winter when I couldn't check whether or not my small inverter would run off wires taken from the light. I should test before I decide for certain.

And, the project has been put on hold for the moment. When I wired up the little amplifier I had, it didn't work. It did work last fall. Some time between then and now either I fried it (somehow) or it just died for no apparent reason. Lights come on, but nobody's home.

[Thane]

I don't have the 19 footer but maybe what I did with my 17 footer would work.

I ran a wire starting from a hole i drilled inside the side overhead cabinet, down between the fiberglass shower liner and wooden wall, and back out a hole I drilled inside the side lower cabinet.

I tied a washer to a string that I fed into the upper hole and used a magnet on the bathroom fiberglass wall to pull the washer to the lower hole. I then tied the string to the wire and pulled it through both holes.

The upper end of the wire went on to provide power up high and the lower end went to the junction box in the lower front cabinet. I added an inline fuse and now had a dedicated high power wire that was not visible.

[cpaharley2008]

I believe the light wiring maybe heavy enough, depending on your need. Another option is to tap into the factory supplied 12v outlet, wherever that maybe. There is a wire run over the door in the 19 to get wires from front to back/vice versa.