Help buying wire, fuses, and fuse box?

[VDMI]

Hi everyone!!!

I need some help wiring my van for Solar?

Specifically wire size and fuse size for:

1 Fantastic Fan

2 4 led lights ( also can you put more than one light on a line to fuse box)

3 Dometic Fridge mid sized

4 12V outlets to charge iPhone, iPad, and Surface 3 tablet ( how many outlets can I get per line to fuse box)

Looking at blue sea SYS 12 circuit with negative and cover?

Amazon pictures or links would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks

 

[Trebor English]

I was disappointed by wire bought on line. Typically the diameter was 2 sizes smaller and it was copper clad aluminum from 2 different vendors. If you can find what you need at a retailer where you can look at the wire I recommend that. What I finally found cheapest was to go to Walmart and buy 16/2 extension cords and cut the ends off. That was cheaper per foot than Home Depot and it was more flexible too. #16 is good for 13 amps. I used 10 amp fuses. The fan current spec should be on line and in the paperwork that came with the fan.

The 2 conductor zip cord can be split as you only need wire for the + side as the return is through the chassis. On the other hand, to wire up to a lamp and have it movable you need both conductors to the lamp.

A Dometic fridge might be 5.7 Amps so it will need its own circuit. #16 might be too small for the voltage drop if the wire is long. Using both conductors in parallel might work for the fridge.

If your devices charge from USB ports those can be 2.1 amps each. You can put 4 on a 10 amp fuse.

The fuse size is based on the size wire it is protecting not the expected load.

The fuse panel I used is:
https://www.amazon.com/OLS-6-Way-Blade-Indicator-Protection/dp/B00QMTAZ1W

For solar things you need lots of different stuff that you didn't ask about. What kind of panels, controller, battery do you have or want?

 

[VDMI]

I bought:

Two Renogy 100w panels off amazon

Blue Sky 12V/30 amp MPPT charge controller

I'm looking for 6V golf cart batteries now

 

[VDMI]

I was disappointed by wire bought on line.  Typically the diameter was 2 sizes smaller and it was copper clad aluminum from 2 different vendors.  If you can find what you need at a retailer where you can look at the wire I recommend that.  What I finally found cheapest was to go to Walmart and buy 16/2 extension cords and cut the ends off.  That was cheaper per foot than Home Depot and it was more flexible too.  #16 is good for 13 amps.  I used 10 amp fuses.  The fan current spec should be on line and in the paperwork that came with the fan.  



A Dometic fridge might be 5.7 Amps so it will need its own circuit.  #16 might be too small 

Is this 16 gauge wire?

 

[GotSmart]

This is the fuse box I bought.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P6FTHC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is a component list.  You might have to cut and paste some items to get them to work.

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-12-volt-components

 

[WalkaboutTed]

I got the nice super flexible silicon wiring through Amazon. Really nice stuff, really a not so nice price. But hey! You only live once (or twice with this new adventure we're creating here). I used 10 gauge on both the cooler and the front by the galley where there may be some higher wattage 12v appliances. For the rest of the 12v cigarette outlets, I used 12 gauge. For the Fantastic Vent Fan, I used 14 gauge wire. For the USB outlets, I used mostly 14 gauge 'cause I had plenty of it-16 wold have been fine by me, though. And for the lights, I used 16 gauge. I know it was overkill, but it made me happy. Also, if I decide to wire more stuff in anywhere, I won't have to replace the wiring because it's not stout enough.

Get the heatshrink butt connectors and the spade connectors. They were fun to work with. And it's nice to be able to connect and disconnect things easily. Which is good for me as I change my mind as often as the wind changes direction.

I have all the little stuff running through a six gang switch. It has 30 amp breakers, which are useless, so I've run inline fuses out of it. I've all the 12 volt outlets but the fridge on one six blade fuse panel.

Have a one or two spare circuits pre-wired. I have one by the galley and a 12 gauge one run to the back. I've never owned a boat where we didn't eventually need one or two. Nor do I expect this vehicle to escape that necessity.

If you're gonna be using more than little stuff on your 12v outlets, get the ones that you wire yourself and use a smaller gauge wire. Remember, "Smaller gauge" means "larger wire".

Get good hardware. Marine hardware is generally manufactured to withstand more severe environments. Don't buy cheap shit. This will be your home. Do you want your home's electrical system wired with crap?

You may want to look at the thread on the top of Electrical section of this forum. You'll find a lot more info there.

Have Fun! I know I did. I turned a simple little electrical set up into a huge project. Who needs 10 USB and 7 12v outlets? Well, I do!
Ted

 

[ccbreder]

Some how I got tired of posting these answers. I guess our search function doesn't work.

 

[FarOutRide]

Owner's manual of appliance will tell you the recommended fuse size.
Wire size will be affected by the wire length; it is specific to each installation.
Use this calculator: (remember that length of conductor = positive wire + negative wire)
http://circuitwizard.bluesea.com/

For Amazon links and other hints:
http://faroutride.com/ford-transit-camper-van/conversion-planning/electrical-system/