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Marshbird
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 07:13
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I basically want to wire my small cabin with three LED DC lights to a 12 volt deep cell battery. What is the recommended wire size, fuse and grounding that I should use? Thanks.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 09:16
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for 3 led lights only my calculator says 5 amp fuse and 18 gauge wire ,
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 13:08
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Whenever using a battery locate the fuse as close to the positive pole as possible. The wire from the pole to the fuse has no protection so you want to minimize its length.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 13:17
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You might go with bigger (lower gauge) wire just in case you get some "feature creep". We had a few lights, then added a 12 volt stereo, and we sometimes pump shower water, charge a cell phone, etc. You could wire with house wiring and have potential for you or next owner to hook up a 120 volt ac generator.
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 13:47
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I agree with Ohio- you can put in a high capacity electrical system, like a 100 amp panel, and power it with far less amps for now. If your walls are open, put everything in there while you can. Wire isn't too expensive, ripping open the walls later is a PITA.
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 13:56
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Marsh bird- as far as grounding goes, there are two main aspects. You want all metal in the building to have an easy electrical path to earth so that if lightning hits it will hopefully follow that path and not destroy stuff in the cabin or start a fire. Drive a ground rod, run grounds with your circuits and bond it all together.
The other major aspect is bonding to clear ground faults. This will only happen if you have circuit breakers and the grounding is set up correctly. The grounds set up for lightning also function to clear ground faults by tripping the breaker, but only if there is a bond of ground and neutral at some point. If you are using a DC system, I'm not really sure how this is done- bond ground to negative? Not sure.
A little knowledge is dangerous with electrical. Have your system designed by a pro, even if you do the installation.
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Marshbird
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2016 15:42
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Thanks that's a big help.
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ATcamper
Member
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# Posted: 16 Jul 2016 10:16
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What kind of wall switches do you use with 12v led lighting?
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 16 Jul 2016 11:19
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12 volt toggle switch available at any automotive shop ." not" a 110 volt light switch ..
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ATcamper
Member
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# Posted: 16 Jul 2016 11:33
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Think I need to go with RV wall switches since I will have finished walls and multiple rooms.
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 16 Jul 2016 12:40
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I haven't had any issues with 110 v switches. They might wear out faster, but they are cheap and easy to replace.
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