I’ve got a 6x12 enclosed trailer and would like to wire it for electrical. Does anyone have any experience with this or pictures? I know that I will need some sort of power inlet. I thought I’d flush mount one on the outside of the trailer like boats and RV’s have. Not sure whether to use a standard type of receptacle and a heavy duty extension cord or an RV 30amp type and RV power cord. I guess I need to then wire romex from the receptacle to a breaker box and then go from the breaker box to the various outlets, lights, etc. I've got a 4 position main lug that should work for the box. Does anyone have any ideas suggestions or tips?
You can buy a power inlet box at home depot. I use a Nema L5-30 which is a 120volt 30 amp twist lock. Same as the boats. I mounted mine on the tong of the trailer and fed inside with seal tite. Consider using emt conduit inside.
Definitely plan on using either plastic or metal conduit instead of Romex. The Romex (NM cable) will not stand up the the scuffing and abraision that normal trailer usage will expose it to. Don't start with the Inlet. Instead start with a list of things you want to run inside the trailer. Add up the total wattage and then divide by 120. That will give you an idea of how much power you will need. In general, if you aren't running A/C, then 20A wiring (12 gauge) will probably be fine. If you are running an A/C unit, you will probably need to use 10 Gauge wire and set it up for 30A power. In this case, you may also need a breaker panel and a couple of breakers to maintain safety. I strongly urge you to either buy or borrow and read a DIY electrical book if you have not done electrical work previously. Even standard 120V can start fires and kill you if you don't know what you are doing. I set up my trailer (6x10) with a number of outlets and a single fluorescent light fixture, setting it all up with 20A wiring in metal conduit. It's held up extremely well these last 4 years. I do not run an A/C unit. Here's a pic of the interior from this spring while I was doing some work on the trailer. http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq318/craigbeac/Trailer/DSCN0103.jpg the inlet is on the left side near the front. The right rear has an outlet mounted to the outside of the trailer, which is handy for tire warmers, fans, and a light for working on the bike after dark.
I've had plans to wire my trailer up for A/C power for a couple years now, but I keep over complicating it. I keep thinking of mixing in 12v for more lighting and maybe a fan when I'm off generator. Then I start thinking about solar. But here's what's kept me going since 2010: I bought the 15 amp power inlet off Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Inlet-15a-125v-Hubbell-Inc..... Then on the inside, I just cut the plug off a power strip that had a long cable, and wired it to the power inlet. I had my lights and my fan going all night off the track side power with the doors closed to keep the bugs off me. A couple times we had the electric space heater running. My other option is my 350watt invert and a marine battery. I can inflate my air matteress and run fans and lights when I can't get power and its too late for generators. Then recharge the battery during the day off the generator and run the fans the next night.
I've noticed that a lot of people run conduit of some sort. Is there some reason that you cannot run outdoor romex in the walls and cut a hole on the plywood like you do the drywall in a house?
Thats what I plan on doing, running it behind the walls for a couple interior outlets and a light. I like that 15amp outdoor inlet idea and will probably use something like that for 120v power
Several reasons why Its not advisable. 1) UF (outdoor) and NM (indoor) cables are solid wire. Vibration encountered in the trailer environment will cause it to deteriorate faster than if you use stranded wire. 2) Abrasion. Whether behind the walls or on the surface, this cable will (because of vibration) be rubbed against the walls and struts. Eventually, this will cause the insulation to be worn and the wire to be exposed. Because the entire trailer frame is metal, this can electrify the entire trailer, making it so you can be killed by stepping in or out of it. If it's the hot line, bad, bad things can happen. If it's the neutral, you will continually trip GFIs on the track outlets or your generator. If the cable is surface mounted, the normal loading and unloading (and normal use) of the trailer will cause objects to rub on the cable, again eventually exposing the wire. Bad for safety and reliability. 3) UF and NM are not rated for surface mounting. The jackets are not designed to handle that situation. They will melt if they contact something hot. They will tear if shearing forces are applied. They will abrade due to rubbing. It's not the proper cable for this application. There is now flexible plastic conduit. It's usually blue, and can be purchased in 10 ft sections at places like Lowes, Menards, and Home Depot in areas where the local building codes allow it. It cuts with a knife or hacksaw, the box end fittings snap on, and you can use plastic boxes with it. While not as resilient as metal conduit and boxes, it will take the abuse of normal trailer usage better than UF or NM. There is hard wall plastic conduit as well. Schedule 40 is about equivalent to EMT metal conduit in strength. It glues up like pvc water pipe, and you can buy pre-formed bends. it can be used with plastic boxes as well. Another possibility is metal Armored Cable (known as BX cable). This stuff will hold up pretty well to most things, but is subject to damage from pulling, and the weight of stuff hanging from it. It would be OK inside the walls if it's bushed where it goes through struts, but I can't recommend it for surface mounting. The primary drawback is that it's solid wire. EMT (thinwall conduit) and metal boxes are best for a surface mounted trailer application. Impervious to most abrasion, heat, banging, pressure, vibration, etc. Metal conduit and boxes will stand up to most all the abuse you can throw at it when it's installed properly. You can buy pre-made bends for EMT as well. This is my recommendation for surface mounting. Rigid metal conduit and/or schedule 80 plastic conduit would be overkill, but I guess that Rigid conduit would stand up to abuse even better. It's a real pain to install, however. Schedule 40 PVC, metal EMT, Schedule 80 PVC and metal IMC and Rigid conduit meet the requirements of the National Electrical Code for surface mounted cables. UF, NM, BX, and the flexible plastic conduits will not. Not that you are likely to be inspected, but there is a reason these codes are adopted. It's 90+% safety and fire prevention driven. Use Stranded wire in the conduit. #12 for 20A, #10 for 30A capacity. Don't use anything smaller. Most track power outlets are fused at 20A, and if you use smaller #14 wire, you could create a potential fire hazard due to overload/overheating. Stranded wire will last a lot longer than solid wire in this application, and will be more reliable. (For the same reason, only use #12 gauge or larger (#10) extension cords.) Run ground (green) wire to every device (switch, outlet, etc.). Grounding is what can save your life when things go wrong. Don't skimp and not run grounds. Connect every exposed metal part to the ground as well. The life you save may be your own. Use GFCI outlets. We use cords, tire warmers, and other electrical stuff at the track. This stuff is often not treated well, and can short, fail or cause other kinds of exposure to fatal voltages and current. use GFCI's on all outlets, and be safe. We use this stuff in contact with the earth, and in damp and sometimes wet conditions. Lots of bad things can happen when electricity finds an external path to ground (not through the power cord). People can die. A GFCI senses that more current is going out than coming back from a cord or device, and will cut off the power to keep you safe. Connect the grounds, too! It always costs a little more to do it right, but its always cheaper than having to do it over, or suffering from a failure (which could kill you or set fire to your trailer) at an inopportune time.
If you can, get a twist-lock type inlet. This gives you a positive connection to the trailer. If you use a standard end, tension on the cord, or a worn receptacle on the end of the cord can cause it to pull loose. If it comes part way out, it will over heat, creating a fire hazard. If it comes all the way out, you lose power. Using a locking-type inlet connector (L5-20 [20A] or L5-30 [30A]) will ensure that you have a positive and solid power connection to your trailer, and will be less likely to overheat or cause other problems. http://www.amazon.com/Bryant-70520m...F8&qid=1346897298&sr=8-8&keywords=L5-20+inlet You can get a mating end (L5-20R) at Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, or an electrical supply house and convert a 12 gauge cord by cutting off the plug end and installing the mating end. Again, more expensive, but worth it for lack of problems and peace of mind.
Thanks, you make some good points. Could you run the EMT conduit in the walls or is that unadvisable as well?
You could run it in the walls, but I doubt there is enough clearance to hide it there unless you use furring strips to bring out the walls a bit. Most trailer construction has 1" struts, with the outside skin screwed to the outside face, and the wood screwed to the inside face. That does not leave room for the wiring to run, except within the space between the struts (top to bottom). 1/2" EMT will be about 3/4" thick outside diameter. Most electrical boxes have a minimum depth of 1.5". For GFCI outlets, you need 1-7/8" deep minimum. These are not likely to flush mount unless the walls are furred out as mentioned above. (Hint, use 4" square boxes [1900 boxes] and rings, it gives you a lot more space for the connections inside the box, and the option to make each outlet a quad.) If you were to use a trough or corner cover at the top to hold the horizontal runs, you could use BX cable in the walls and in the trough. That would be within code as well.
Thank for the advice! ! I think I will be spending a little more money during the off season to do it right