Electrical Design; Special Thanks Again to Fellow Blogger: "Desert Dog!"

I've said it before, but the internet is an amazing thing!  I've noted Desert Dog's fantastic website, where she has chronicled the build and experiences of her teardrop, before, but I owe her another bit of gratitude.  Electricity is not my forte.  Thanks to Desert Dog, Joanne, I have a very clear picture of what I need to do in order to get my electrical system in place.

By picture, I literally mean a picture!  She sketched out for me how to lay out my electrical system.  For me, a visual learner, this was so incredibly helpful!  I am very grateful for her help and guidance.

I was having some trouble with my set up because my circuit board did not have a buss strip for the ground.  She sketched me a quick layout which helped me tremendously!

Here is her sketch of how to set up the various circuits:

With this simple diagram, I was able to layout my entire electrical system, basing it all off the two circuits she helped me visualize.  Here is my first crack at designing an electrical schematic.  I downloaded the free app called Schematics Light.  I must confess that I basically used it as a drawing tool; I had no idea what I was doing.  I'm sure that this design is full of schematic no-no's!  I think its helped me figure out how to do the wiring and I guess that's what is important, right?

The way it is designed at this point, I will have the reading lights, galley lights and dome lights all on one circuit.  I'll take a trick out of Joanne's tool box here and use a connector bar to bring those lines together before going to the fuse panel.  The four 12 volt outlets will have a similar breaker bar.

I think I will be able to drill a hole in the bulkhead panel at the bottom of the shelf area and pull the wires through there into the small compartment in the galley.  I'm hoping I can run it this way so I don't have to create something to 'hide' the wires coming into the battery compartment.

After I replace the hinge and seal up the fan, I'll be able to start pulling some wires.

Electrical System: Beginning Stages

The internet is an amazing thing!

Through it, I have been connected with like minded individuals who love teardrop campers.  I have found them to be nothing but committed to helping others in the creation of their own teardrop trailers.  One of my greatest obstacles in moving forward with the Carpe Diem is the electrical system.  I've read hundreds of pages of what are called 'build journals.'  These are the records of ordinary people who have built teardrops and have, like me, kept a journal of the process and the step by step progress.

First a little background.

Many individuals enjoy the RV lifestyle. This means, at least to me, to be semi-off grid.  However, most true RV's frequent 'improved' camp sites.  By this, I mean that there is a power source, and often showers, running water, flushing toilets and so on.  Many RV's have both 12 and 120 volt systems and receptacles.  I think this makes sense.  Folks who enjoy RV's tend to enjoy all the comforts of 'home.' There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.  I, however,  prefer to camp off grid as often as I can.  My teardrop is really nothing more than a much sturdier tent!  For this reason, I have decided to install a 12 volt electrical system in the Carpe Diem.  If I find myself at an improved site, I will have an extension cord and circuit breaker on hand to plug in my battery tender and any possible devices that will run on 120 volt power.  Additionally, while not the most efficient use of power, there are many converters that allow one to use 120 volt equipment on 12 volt systems if there is a compelling need.  (I'm thinking at some point, my daughter will want to run a hair dryer when we are in the boonies!)  Careful monitoring of the battery system will be required; a monitor with a digital readout  is essential.

The primary reason I've decided to run only a 12 volt system has to do with simplicity.  After everything I've read, I think this is the best way for me to proceed.  The reason I'm putting so much energy into planning the electrical system is that the wiring will be 'hidden' by the insulation and plywood 'skin.'

One of the most helpful build journals I've come across is The Desert Dawg, built by Joanne.  She has created a website of each step of her build.  The most helpful section, for me, has been her electrical system.  She, like me, has installed only a 12 volt system for similar reasons.

I like the two diagrams you see below which are from her site.

The first shows how she connected her tow vehicle to the battery on the teardrop.  I don't feel comfortable hacking into my leased car's electrical system, so I will probably run a line directly to the battery (with a fuse inline).  If I can find a 'cut off' switch, I will install one in between the two batteries so that I don't accidentally run down my tow vehicle's battery when camped.

The second shows her circuit layout.  I will have essentially the same system, except that I will not have a radio installed.  Reading through her step by step description gave me a much better sense of how to do this.  When I had a couple of very specific questions, I posed them to her and she kindly and thoroughly responded to them.  The kindness of strangers never ceases to surprise and comfort me.  I hope that my 're-build' journal will prove helpful to someone in the future too.

I've ordered a few of my electrical devices.  I don't plan on officially starting on the electrical until the hatch hinge is fully replaced and the cabin is completely water tight.  On that note, I want to remember to apply fresh caulk to all of the seams on the aluminum skin before I add any insulation, etc.  I don't want any leaking to happen once I make the commitment to insulating.

I've also been giving some thought to building into the floor a storage compartment or two.  Joanne has two of these built into hers and I really like the way she finished off the edges in aluminum.  The spare tire could easily fit in such a compartment, as could any emergency gear that I don't necessarily need on a regular basis.  I'll explore that a bit more before I finish the cabin by adding some type of layer to the plywood.  I am fairly sure I'll end up covering the space with linoleum, just to make clean up and maintenance a bit easier.

I will also need to use Rustoleum to care for any rust on the frame of the trailer and to use a water proof undercoating on the plywood 'floor' of the trailer.  Need to figure out a way to get the teardrop up in the air enough for me to work on it.  Harbor Freight sold some steel floor jacks that might work.  A little more research on that is in order.