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Old 02-15-2016, 01:36 PM   #1
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Wiring bus for 120v.

Certainly new to the bus world, so any good advice is appreciated!

Long story short:

I'm installing 110 v. wiring in my short bus. To keep it simple, I installed an all-weather outlet on the outside, ran wire to a 30 amp breaker box, then will run 2 circuits from this box. Easy enough. But.....

All of the blogs have me pretty confused, so I want to get educated before I proceed further.

Do I ground the system to the bus frame, or not? I know there is a concern with "hot skin", so I want to do it right the first time.

I plan to energize this system from either a generator, or a shop/home 110 power source.

Please advise! Thank you...

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Old 02-15-2016, 01:45 PM   #2
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I don't know if you saw this one: http://noshockzone.org/15/

It's pretty well stocked with info!
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Old 02-15-2016, 02:47 PM   #3
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No sir, I hadn't seen those links yet. Will check them out, thank you!
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Old 02-15-2016, 05:55 PM   #4
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Wire from the external inlet to the breaker panel should be 10ga. copper, preferably stranded but solid is OK if properly supported to prevent vibration induced breakage.

The breaker box should be a branch box that will have separate ground and neutral bars. Grounds and neutrals need to be separate at your panel. They will be combined at the shore power panel.

Ground your breaker box to the bus body.
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Old 02-16-2016, 04:51 PM   #5
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Thanks for the input, roach711. I gave it a test run and didn't fry myself, which is a good thing.

Again, I absolutely want to ere on the side of caution and not ruin somebodys day!
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Old 02-16-2016, 07:34 PM   #6
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Hot skin can also be caused by an improperly wired shore power pedestal or extension cord. If you really want to be certain that there is no hot skin condition pick up one of these voltage testers. It's cheap insurance.

Klein Tools Non-Contact Voltage Tester-NCVT-1SEN - The Home Depot
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Old 02-16-2016, 07:53 PM   #7
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Glad you asked about this. READ AND UNDERSTAND the No Shock Zone!!!!!!!! Get the tester and ALWAYS test the shore power! If I haven't scared you by now, Just PM me and I will.

The tester is available at Harbor Freight for a few bucks and reading TNSZ is free. Jack
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Old 02-16-2016, 10:30 PM   #8
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It is best to assume that any shore power at any park is wired wrong. As Jack notes...test before plugging in anywhere!
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Old 02-17-2016, 01:29 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluedog View Post
Thanks for the input, roach711. I gave it a test run and didn't fry myself, which is a good thing.

Again, I absolutely want to ere on the side of caution and not ruin somebodys day!
Its just like being handed a weapon that is unloaded never trust anyone always check for your self .
Then still treat it as a loaded one .

Its much easier than explaining why someone died .

I know its about boats but many marine items are overbuilt for safety and designed to last in very extreme conditions I used to do quit a bit of sailing and plan to use the things I learned there when I can finally get started on a bus .

" Inverters electronically convert the power from 12- or 24-volt DC batteries to 120- or 240-volt AC current (the same as shore power or household electricity, albeit with lower capacity). Most inverters are also capable of reverse operation to create battery voltage from the power derived from either a shore-power connection or a generator. In other words, they’re battery chargers too, and often very effective ones. "
http://www.cruisingworld.com/how/inverter-installation

The full article is there . There are also other articles on battery banks and wiring requirements for boats that meet the safety standards .
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Old 02-17-2016, 02:29 AM   #10
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They even have a few suggestions on good place to accuire and how to install solar panels .

Filtering your fuel maintain your fresh water tanks Etc why reinvent the wheel if the equipment is already there only issue I ran into was depending on where u buy stuff having the word marine attached is the same as saying more cash .

Look around there take the good ideas and tweak them twist them to fit what you need .
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Old 02-17-2016, 02:46 AM   #11
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Inspecting your electrical grounding system on your sailboat | Cruising World

Where it say's boat substitute bus not all the things apply to a bus but many do .

Another option is buying a shore line that has a GFCI receptacles breaker in it so when you plug in somewhere if there is an issue it will pop preventing the completion of the circuit and warning you there is a problem .

The mere addition of GFCI receptacles (ground-fault circuit interrupters with a 5-milliamp trip rate)


http://www.cruisingworld.com/how/saf...-wiring-aboard
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Old 02-18-2016, 05:44 PM   #12
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Thanks for all the good replies, I will explore every one of them!
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