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Old 08-14-2022, 10:05 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Rear Electrical and Long Wires

Hi all,

I’m sure this has been brought up, but I could find no direct advice.

After initially planning to put all my electrical behind the driver, I now want to save living room space by putting the electrical under my bed in the rear of the bus. I would place the batteries in a sealed container with venting to the outside, and the inverter, fuse box, charge controller, etc would sit next to the container.

One potential issue is that I would have to run a long DC wire from the bus’s alternator/isolator from the front of the bus to the rear. Would it be problematic to run such a long wire? (I would use stranded)

Other questions
Has anyone built a sealed container for their batteries? One with venting? Would appreciate examples or guidance.
Has anyone else put their electrical under the bed next to their plumbing? — apart from separating the two and raising the electrical above the floor, any other safety considerations?

Thank you

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Old 08-14-2022, 10:34 AM   #2
Bus Crazy
 
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Join Date: Apr 2019
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There's no difference between a 100' run vs a 1' run in terms of the calculations you should perform to determine the gauge of wire needed. For a given voltage drop, you're going to need a larger gauge the longer the run gets, but I wouldn't consider that problematic, unless you're considering the increased expense.

Check out the 'Blue Sea Circuit Wizard' in the app store for whatever phone you own.

I would avoid putting an electric system anywhere near plumbing connections.
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Old 08-14-2022, 08:30 PM   #3
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long wire run alternator to battery

use charts for length of wire 12volts check amperage and voltage for the length intended. a full length wire alternator at one end and batteries at the other end i would like to see one fuse close to the alternator and one fuse close to the batteries, isolate that long wire from power sources in case the wire has a problem and short circuits.

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Old 08-15-2022, 03:27 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsweet89 View Post
Hi all,

I’m sure this has been brought up, but I could find no direct advice.

After initially planning to put all my electrical behind the driver, I now want to save living room space by putting the electrical under my bed in the rear of the bus. I would place the batteries in a sealed container with venting to the outside, and the inverter, fuse box, charge controller, etc would sit next to the container.

One potential issue is that I would have to run a long DC wire from the bus’s alternator/isolator from the front of the bus to the rear. Would it be problematic to run such a long wire? (I would use stranded)

Other questions
Has anyone built a sealed container for their batteries? One with venting? Would appreciate examples or guidance.
Has anyone else put their electrical under the bed next to their plumbing? — apart from separating the two and raising the electrical above the floor, any other safety considerations?

Thank you
Another thread with the same general question about alternator charging here: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f49/e...iew-40004.html

Battery question: if you are using LiFePo, no need to create a sealed container, because there is no potential for fumes. Just use common sense to avoid placement where it could get wet.
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