electrical

[chuckiehm]

I am starting to wire a 1963 Kenskill from scratch. Are the 110 and 12 volt light fixtures the same or are the bulbs capable of taking both currents. Is the 12 volt wiring special or just 16 ga bonded together.Any other advice on starting this project would be appreciated.

Thanks
Charles

[Francesca]

Hi, Chuckie

When you say "from scratch", do you mean all the wiring including your towing lights?
Per your 110v/12v question, they aren't the same- fixtures etc rated for one won't run off the other...
If the trailer has a converter, though, it'll "transform" 110v to 12v.
How big/complex is your rig?
If it's relatively small and simple, I can post a wiring diagram you might find instructive...

Francesca

[LadyFitz...]

Do NOT try to run 110v through 12v wiring. Most 12v wiring is not rated for 110v. I strongly suggest you hire an electrician to help you with the rewiring. It would be too easy for you to make a fatal mistake otherwise.

[wa8yxm]

Generally speaking in RV's all light fixtures are 12 volt, However the key word is "Generally Speaking" I have seen exceptions.

When plugged into 120vac there is a device called a CONVERTER that performs several functions, how well depends on the make and model and it's condition, but the main functions are:

1: Providing 12vdc to lights, control boards and motors and other things needing it
2: Charging and maintaining your batteries

That said. they do make 12 volt bulbs that fit standard 120 volt light sockets.

[Francesca]

I hope we're not making this sound harder than it might be...
Nobody knows better than I do how daunting RV wiring can be to a beginner!
But it's not as complicated as it seems and it's really interesting to learn how to do it.
Since Charles has a '63 trailer, it's possible that there is no converter- many trailers of that vintage and even later simply had two separate systems, one 12v and one 120v.
If that's true of this trailer, it would make his job a lot easier, in my opinion.
I hope he checks back in with more info...

Are you still with us, Charles?

Francesca

[chuckiehm]

Yes I am doing all the wiring including the trailer. Its 13 ft long.

[chuckiehm]

This trailer had only 110 wiring. No converter. I'm attempted to put in all new wiring. 12 volt 110 volt and trailer.

[Francesca]

Hi, Charlie

A 13 ft. trailer this age shouldn't be hard to "rewire", if needed.
Since there's no converter, 110v and 12v should be independent of each other. Do make sure of this point- no hole where a converter might have been removed, no 110v wire that ends nowhere....
110v (shorepower) likely enters the trailer to a 15 amp breaker, and is distributed to an outlet or two and maybe a light. That will be ordinary house wire. IF this is 3-wire, you can probably keep it. If it's only 2-wire, it should be replaced.
12v power comes in from the TV or battery via the pigtail, and is automotive multistrand, color coded.
My first advice would be not to tear anything out until you're sure it has to go. If it's original wires, they're an excellent "map".
Is the wiring for your lights, etc. inside the trailer? I hope so...
Unless somebody's been at it before you, or mice have chewed it to pieces, the inside 12v wiring is very likely fine, and still in the original colors!
That would be good news for you.
The same could well be true of the 110v.
Have you tried anything, such as the taillights, etc? Did you tow it home?
And does it have brakes? A 3-way fridge?
What does the trailer-to-car plug look like? (4-flat, 7-round, etc.)

Francesca

P.S.
Here's a 12v wire chart that should apply to a trailer of the same vintage:
(doesn't matter if you have the plug this chart talks about, or if you lack brakes or "auxiliary" wire. What you DO have should be in the colors named for the particular fixture.)

[chuckiehm]

The trailer only had 110 volt that did come through a 15 amp breaker. No 12 volt wiring. I am going to put in a converter. I havn't got to the brakes yet.Looks like it has electric brakes.It was towed with out side lights like a tow truck.I have a 7 round on my 2002 explorer.All the trailer wiring is being replaced as well.

[Francesca]

Hi, Charles

Good news about the 110v !
Sounds like you've got that much, anyway.
And since it's got a circuit breaker and is made up of 3- strand housewire, it's grounded by the shorepower that you plug in to!
At this point at least, think of these as two entirely separate systems- since they are!
Converter installation will "bring them together", but for the moment let's work out the 12v system.
This wiring diagram is probably "correct" for the era of your trailer. You can use it to understand and identify the 12v wiring that's already in the trailer.
NOTE: The scanner didn't pick up the WHITE GROUND WIRE- it runs from the trailer main ground to every fixture/light in the system.
It's probably the most important part, too, since nothing will work without it!

BUT- before you begin, you might want to verify that your Explorer wiring matches up, at least position-on-the-plug-wise.
If the trailer has round pins, it's likely wired like this (matches the chart I posted above):

There are lots of ways the Explorer could be wired- could save you some headaches later if you verify the match first!
We ran into this with my husband's truck- just switching the wires around in his connection worked to fix it...

Francesca