I would like to add a standard two bulb light fixture to my goose neck living area. I have already added a 12volt socket, running the wire to the outside battery with a 15 amp fuse. The light will have a separate wire from the socket. My questions are:Is it ok to attach multiple wires, each having it's own fuse, to the outside battery?I plan to replace the standard bulbs (1141) with comparable LED bulbs...how do I determine which amp fuse to use? Thanks.
Posted 2014-03-07 2:16 PM (#157875 - in reply to #157872) Subject: RE: Wiring question
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
Simple answer is yes you can do that. You can also probably use the existing wire and fuse and just connect at the point already in the trailer. Basically, the fuse is there to protect the wire....too much current and the insulaton can melt and potentially cause a fire..If you google "wire ampacity" there will be multiple sites giving you the amount of current that your wire will carry...LED lights use very little current so you are probably ok with the wire you have. You should match the fuse size to the size of wire that you have. You can use a smaller fuse, just not a larger one. Check the size of the wire on the ampacity charts from google to pick the correct fuse. If you add up the total # of watts for the bulbs, fans, whatever you are connecting to this wire, and divide by 12, that will give you the number of amps that you are asking that wire to carry. You should have a wire size that is capable of carrying that amount of amps. There are more considerations like length of wire, but probably not that relevant in your case. The charts will also show maximum length of wire for wire size/amps....again, probably n.a.
Posted 2014-03-07 10:55 PM (#157885 - in reply to #157872) Subject: RE: Wiring question
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
A basic rule of thumb is that an LED uses about a third of the amperage of an incandescent bulb. Most trailer lighting circuits with common light bulbs, use either 14 or even 16 AWG wiring. You will commonly find them protected with a 10-12 or 15 amp fuse.
By replacing the bulbs with LEDs, you can add more for an increased lighting, without over taxing the circuit. As was previously stated, do not increase the amperage rating of the fuses. If the circuit didn't blow fuses before the bulb exchange, it likely will provide a dependable power source.
Wiring question
