Help me identify 12v wires in my panel

[bertschb]

I know the batteries in my RV supply 12v power to the panel but when I opened the panel I was expecting see one red wire and one black wire from the batteries. Instead, there are 2 red wires, 1 black and 1 white as shown below. Can somebody tell me what the white and second red wire are?

[Country Campers]

Brian

You probably have the same setup as I do. The positive from the battery comes directly to the power panel , 1 red wire. The 21 vdc power from the factory converter comes from the converter to the power panel , 1 red wire , 1 white or black wire. The other , white or black wire , will be going to the chassis for ground. Double check this at your converter and factory battery hook ups.

Brian ( the other one)

[howson]

I know the batteries in my RV supply 12v power to the panel but when I opened the panel I was expecting see one red wire and one black wire from the batteries. Instead, there are 2 red wires, 1 black and 1 white as shown below. Can somebody tell me what the white and second red wire are?

The second set of wires are from the converter, Brian.

[bertschb]

Ohhhhhh, OK. That makes sense. Forgot about the converter. So when the converter is charging the batteries, it's sending power to the panel and then back to the batteries from the panel through the other wire?

This would be soooo much easier to understand if I could see all the devices and wiring at one time. I'm thinking of relocating my batteries, inverter and solar charge controller from the front compartment to the pass through storage but that just opens another can of worms.

[howson]

Ohhhhhh, OK. That makes sense. Forgot about the converter. So when the converter is charging the batteries, it's sending power to the panel and then back to the batteries from the panel through the other wire?

yes.

That's why removing the OEM converter is so easy (should you get something like a Victron Multiplus).

It's definitely confusing and seems overwhelming, but keep at it and you'll figure it out. I found that drawing out the system helped me makes sense of how it went together. Time-consuming, but for a DIY project imperative IMHO.

[bertschb]

It's definitely confusing and seems overwhelming, but keep at it and you'll figure it out.

The problem for me is I can never see more than 2' of any wire. They disappear behind walls then pop back up in a group of 30 other wires in a rats nest. When I replaced my converter/charger last spring I figured the wires for that went to the batteries (it is a charger after all). Of course now I know I was wrong. I wasn't trying to figure out my electrical system at that time- just replacing the charger/converter. Same thing with re-wiring the front compartment last spring. The wires from the batteries disappear behind the front wall. I assumed they went to the panel (which was correct).

Replacing the factory transfer switch and converter/charger with the Multiplus will eliminate some devices and wiring which will be nice. The problem I have now is trying to trace the two yellow 12/3 (or 14/3?) wires that currently go to the transfer switch. I know one of those goes to the main panel and the other goes to the sub panel but I'm not sure where exactly they connect in those panels. I'll have to really dig to figure that out.

[howson]

bertschb

Not sure if these will help...

I took a basic outline someone else had done previously (I don't know who that is or I'd credit their work) and added an addition to clarify power coming from the distribution panel and colorized the power lines for clarity.

For those reading this thread that may not know..."EMS" means "Electrical Management System". A lot of 50A owners install something like the Progressive Dynamics EMS-HW50C. This is added by the owner (it is not an OEM component).

[bertschb]

Thanks Howard. That is helpful.

But, I think in the first drawing the actual wiring (not power flow) goes from the converter to the panel, not the batteries. Then the battery wires go from the panel directly to the batteries. Is that correct? It has the same affect as far as power flow but the actual wiring is different than the diagram.




I just removed the rear wall in my basement so I could get a better look in there so I'll have a better understanding soon.

Even if I don't upgrade my solar system, I will re-mount the rear wall of my basement about one foot further towards the rear of the RV. There is a lot of room there now for batteries which is why I'm thinking of moving everything from the front compartment to this location. I can even throw a couple of batteries under the steps

[howson]

Thanks Howard. That is helpful.

But, I think in the first drawing the actual wiring (not power flow) goes from the converter to the panel, not the batteries. Then the battery wires go from the panel directly to the batteries. Is that correct? It has the same affect as far as power flow but the actual wiring is different than the diagram. I just removed the rear wall in my basement so I could get a better look in there so I'll have a better understanding soon.

Even if I don't upgrade my solar system, I will re-mount the rear wall of my basement about one foot further towards the rear of the RV. There is a lot of room there now for batteries which is why I'm thinking of moving everything from the front compartment to this location. I can even throw a couple of batteries under the steps

Yes, it's not a perfect diagram. It's more of a generic flow diagram. The fact that you caught that shows you're "getting it".

The wiring diagram in my "Comprehensive Thread" may start to make a little more sense at this point. At first it probably looks like a mad Italian chef threw spaghetti against the wall...but zoom in on the area in question and you'll see how it all goes together.

[ncitro]

I do not have much to contribute here that has not been said other than to say one of the benefits (if you are a masochist like most of us here seem to be) is that a solar and/or inverter install has the benefit of requiring you to rewire a lot of the rig. You get to do it right, and will have a great understanding of where everything goes. This will be of immeasurable value when you need to troubleshoot something down the road. I even replaced the factory distribution bus bar in the front bay while I was at it, so I now have a pretty good idea of where all of the wiring in my rig goes.