Wire size for future lights power for fridge etc?
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Mudding
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 106
Likes: 14
Wire size for future lights power for fridge etc?
While I have my headliner dropped I would like to run some wire to the back of the vehicle for future lighting and power projects such as a fridge. Any recommendations on size of wire and type? This would serve as a power line for other smaller lines
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 893
Likes: 366
From: Kitsap County, WA
To answer the question for certainty you have to know what the maximum current draw will be at any one time. I assume that you will be running wire from the front of the vehicle to the rear (length is also part of the equation). At that length you can safely draw 5 amps through a 16ga wire, 10 amps through a 12ga wire, 20 amps through a 10ga wire, and 30 amps through an 8ga wire.
I bought a Keyline isolator kit (I highly recommend it) which came with this massive 7ga wire that I ran inside the cabin to the back. I had more than enough wire leftover for other stuff. I doubt I’ll ever need that much current capacity but a bigger wire will give you a lower voltage drop and therefore increase the efficiency of your system. You will want to run copper wire for the same reason.
I bought a Keyline isolator kit (I highly recommend it) which came with this massive 7ga wire that I ran inside the cabin to the back. I had more than enough wire leftover for other stuff. I doubt I’ll ever need that much current capacity but a bigger wire will give you a lower voltage drop and therefore increase the efficiency of your system. You will want to run copper wire for the same reason.
Thread Starter
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Mudding
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 106
Likes: 14
To answer the question for certainty you have to know what the maximum current draw will be at any one time. I assume that you will be running wire from the front of the vehicle to the rear (length is also part of the equation). At that length you can safely draw 5 amps through a 16ga wire, 10 amps through a 12ga wire, 20 amps through a 10ga wire, and 30 amps through an 8ga wire.
I bought a Keyline isolator kit (I highly recommend it) which came with this massive 7ga wire that I ran inside the cabin to the back. I had more than enough wire leftover for other stuff. I doubt I’ll ever need that much current capacity but a bigger wire will give you a lower voltage drop and therefore increase the efficiency of your system. You will want to run copper wire for the same reason.
I bought a Keyline isolator kit (I highly recommend it) which came with this massive 7ga wire that I ran inside the cabin to the back. I had more than enough wire leftover for other stuff. I doubt I’ll ever need that much current capacity but a bigger wire will give you a lower voltage drop and therefore increase the efficiency of your system. You will want to run copper wire for the same reason.
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,235
Likes: 509
From: CA
I would run a 4 AWG wire from the starter battery to the back along the frame and going through the body behind the left or right tail light (drill a hole behind). You get into the empty space behind the panel. There is plenty of space to install a fuse box and other things. From there you can run short wires to the ceiling and other places. Optionally you can install a second battery in the back. This is how I did it. A second battery is recommended anyway if you have permanent power consumers like a fridge.
For wire size vs amperage I used this table:
https://jascoautomotive.com/automoti...apacity-chart/
For wire size vs amperage I used this table:
https://jascoautomotive.com/automoti...apacity-chart/
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DiscoBuckeye
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Nov 24, 2019 07:10 AM