|
Getting ready to do the electrical work in my camper van build, which will be an ever-joyous mix of 12v dc and house 110v ac. I would like my van to not catch on fire so I will probably ask a lot of dumb questions in this thread, which when electricity is involved I prefer to do rather than make dumb assumptions. First up: I've got a shore power plug, which is basically an outdoor outlet but in reverse, it's a male 3-prong plug recessed under a sealed cap. I was absolutely sure I'd taken a pic of the outside before but I can't find a good one. Best I have right now:  The interior end looks like so:  It screws onto the body through here:  I don't know what was wired to it before, it was disconnected when I got the thing. ~eventually~ the plan is to have an equipment battery, shore power charging system, and inverter, but for now I just want to hook SOMETHING up to it so I can charge phone/laptop/whatever without running down my engine battery. I was on the lookout for old extension cords or power strips that have cord damage that needs to be lopped off anyway, and found this thing:  Works great, only issue is that somebody clipped off the ground prong, which would be moot when I chop off the plug anyway to wire it up to my shore power plug. The most I'd ever have hooked up to it at once would be the above charging system and a couple phone/laptop chargers - I plan for most of the electrical stuff to go through the battery/inverter so I don't have any outlets that only sometimes work other than the strip itself. My question is, is this a bad idea for any reason I'm missing? If so what should I hook up to that shore power port? Secondary question: That battery charger linked above says it's universal and can eat anything between 90 and 265 volts AC. I assume if I have access to a 220v outlet, 220v at 10 amps will charge my battery faster than 110v at 10a; will my random power strip handle 220? Will the other things plugged into the strip be OK with that, too? I realize this is probably electricity 101 poo poo but I don't know it.
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2018 06:59
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 15:35 |
|
|
I expect 220v access to be an edge case, was just curious how it'd go. Sounds like I wanna unplug everything else if it comes up. Thanks!
|
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2018 18:28
|
|
|
Both the chargers I have on hand to check real quick say that, so that's cool.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2018 19:10
|
|
|
The strip is like the least important item in the daisy chain, as long as it just dies and doesn't take anything else with it; I don't mind springing for a 220v capable one to replace it if it comes up. Honestly using a power strip at all was originally gonna be a short-term fix. I assumed the battery charger would be wired in, not plugged in.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2018 19:38
|
|
|
Did I do it right?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 21, 2018 01:52
|
|
|
babyeatingpsychopath posted:The colors are right. Whether or not the wire is rated for the current the plug can supply is in doubt. I mean I don't plan to go looking for 220v outlets to plug it into, I was just curious about the charger being rated for it. I don't imagine it being less safe to plug this into normal 110 than it was plugging the existing end into the wall, am I missing anything here?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 21, 2018 05:10
|
|
|
babyeatingpsychopath posted:Electricity-carrying devices are a system. In a house, for example, the wire is sized based on the load you intend to carry. The outlets are sized on that load, and the breaker is sized to protect the wire. These things are regulated by code so that any idiot walking by later doesn't plug a thing with a plug that fits into a receptacle that fits and burn the house down.   I can't make out any writing on it other than "leviton". So what should I hook up to this instead to make it safe?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 21, 2018 23:36
|
|
|
babyeatingpsychopath posted:That's 115V 15A. You're fine as-is. Where did all this 220V nonsense come from? One piece of equipment I plan to attach to it can take either 110 or 220 and I asked about hooking up the entire strip to 220. Apparently there's question about the strip being up to it, I guess.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2018 00:59
|
|
|
I can find no ratings of any kind stamped anywhere on the entire assembly. I do see that the prongs can be physically reconfigured like you're saying.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2018 01:43
|
|
|
Nevets posted:If you can reconfigure that plug as a nema 5-15, 6-15, 5-20, or 6-20 (which it looks like it can) then it's probably rated for up to 20 amps at 220v. I'm guessing your limiting factor is going to be the wire & power strip. I assume that encompasses all variants of turning neither, both, or either one vertical prong horizontal. Aren't there also normal 3-prong outlets wired to 220? Or is that a bad idea that people do anyway because effort? So when I want to wire this thing up correctly from that plug on inward, what would that look like? The $3 thrift store power strip is not intended to be permanent, just good enough for now + has its own breaker.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2018 05:03
|
|
|
Aha, I see. You can *physically* stuff a normal 3-prong into the 2nd & 4th one on the bottom, but it's a bad idea unless the device the plug is part of is 110/220 compatible. Probably not worth the effort to wire it up for 220 just so one device charges faster. I don't imagine ever not having access to 110 if 220 is available, either.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2018 08:31
|
|
|
One more dumb camper question: I assumed anywhere with 220v plugs would also have 110 available, which now that I research RV parks appears to not be the case. If 220v is two "legs" of 110v is there an adapter to just hook into one of them and get usable 110v power or is that just not how it works at all and I've grossly misunderstood it? Like I'm looking at these places and they want 28 bucks a night for basically a parking space and a power socket (since I don't have septic/water (yet) or need the gigantic amount of asphalt an RV takes up) and if I can't even use the power then gently caress that.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 26, 2018 06:16
|
|
|
Right now my whole electrical setup is a surge protector wired to a shore power connector, which has a built in breaker whose amperage I do not know. The specific place I'm looking at says: "All sites have water, 20/30 or 50 amp power, and fire rings." Maybe I'm just missing the piece of common RV terminology where "20 amp" means "110v" and it isn't explicitly stated, or something. Not that I'm planning entirely around that one place, just wanna be able to hook up wherever.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 26, 2018 08:34
|
|
|
OK, that's what I needed to know, thanks.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 26, 2018 10:23
|
|
|
Is it Australia or the UK where you have to be 18 to buy plastic silverware because it contains knives?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2018 05:34
|
|
|
Nevets posted:The reason I suggested chopping up an extension cord is that for uses like this replacement appliance plugs usually cost 2x as much Having done exactly this, yes. A plug with screw terminals by itself costs like $5, or a plug on 8" of wire costs $12, while an extension cord, or broken blender, or fried surge protector you can harvest the cord from will be $2 at Goodwill.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 1, 2018 15:44
|
|
|
Less wiring and more electronics but I don't know of a more appropriate thread: What kinds of household appliances are/aren't ok to run off of a cheap (non-sine) inverter? Like I believe laptops or anything with a power brick are fine, but anything with a motor running straight off the AC is not. Context: I spend a good bit of time at a friend's place that runs entirely on solar, but has a "modified sine" inverter that every AC motor in the place very audibly hates, and I don't want to ruin any of my equipment if I take it over there.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 6, 2018 01:59
|
|
|
$3.24 for an hour of hot water whenever you want is an extremely good deal.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 4, 2018 22:32
|
|
|
I'm guessing the math skews based on people, too. A family of four or five probably uses up water from a tank heater as fast as it can heat it during peak periods so the savings from "not keeping a tank of water hot" are less significant. Thanks to the hourly usage stats my smart meter gives me, I have calculated that completely dumping and reheating a tank of water costs me around 63 cents. That's pretty much one good bathtub fillup, or a 20 minute shower. $1 per 20 minutes isn't much worse in exchange for never having to care about tank capacity again.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2018 00:11
|
|
|
Piggybacking on thermostat chat, is there such a thing as a programmable and/or WiFi thermostat I can plug into this thing?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2018 19:14
|
|
|
Is there a variety or brand of christmas lights I can buy that doesn't lose a third of the string when one single bulb burns out? I would like to not have to ever deal with that poo poo again in TYOOL 2018++
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2018 01:46
|
|
|
That thing plugs in and takes 3 AAAs? I don't really get how that works but I'll take it over the alternative.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2018 18:22
|
|
|
I bet they'll comp it rather than lose a long-running customer like that. Worth a try.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 21, 2019 00:28
|
|
|
Just gonna shotgun this "issue" here and see if anybody has a clue. My mom insists that since they installed her  smart meter that there's a high-pitched whining noise audible in her entire house, but centered on the HVAC intake in the hallway. She is so annoyed by this noise that she ate the opt-out fee to get the meter replaced, which did not alleviate the sound. Obviously, she's now doubling down on it being the meter. I don't hear it, her boyfriend does and so does the electrician she called. At this point my theory is they both agreed with her just to end the argument, which is an effect she definitely has on people, but I'm treating it like a real problem until proven otherwise. It also seems at least plausible that it's a capacitor in some random piece of electronics that's going bad, or something.I'm going to go over there now and shut off one breaker at a time and see if it stops at any point, or if not, we'll know it's definitely upstream of the breaker panel, at the very least. But I'm curious if anyone has any better ideas.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2019 00:25
|
|
|
She still hears it (and I still don't hear it) with every single breaker shut off. So pretty much, yeah.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2019 02:14
|
|
|
No yeah there was definitely a "god dammit mom don't be Chuck" thought process going on. I thought I had convinced her that the smart meter was a good thing, but her brain is JUST wormy enough that she fell for the hysterics and was speaking confidently about frequencies in the nonsensical manner you can imagine.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2019 04:58
|
|
|
No, but it's an accurate depiction of the level of pants-making GBS threads rage people get whipped into over the loving meters. I don't get it.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 28, 2019 23:23
|
|
|
To be entirely fair, the power company here seems to exclusively hire morons, so I can imagine someone growing to assume they're just lying to us at every opportunity. They wound up breaking (and, months later, paying for) an irrigation pipe, because the meter reader decided the cones indicating the road across a particular field were obviously for other people, and ran a pickup over the thing. OR, they'll carefully schedule and remind you of an appointment at 3 PM on a specific day to swap the meter, and then the contractor shows up at 10 AM when you aren't ready, and either just leaves (if there's an access issue you have to be home for) or just unplugs your poo poo without warning. Fun all around. However, the smart meters are loving great, and prevent power company morons from driving across the field anymore, so that's a bonus.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 29, 2019 02:14
|
|
|
I wouldn't entomb wiring in spray foam regardless of code, you're basically betting you'll never have to touch it again at that point. Conduit you can pull bad wires out of and new ones into would be easier.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2019 01:33
|
|
|
angryrobots posted:How is it different than Romex that's stapled in a wall cavity? Or is between floors in an inaccessible chase? In both cases you're not prevented from inserting more wires alongside, though staples do preclude using the old wire to pull the new through. It's also pointless when you can throw it in some conduit and embed THAT in the foam, and still retain your ability to pull and replace the wire later. "loving PO ran romex and then globbed the cavity full of sprayfoam" is the sort of thing that comes up in the crappy construction thread from time to time.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2019 04:13
|
|
|
All I'm saying is "eh, it's fine, I won't need to get at it" has been uttered by many before you, and many of them were horribly, horribly wrong. It's worth spending the extra as insurance. Your barn, so whatever.
Javid fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Feb 8, 2019 |
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2019 04:46
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:e: Well, you edited away the salt. Yeah I was in a foul mood and realized it was way too nasty after I posted it. Do whatever, it's you that has to deal with it.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2019 06:08
|
|
|
You came to ask how do to x, the thread is telling you how to do it, feel free to do it wrong if that's what gives you joy in life
|
|
#
¿
Feb 13, 2019 01:48
|
|
|
The plastic nubbin you move is an integral part of the switch itself, which is behind the faceplate. Looks like this: The electrician will probably just swap it because it will take him five minutes to put in a new switch, and it's an incredibly cheap part to shotgun at the problem.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 29, 2019 08:40
|
|
|
How much is too much stuff to have on a single outlet/power strip? I only have the one shore power plug in my camper van so anything ever that runs off 110v is going through a single extension cord. Until now it's just been phone/camera/laptop charging which is relatively low wattage, but I threw in my mini fridge this trip which is probably a whole different weight class as far as power consumption.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 5, 2019 22:46
|
|
|
I want to upgrade the shore power setup in my camper van; currently said setup consists of a surge protector wired directly to the shore power port. There's not framed walls things can go in, so everything needs to be surface mount. I don't know what if any code governs this but I would like it to not electrocute me or catch on fire. I was thinking just buy the 3-wire wall stuff and run/staple it along the bed framing, and use these things to stick outlets in the 3-4 spots I want them. I think I can daisy chain these so there's just one wire going from A to B to C to D, and not 3 separate wires running from shore power A to each individual outlet. Is that about right, and if not what is?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2019 00:30
|
|
|
Motronic posted:Are you the person who was asking about running a CO2 producing heater inside of this very same van in AI? I asked about having an external tank + hose inside the van or running the hose outside, and people decided to focus on the indoor-safe heater I bought in 2012 instead. My CO meter while it's running continues to read zero despite that, so  shame on an IGA posted:Get these, wire the shore power port to the main lug of the panel and then run conduit and 12ga THHN for your outlets. Is there a less huge thing i could put one single breaker in? Wasn't going to but I do want a master switch to shut everything down anyway, two birds etc
|
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2019 02:00
|
|
|
H110Hawk posted:Dear goon in a well, I don't get it, is it your position that the manufacturer has just been openly lying about the indoor safety of their main product line for 10+ years? They're clear about needing to take specific precautions for it to be run safely in enclosed spaces; I have taken those precautions. What is the issue you feel they have not covered sufficiently? E: Jaded Burnout posted:I'm gonna go ahead and assume that "indoor-safe heater" means "won't kill you if used indoors", unless safety standards in the US are a lot more lax than I thought. Pretty much this, yeah. They literally market the thing for campers and tents and poo poo. Javid fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Oct 29, 2019 |
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2019 18:52
|
|
|
That thing looks like a surface mount box, not the kind of box deepening extension you seem to be looking for. Similar to this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wiremold-Legrand-1-Gang-Non-Metallic-Duplex-Receptacle-Box-with-Faceplate-and-Device-NMW2-D/100544174 It's a different solution to shallow walls like you've got, but not for that HDMI receptacle, unfortunately.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 1, 2019 23:47
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 15:35 |
|
|
That justifies turning down small jobs, not just loving off on people who you've made appointments with
|
|
#
¿
Nov 5, 2019 01:03
|
|