jjrbus Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Electrical is not my strong point, I do not trust what is in my Toy to copy and the instructions are not clear, plus I am not finding something understandable on the internet. I have a #6 wire going from the intella power (45 amp) Which connects to a 40 amp breaker on the battery box and then a #8 wire from the breaker to the battery. The wire run is 10 feet maximum. #1 If the intella power is 45 amp and the wire is #6 shouldn't I have a 45 or 50 amp breaker at the battery box and replace the #8 with a #6 from the breaker to the battery? #2 The directions are clear that the Intellapower chassis should have a separate ground to chassis but does not say what size wire? Any idea on wire size for that? #3 The intella power will be charging the battery through the same #6 wire that will feed the DC distribution panel, shouldn't there be a breaker on each end of the wire? #4 Am I asking the right questions? Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Question ? How long is the #6 wire and how long is the #8 from the breaker> Most of the original converters had a bare copper wire for the bonding ground wire. Did you see one during the removal process? There should be a breaker between the battery and power panel. HOWEVER there may be a main 12v fuse in the power panel, check first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I have a #6 wire going from the intella power (45 amp) Which connects to a 40 amp breaker on the battery box and then a #8 wire from the breaker to the battery. The wire run is 10 feet maximum. #1 If the intella power is 45 amp and the wire is #6 shouldn't I have a 45 or 50 amp breaker at the battery box and replace the #8 with a #6 from the breaker to the battery? #2 The directions are clear that the Intellapower chassis should have a separate ground to chassis but does not say what size wire? Any idea on wire size for that? #3 The intella power will be charging the battery through the same #6 wire that will feed the DC distribution panel, shouldn't there be a breaker on each end of the wire? #4 Am I asking the right questions? Jim ze intella power.jpg Proper wire is determined by two factors. #1 is safety. That mean the wire needs to be protected by a fuse or breaker that will melt or trip before the wire can catch fire. This has nothing to do with length. Just wire gauge and "ampacity" rating. Generally speaking - for what you are doing - 10 gauge always gets a 30 amp fuse (or breaker), 8 gauge gets 40 amp, 6 gauge gets 50 amp, and 4 gauge gets 70 amp protection. Smaller fuses can be used but never bigger. #2 is proper operation of devices and less then a 2.5% - 5% voltage drop/loss. This is highly dependent on metal of conductor, temperature, amp draw, and length. A 45 amp current flow through an 8 gauge copper wire for 10 feet results in a 5.8% voltage-drop. Too much for anything I would do. Same circuit with #6 copper results in a 3.7% loss, and same with #4 copper has a 2.3% loss. Most households are wired with no more than a 2.5% voltage drop. The choice is your's. On the subject of a wire connecting a power source to a battery and if there should be two fuses (one on each end) or just on one end? If you want fire protection, BOTH ends need fuses or breakers. When cars and trucks are factory wired - often the big power circuits have fusible wire links instead of plug-in fuses or circuit breakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I assume you know this but the voltage loss specs I gave are for 12 volts which is considered very low voltage. When voltage is raised, wire size can also be smaller. This is why 12 volts @ 45 amps run though 10 feet of # 8 copper has a 5.8% loss. But if it was 120 volts (10 times higher) - 45 amps can be run though 10 feet of 14 gauge wire and only have a 2.4% drop. Low voltage wiring can be very problematic and demand very large wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 The #6 wire is max 10 feet, hard to measure, but no more than 10 feet from intella power to circuit breaker at battery. From circuit breaker at battery to battery max 18 inches. I will look through my collection, I may have a # 4? So if I switch out the 18 inch # 8 to a #6 and use a 45 amp circuit breaker at each end I should be good? I know a little about this, but not enough to not ask for help. My last MH when I did the electrical system I used 24 volts as I was able to use much smaller wire and breakers and fuses. Thanks for the responses, always greatly appreciated. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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