I am redoing a vintage Camper

[CharlesinGA]

can you suggest a power center then as I do not have money to throw away so I need to be sure its a good item.

Probably the best power center you can use is the Parallax power center. They used to be real common until WFCO came out with the plastic one, and then Progressive. Parallax still makes them, but you probably can get a nice one from an RV salvage yard. Parts are readily available. I've seen people ask about replacement breaker stabs, neutral bars and plastic door latches and had no trouble finding them.

The Parallax is an ALL METAL housing and if you find an old one, just scrap the old converter and buy the Progressive Dynamics 4600 series with a new fuse panel included.

The current Parallax 8300 series is basically the older 7300 series, and can be bought with either a 45 amp or 55 amp three stage converter. Parallax is all USA made, with USA steel.

First two pics are of the one in my 2008 Bigfoot trailer, third one is in the Winnebago View motor home I had. Last pic is of a ground bar you will need to install. Carry all the grounds to one place, near the panel. Wanna do a nice job, add ferrules to your wires to eliminate the flayed wire strands. On the DC terminal strip on the fuse panel use U type spade connectors under the screw pressure plates.

Charles

 

[Sunnyfalls]

Probably the best power center you can use is the Parallax power center. They used to be real common until WFCO came out with the plastic one, and then Progressive. Parallax still makes them, but you probably can get a nice one from an RV salvage yard. Parts are readily available. I've seen people ask about replacement breaker stabs, neutral bars and plastic door latches and had no trouble finding them.

The Parallax is an ALL METAL housing and if you find an old one, just scrap the old converter and buy the Progressive Dynamics 4600 series with a new fuse panel included.

The current Parallax 8300 series is basically the older 7300 series, and can be bought with either a 45 amp or 55 amp three stage converter. Parallax is all USA made, with USA steel.

First two pics are of the one in my 2008 Bigfoot trailer, third one is in the Winnebago View motor home I had. Last pic is of a ground bar you will need to install. Carry all the grounds to one place, near the panel. Wanna do a nice job, add ferrules to your wires to eliminate the flayed wire strands. On the DC terminal strip on the fuse panel use U type spade connectors under the screw pressure plates.

Charles

Yep, I was hoping to use Parallax for our project because I also preferred the metal over plastic. However, couldn't find one that had the staggered bus bar for 240VAC circuits or had enough CB and fuse slots for our needs. Progressive Dynamics was the only company that I could find that had the staggered bus bar option and it had to be special ordered too. But the cost for their AC distribution panel was only about $60 if memory serves. And I was very pleasantly surprised by how easy and low cost our 30A (3,600 Watts) to 50A (12,000) modification project turned out to be.

 

[Kirk]

would you put each section separate runs, like living area would be a run for lights,kitchen and bathroom as a run then bedroom as a run or would it depend on number of lights first?

The answer depends on several things. Your 16 AGW wire can safely carry up to 10 A and should be fused for no more than 15A. To figure that out the first thing to consider is how many different circuits will you want, compared to the number of fuse holders available. Most RVs have only 1 or 2 light circuits but they also often have the fused circuits by the space supplied, rather than by what they supply. The other issue is the number of lights that you want and what type of light each one is. The lights will have a current rating and since they will be in a parallel circuit you need to add the number of amps each light requires. LED lights require less power and last longer so I would strongly recommend that you use them. A typical RV light usually produces between 400 and 700 lumens depending on the type and size of the light, with most modern LED RV lights falling within this range; however, larger or more powerful RV lights can reach up to 1)00 lumens or more. depending on the type and size of the light, with most modern LED RV lights falling within this range; however, larger or more powerful RV lights can reach up to 1500 lumens or more. Different areas of an RV might require different brightness levels, with brighter lights in the kitchen and dimmer lights in the bedroom. Brighter lights usually have more LEDs and so use more amps. If a light is listed as watts you just divide the watts by the volts (12) to determine the amps it requires.

If it were me, I would put the ceiling lights on a wall switch located next to the entry. I might then put a smaller reading lamp near the bed that is either on a different switch or that is not on a switch but that has a switch mounted on the light fixture. I would do the same in the kitchen area with extra light over the counter area that is mounted to the bottom of the cabinets above the counter, sink, stove, etc. There are some well-designed lights for different areas so spend some time checking out the choices.

 

[Sunnyfalls]

Great advice on using LED Lights. You can get them in different brightness and different colors. We replaced all of our lights because we didn't like their cold white color. We prefer the warm white color. The only thing else to add is maybe consider getting light units that enable replacing just the LEDs or LED assembly. This allows taking some spares and quickly get a failed light working again without having to replace the entire light unit while traveling.

 

[mancave]

The answer depends on several things. Your 16 AGW wire can safely carry up to 10 A and should be fused for no more than 15A. To figure that out the first thing to consider is how many different circuits will you want, compared to the number of fuse holders available. Most RVs have only 1 or 2 light circuits but they also often have the fused circuits by the space supplied, rather than by what they supply. The other issue is the number of lights that you want and what type of light each one is. The lights will have a current rating and since they will be in a parallel circuit you need to add the number of amps each light requires. LED lights require less power and last longer so I would strongly recommend that you use them. A typical RV light usually produces between 400 and 700 lumens depending on the type and size of the light, with most modern LED RV lights falling within this range; however, larger or more powerful RV lights can reach up to 1)00 lumens or more. depending on the type and size of the light, with most modern LED RV lights falling within this range; however, larger or more powerful RV lights can reach up to 1500 lumens or more. Different areas of an RV might require different brightness levels, with brighter lights in the kitchen and dimmer lights in the bedroom. Brighter lights usually have more LEDs and so use more amps. If a light is listed as watts you just divide the watts by the volts (12) to determine the amps it requires.u

If it were me, I would put the ceiling lights on a wall switch located next to the entry. I might then put a smaller reading lamp near the bed that is either on a different switch or that is not on a switch but that has a switch mounted on the light fixture. I would do the same in the kitchen area with extra light over the counter area that is mounted to the bottom of the cabinets above the counter, sink, stove, etc. There are some well-designed lights for different areas so spend some time checking out the choices.

right now I am thinking 12 lights total in ceiling but could be less as its in my mind so for me I over think it and always end up with less of something. I will be using LED for sure. I plan to have under the cabinet , aka above sink light via switch on light itself. I was thinking something like this HERE although 3in seems small to me but I know I want flat flush lights so I don't hit my head haha. Anyway I will keep searching and try to figure it out.

 

[rvlifer]

If you plan to use the RV when you get older it is a good idea to install outlets near the bed for things like cpap machines. I wish our rv had both an ac plug and 12v power outlet on each side of the bed.

 

[mancave]

If you plan to use the RV when you get older it is a good idea to install outlets near the bed for things like cpap machines. I wish our rv had both an ac plug and 12v power outlet on each side of the bed.

LMAO Im not ready for that and hope I never need it but I will keep it in mind

 

[rvlifer]

LMAO Im not ready for that and hope I never need it but I will keep it in mind

Understood but it will never be easier to do than right now lol

 

[CharlesinGA]

My Thor trailer had 14 gauge Siamese zip cord run to everything. They used several different colors, but I see how easy it was to run them.

Charles

 

[mancave]

I'm looking for my lights for ceiling and I am finding them to be like 2.7 and 3.4 in . is that a standard size? I want to have each give off plenty of light but not be too small as I only want so many in ceiling ya know.
can someone show me what you have in your RV/camper maybe I am just thinking they would not give off enough light plus will give me ideas

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

There are light intensity standards for lumens per square foot depending on the area illuminated - a work surface, reading, ambient. I went through this exercise for a house remodel and it works. A camper may not demand that degree of calculation but just picking arbitrary fixtures will likely end up with replacing and relocating some fixtures. For just a few this might not be a big deal but what I would offer is for you to pick a fixture or two and "play" with them on a dark night, placing them in different locations and making note of their coverage area and intensity. From there you can much more deliberately pick and place all your fixtures (more or fewer, brighter, dimmer or the same as your examples).

As a data point, my ceiling fixtures are 1600 lumen and I think are "just right" for general area illumination. I would want probably twice that for a countertop. My tabletop LED's are probably a 300-400 lumen but they're 2 feet away from the table vs illuminating a 36 square foot floor area.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Kirk]

I was thinking something like this

The catch with that light is that any recessed light is more difficult to install and access to the switch is less if you wish to be able to turn off that light and not all of them at the same time. One issue with that light is that thee are no specs posted for the wattage, current needed, or the lumens. So you don't know its power requirements or the amount of light provided.

is that a standard size?

There is no standard size or type of lights in RVs. Have you looked at the link to Amazon that I posted? It has a good selection of different light style and sizes. The most common light found in mid to low priced RVs is one like this in either double in the picture or a single version.

My last RV, which was a light weight, low budget model and only 20 feet long had 4 of those in the ceiling when I purchased it. I changed the LED lights in 2 of them to some that provide more light. It also had another like that at the head of the bed that was locally switched and another in the bathroom. I installed these lights under the kitchen counter.

I also added one of these to each side of the bed as reading lights.

On the other hand, the class A motorhome that we lived in for 12 years had a wide range of lights, as the lights were part of the interior design as well as providing light. There was a series of 4 quartz-halogen lights along the ceiling on either side of the living room, scone type of lights at each seating position and a different light over the dinette. It had a light of the standard type in the bathroom with a puck light in the shower. The bedroom had 1 overhead light, a scone light on each side of the bed and a strip light inside of the clothes closet. I have found that the longer, strip lights provide better light distribution and if I were doing what you are I would use them for most ceiling lighting.

 

[mancave]

The catch with that light is that any recessed light is more difficult to install and access to the switch is less if you wish to be able to turn off that light and not all of them at the same time. One issue with that light is that thee are no specs posted for the wattage, current needed, or the lumens. So you don't know its power requirements or the amount of light provided.

There is no standard size or type of lights in RVs. Have you looked at the link to Amazon that I posted? It has a good selection of different light style and sizes. The most common light found in mid to low priced RVs is one like this in either double in the picture or a single version.
View attachment 176349
My last RV, which was a light weight, low budget model and only 20 feet long had 4 of those in the ceiling when I purchased it. I changed the LED lights in 2 of them to some that provide more light. It also had another like that at the head of the bed that was locally switched and another in the bathroom. I installed these lights under the kitchen counter.
View attachment 176350
I also added one of these to each side of the bed as reading lights.
View attachment 176352
On the other hand, the class A motorhome that we lived in for 12 years had a wide range of lights, as the lights were part of the interior design as well as providing light. There was a series of 4 quartz-halogen lights along the ceiling on either side of the living room, scone type of lights at each seating position and a different light over the dinette. It had a light of the standard type in the bathroom with a puck light in the shower. The bedroom had 1 overhead light, a scone light on each side of the bed and a strip light inside of the clothes closet. I have found that the longer, strip lights provide better light distribution and if I were doing what you are I would use them for most ceiling lighting.

Yeah I want most to be on a switch itself then some will be under cabinets that will have a switch on it to cut on and off. if I have my placements right I have 14 lights so this HERE is what I found I like.

I will be getting this one for under cabinets and closets.

I got my wire ordered I have 200ft coming so I should have enought to run to all 12v items besides lights

 

[haileyalto]

One thing to keep in mind while building is to ensure there is a platform with a common mattress size so you do not need to pay extra for something custom!

 

[rvlifer]

Yeah I want most to be on a switch itself then some will be under cabinets that will have a switch on it to cut on and off. if I have my placements right I have 14 lights so this HERE is what I found I like.

I dont know if this is obvious but you can use fixtures with switches connected to a wall switch. When the fixture switch is on it will go on when the wall switch is on. You just have to remember that both switches need to be on to turn on a specific light. Gives you the ability to turn on a bunch of lights from the wall switch then control individual lights.

A little more complex and i havent sern it very often. Since you are doing this yoyrself you get all sorts of options

 

[Kirk]

if I have my placements right I have 14 lights so this HERE is what I found I like.

It seems like 14 is a lot of lights, but I don't remember how long your RV is. We could give better advice if we knew where the lights will go. You need to locate the lights based on the trailer's floorplan. If you are changing that it would be a good idea to figure out where everything goes as you place the lights. If you have cabinets above the kitchen counter you will need one light there, two if the kitchen is longer than most. If there are cabinets above the head of the bed it would be good to have at least one in it.

 

[mancave]

It seems like 14 is a lot of lights, but I don't remember how long your RV is. We could give better advice if we knew where the lights will go. You need to locate the lights based on the trailer's floorplan. If you are changing that it would be a good idea to figure out where everything goes as you place the lights. If you have cabinets above the kitchen counter you will need one light there, two if the kitchen is longer than most. If there are cabinets above the head of the bed it would be good to have at least one in it.

I will draw a plan out and put an X where I want lights to go and maybe you can give me more advice. here is what I was thinking of using in the camper as ceiling lights. I got this from Lowes for $14 and I want to find them on Amazon.

btw the camper is 27 ft

 

[Lou Schneider]

I will draw a plan out and put an X where I want lights to go and maybe you can give me more advice. here is what I was thinking of using in the camper as ceiling lights. I got this from Lowes for $14 and I want to find them on Amazon.

btw the camper is 27 ft

You mean this one?

https://www.amazon.com/Blazer-International-Trailer-Towing-Accessories/dp/B06X3Z1X3H

 

[mancave]

You mean this one?

Amazon.com

yes. Thx for finding it on amazon when i searched it never appeared so I guess I was using wrong description.

I don't know if these will work but II am going to test to see and make a decision from that test.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Have you powered this light up yet? 400 lumens isn't a lot for area illumination unless maybe you double them up, and space them closely. Which can work OK depending on what look you're trying to achieve. No mention at the manufacturer site or amazon what the color temperature is. Mostly a matter of personal preference but some LED fixtures are very 'white', 5000-6000K range. 'Warm' incandescent light is more around 2700-3000. So make sure you're getting the hue you want before you go buying a dozen of whatever.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM