Its basically the same as your car. To protect the entire camper van electrical system ive installed fuses for every component battery isolators and a quality rcb for the shore power.
Install Electrical Build A Green Rv
Rv electrical system design. The heart of any rv boondocking system is the battery bank. The 12v system and the 120v system. Your rv has two separate electrical systems. The 12v dc system this half of your rv electrical system runs off of a battery or multiple batteries. Rvs use both ac alternating current and dc direct current to power the components of your electrical system. For the most part any full time rig is going to have two different electrical systems.
There are serious safety issues involved with wiring your own system. Safety warning and disclaimer. Click here to download the latest version of my electrical system drawings always a work in progress. Just as a sticks and bricks home is based upon 110120v power system so is your rv. A 12 volt dc electrical system and a 120 volt ac system. Four big 6 volt lead acid batteries with a total capacity of 464 amp hours.
As part of this process i created some custom symbols for various aircraft components. To design my airplanes electrical system schematics i used expresssch which is part of the free expresspcb board layout package. I chose to go with a tried and true power source. Understanding your rv electrical system by brian april 14 2020 as a rule your rv will have two separate electrical systems that draw different voltages as well as two different types of current. Shore power and rv site hookups. The 12 volt system is powered by a battery or in some cases multiple batteries and it powers things such as the start up on your water heater furnace and refrigerator plus most of the lights in your rvs living space your water pump your carbon monoxide detector and a number of other things.
Unfortunately most rv buyers purchase a recreational vehicle primarily based on layout and size and electrical design is often an afterthought. The voltages are high and potentially lethal. This section covers what a camper van or rv electrical system does how it works how to pick and size the components and how to build the system. The 12 volt dc system runs the electrical components of the engine and battery of your ride while the 120 volt ac system runs all the typical appliances and power outlets found on most rvs. Modern off the grid vans normally charge with solar power alternator shore power and can power 12v dc 120v ac loads. This means camping off the grid without electrical hookups.
As requirements vary greatly each has to decide based on their own individual requirements. As with any electrical design the system needs to be protected so any electrical issues dont cause a catastrophic event like a fire. Some sort of boondocking power system is essential if we want to camp more than a couple days. It includes a battery bank loads and charge sources. Design of the electrical system will be very different from one rv to the other. In its simplest form a campervan electrical system isnt really complicated.
Gallery of Rv Electrical System Design
