Getting 12v into the cargo

[Aaron Fensterheim]

I am beginning a camper conversion and i am wondering about getting power from the vehicle battery directly to the cargo area. Did Nissan put in any high gauge taps or do i need to run though the firewall. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[DesertTed]

Hello, Aaron,

We're doing a conversion also and will be putting in a 300ah bank with both alternator and solar input. I'm going to run the power from the vehicle battery directly to the battery bank. I have the CTEK dual charger and the Smartpass. Another member of the forum recommended those and I did get both as they look to make the system, while not idiot-proof, a little easier to set up and maintain our battery bank.

 

From what I've read and a recommendation from the same member, there's a couple of ways to run the cable, either through the firewall or from the engine comprehend to under the driver seat. Hub is doing the bed right now and the next job, the electric, is all mine. In my thread, I'm showing pretty much everything we're doing, including minor details, I'm not saying what we're doing is correct, but most of it I've seen in my explorations on the web. One big that's been very helpful is the book "Sailboat Electrics Simplified" for 12v installation. From Amazon, along with most of my supplies. I'll PM you.

 

Ted

[wollip]

We just finished our first trip (14 days/2500miles) since connecting our Ctek system (250s Dual & Smartpass).

It exceeded all expectations! I'm just running a 125 amp hr Lifeline at the moment. But discovered it is adequate to run our small Indel b unit that we use as a freezer and the larger 110 liter unit that is set up for refrigeration. In moderate temps it looks like it will run both for 15 to 18 hours and not draw down below 12.5.

This trip involved so much driving I let the battery run things at night just so I could watch it charge up the next day.

It was really great to not have our food sloshing around in a cooler and we didn't have to buy ice (Southeners have to have their iced tea) the entire trip.

Next project is to integrate a solar panel - which should be easy enough since the Ctek system is prewired to handle it.

[DesertTed]

That's wonderful! Tell us more about the Lifeline,please?

 

Also, Wollip, where did you run you cable through? Inquiring minds want to know.

[wollip]

Lifeline - just a battery brand - lifelinebatteries.com

I obsessed about it long enough and they made it to the top of the short list.

 

I ran my cable down and under - exactly what you are told not to do. However, I'm satisfied with the result. I was also under the constraint of a conversion that was basically finished and I didn't want to mess things up.

I sheathed the cable in non-metallic (flexible plastic) liquidtight conduit - tough as a boot. It took less than 25 ft to run it back to the rear tire well (entry point).

The cable/conduit combo is attached to the passenger side of the ladder frame rail. There are sufficient holes already in place to adequately attach the conduit. I cut some sticks of HDPE plastic 4 to 5 inches long and placed a slot in the middle. Threaded a regular cable tie and a stainless steel cable tie (for good measure) thru each one. Then just inserted the HDPE into the cavity of the boxed frame rail. Held tension on it while securing the conduit - hasn't loosened so seems to be secure. I'll attach some pics. Pinch and zoom should show you some details.

 

BTW - if anyone spots any errors or dangers in any of this, please let me know. I seriously don't know what I'm doing - learning as I go - but it seems to work just fine.