![]() ![]() Also, using traditional 110V light switches has not been an issue either. The long run from the batteries in the garage, up to the attic, down the wall, underground 30-40 feet to the cabin, and then 20 more feet to the fuse block using 14-3 trench log and 18 AWG track lighting wire + another 30 feet to the interior lights and outlets has not resulted in any performance issues other than the very specific AA/AAA charger/flickering issue. It’s easy enough just to charge batteries during the day or when we’re asleep. Suspect appliances like this could be direct wired to the battery with their own fused line, but at this time I don’t have enough ambition to wire in a separate line (even though there is a second line buried in case something like this happened). The pulse charging from the AA/AAA charger managed to flicker the kitchen lights. The only odd behavior occurred when I plugged in a NiMH batter charger into the automotive outlet of the charging station. As far as lighting goes, nothing weird happens with flickering or dimming lights. ![]() With LEDs advancing as they have there have been no compromises (except for initial cost at the time of purchase). Running the LED lights straight off of the batteries has so far yielded no problems. For now here is an excerpt from an updated wiring diagram: ![]() When things come together, and the 12V electrical components are permanently fixed to the wall, I’ll prepare a proper post with some pictures. This winter we studded out the basement, insulated the walls, wired a dozen or more AC outlets and rewired a few light switches. On the agenda for this year is to panel the basement (pine paneling for the stairway, four different sizes of white-ash paneling for the basement, and rough cut for the firewood room). The timer, fused junction box, and automotive outlets are still technically ‘a work in progress’ so I haven’t posted on them yet. The second is a series of four automotive DC outlets that are part of a charging station at the top of the basement stairs. The first is the kitchen LED light fixture on Flexcharge 12V timer. But this most recent 12V wiring install ended up providing a fused junction box with the capability to wire in six independently fused 12V lines in the cabin. And wiring in the cabin was still needed – this was only the step that brought 12V power to the cabin. From there the wire was run down the wall, then out the side of the garage, trenched underground between cabin and garage, and into the cabin basement to a corresponding junction box. A junction box was added to the attic in the garage, tapping into the existing 12V wiring in the garage. The success of this first install and overall function was so favorable that I began drawing up plans to add 12V to the cabin.įor the cabin, the install was much more difficult. This was the initial foray into 12V DC wiring and lighting. The garage was relatively easy to wire since the attic is completely open and easily accessible from an access panel in the ceiling. This goal was achieved with the installation of several lights on the garage, the all-star from this install being the 12V motion light on the front of the garage. The 12V system was initially conceived out of the goal of making the cabin and garage look ‘lived in’ or ‘used’ whether or not someone is presently at the cabin. This also meant a lot of extra work, higher overall cost, but greater efficiency, and expanded capability from our off-grid power system. The solution I sought out was not to compromise, but have the best of both. 110V is great at running heavy loads, transmitting power over distances efficiently, but in order to have that power on demand a 50-70W phantom load (baseline) is required to keep all the electronics humming and ready to convert 12V DC to 110V AC – not too good a thing when running small loads for extended periods of time. 12V is low-power, super efficient for small electrical loads, but poor at transmitting significant power – especially over distances. So then, with this atitude toward simplicity why all the trouble and fuss of adding two electrical systems – 12V and 110V? Well, both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Take a look at the wall with the inverter and you’ll note how I’ve kept things as clean and organized as possible without compromising safety or function. I am a fan of ‘form follows function’ and believe that the most eloquent designs are the simplest and most appealing to the eye. While the 3000W pure sine wave inverter is run occasionally (well pump, microwave, TV, lights and fans during the evening hours) the 12V system is on all the time. Each system is connected at the buss bars over the battery bank. As readers of this blog will know, the cabin uses two electrical system that have a shared power supply. ![]()
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