SHO ME YOUR ELECTRICAL DIAGRAM!

[Hartley]

All of my lighting is 12 volts, Mostly halogen and a few Flourescent fixtures.
The only 110 volt lights I have are the range hood and backup droplight in the
bedroom.

I have found that the halogen and other 12 volt lights will work even after the
inverter has shutdown for low voltage. ( Saved my butt a few times. ) And
it also extends the time to find the tools to go fix whatever caused the power failure...

And.. Unless you use a true sine wave inverter ($$$$$$) Your choice of using compact
flourescent might not be a good choice to save energy (or eyesite from flicker )...

Yeah.. Like using up a $5,000 electrical system to run a $2.00 light bulb...

Keep everything as simple as you can make it...

Dave....

[Jerry32]

If you rely on a pole for power sometimes that fails too. I was in a campground in Yuma when a storm took out the power for 18 hours before  they got it repaired. I did use some #10 on my hot water tank but all other was #12 and rather than romex I used pvc conduit with single wires inside running many curcuits in one conduit. The only place I didn't use the pvc was to the engine room for block heater and I hope you remember to include that too. It is nis to just have a switch to turn on the block heater from inside the coach if you travel in cold weather Jerry

[belfert]

You are required to locate outlets as follows:

• "Receptacle outlets shall be installed at wall spaces 600 mm (2 ft) wide or more so that no point along the floor line is more than 1.8 m (6 ft), measured horizontally, from an outlet in that space." with exceptions for bath and hall areas and walls occupied by built-in cabinets.
• Adjacent to countertops in the kitchen [at least one on each side of the sink if countertops are on each side and are 300 mm (12 in.) or over in width]
• Adjacent to the refrigerator and gas range space, except where a gas-fired refrigerator or cooking appliance, requiring no external electrical connection, is [permanently] installed
• Adjacent to countertop spaces of 300 mm (12 in.) or more in width that cannot be reached from a receptacle required [above] by a cord of 1.8 m (6 ft) without crossing a traffic area, cooking appliance, or sink

Additionally, any receptacle within 6' of any sink, any area serving a toilet, shower, or tub, and any exterior receptacles, must be GFCI.

Is this based off the NEC for residential installations or is this from a code for RVs?

I don't believe my travel trailer had this many outlets, but I don't recall for sure.  I know my conversion isn't even close on outlets, but it also isn't done.  The primary reason for so many outlets required in a house is to minimize the use of extension cords.

[Sean]

Is this based off the NEC for residential installations or is this from a code for RVs?

All of those quotes are directly from the RV section of the code.

Residential and commercial requirements are similar, but differ slightly, and are in a different code section.  (One of the give-aways is the specific mention of gas-fired refrigerators -- the residential code section says nothing about those.)

Remember that the code evolves over time.  I am quoting from the 2008 code.  If your travel trailer was significantly older than that, it was subject to a different set of requirements.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[Len Silva]

Those are all just common sense requirements so that there will never be a need for a cord to cross a doorway or sink.  You should be able to reach an outlet from any place a lamp or appliance might be placed, with a six foot cord.

[Sean]

... Any thoughts on 12V down one side of the coach and 120V down the other?

If you go back to the location requirements I posted earlier, you will find that you need 120 on both sides of the aisle.  Note that the number of circuits is not specified.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[belfert]

I guess I need to look at a motorhome the next time I am at an RV dealer.  To meet code it would seem like they would need a lot of outlets.

I know I need more outlets and will have to study the code.  My travel trailer was a 2002 so the code it met is fairly current.  I probably don't recall everywhere it had outlets.

[Sean]

I guess I need to look at a motorhome the next time I am at an RV dealer.  To meet code it would seem like they would need a lot of outlets.

Actually, it's not as many as you might think.  Walls occupied by fixed furniture and cabinets are exempt, which, in a factory RV, end up being the vast majority of wall areas.  Fixed gas appliances such as cooktops, ovens, and refrigerators further exempt those areas.  So it ends up being countertops, one every six feet, nightstands, and kitchen and bath areas as defined.  Most factory rigs can get away with a half dozen or so receptacles.  (Pre-wire for roof airs and the like are normally unconnected wires, not receptacles.)  If they keep the total circuits down to four, and have a non-electric water heater, they can get away with a 30-amp shore cord as well.

I know I need more outlets and will have to study the code.  My travel trailer was a 2002 so the code it met is fairly current.  I probably don't recall everywhere it had outlets.

A 2002 trailer would have been based on the 1999 code, nearly a decade older than today's 2008 code (the code comes out every three years).  That said, the RV section underwent it's biggest revision between the 1996 and 1999 codes, where large chunks were revised, and the article on vehicle-mounted generators was moved into the RV section.

I quoted most of what you need about outlet locations in my earlier post, at least as far as I could without infringing copyright.  If you have more specific questions, post them here and I will try to answer based on my copy of the code.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[Len Silva]

In my MH, there is exactly 11-1/2" of counter space on one side of the sink and no outlet.  Probably not an accident.