Nice!! This is just what I was looking for. I'm about to wire a small off grid cabin in AC/DC with WFCO WF 8955 converter/charger. Solar power with batteries and genny back up. Very basic layout and I'll have an inspector check it afterwards for permitting. All mounted lights on DC and outlets in AC for charging batteries/laptop AC/DC solar fridge...no major appliances. Is it rule of thumb that all AC power outlets need 12 awg and 20 amp breakers unless dedicated to some big appliance like a stove etc? And lights use 14 awg with 15 amp breakers? Any advice on a grounding rod? Thanks and Nice job. You didn't get too technical and lose us novices in jargon.
Sounds like a great project! I'm building a similar setup for a camper van. Yes, 12ga & 20a breaker for outlets on 120v AC. For lights on DC, your wire gauge will depend on your system voltage and how many amps the lights will draw at that voltage. Check the wattage rating for the lights, add up all that will be on the circuit, and divide by the system voltage. That will give you total amps. Then select a wire gauge and DC fuse size that can handle those amps. You'll likely need two grounding rods, depending on your local code. I pounded mine into the ground at my cabin with a fence pole pounder and a sledgehammer. Then I ran a bare copper wire back to the ground bar in the panel.
@@jessesmithchannel @jessesmithchannel Thanks for the reply. I was hoping only one grounding rod would be needed. My cabin is located on Canadian Shield...lots of granite! For DC lights. Would it be better to have multiple very low amp circuits (less than 5 amps) or to "bundle" all the proposed circuits together and make a 10amp circuit and breaker assuming distance isn't an issue for wire gauge? If so, wouldn't it require some sort of DC junction box to twist all those wires together? It's like what you did at 13:00 of your video, where you have one wire leaving the circuit panel giving birth to a bunch at the light switches. Did you have a junction box where you turned that one wire into all those other wires for your light switches?
Really depends on your layout. I'd go with multiple smaller circuits. With DC, I typically over-gauge my wire and then use the fuse that protects it's max amp capacity.
If I was devoting full days to work on this, I could likely get it done in 1-1.5 months, depending on availability of materials. Since I'm also a dad of two small kiddos, a local elected leader, and a landlord to 7 other properties, my time is limited. That makes these projects run quite a bit longer. This one will be 4-5 months all in. I typically sub out painting, because I really hate doing it, and my painter is fantastic. I also sub out floor refinishing, because I've done it twice myself, and the results weren't great.
Haha, you forgot being a RUclipsr. I totally understand taking longer. At least you seem to know what to do. For me there are also learning curve to budget time for
Ah yes, the video process also adds another 20% to the project timeline, at least. Just enjoy the learning process. I think of it like a giant Lego set, where I get to pick all of the pieces.
"Flappy guys" 😂
Clean work there!
My favorite part! 😂😂
Technical term 😉
Nice!! This is just what I was looking for.
I'm about to wire a small off grid cabin in AC/DC with WFCO WF 8955 converter/charger. Solar power with batteries and genny back up. Very basic layout and I'll have an inspector check it afterwards for permitting. All mounted lights on DC and outlets in AC for charging batteries/laptop AC/DC solar fridge...no major appliances.
Is it rule of thumb that all AC power outlets need 12 awg and 20 amp breakers unless dedicated to some big appliance like a stove etc? And lights use 14 awg with 15 amp breakers?
Any advice on a grounding rod?
Thanks and Nice job. You didn't get too technical and lose us novices in jargon.
Sounds like a great project! I'm building a similar setup for a camper van.
Yes, 12ga & 20a breaker for outlets on 120v AC.
For lights on DC, your wire gauge will depend on your system voltage and how many amps the lights will draw at that voltage. Check the wattage rating for the lights, add up all that will be on the circuit, and divide by the system voltage. That will give you total amps. Then select a wire gauge and DC fuse size that can handle those amps.
You'll likely need two grounding rods, depending on your local code. I pounded mine into the ground at my cabin with a fence pole pounder and a sledgehammer. Then I ran a bare copper wire back to the ground bar in the panel.
@@jessesmithchannel
@jessesmithchannel
Thanks for the reply.
I was hoping only one grounding rod would be needed. My cabin is located on Canadian Shield...lots of granite!
For DC lights. Would it be better to have multiple very low amp circuits (less than 5 amps) or to "bundle" all the proposed circuits together and make a 10amp circuit and breaker assuming distance isn't an issue for wire gauge?
If so, wouldn't it require some sort of DC junction box to twist all those wires together?
It's like what you did at 13:00 of your video, where you have one wire leaving the circuit panel giving birth to a bunch at the light switches.
Did you have a junction box where you turned that one wire into all those other wires for your light switches?
Really depends on your layout. I'd go with multiple smaller circuits. With DC, I typically over-gauge my wire and then use the fuse that protects it's max amp capacity.
@@jessesmithchannel Yeah I like that idea better too. Thanks Jesse
Curious how long it takes you to fix up a house like you do here? Do you ever sub out any work and if so what do you sub out?
If I was devoting full days to work on this, I could likely get it done in 1-1.5 months, depending on availability of materials.
Since I'm also a dad of two small kiddos, a local elected leader, and a landlord to 7 other properties, my time is limited. That makes these projects run quite a bit longer. This one will be 4-5 months all in.
I typically sub out painting, because I really hate doing it, and my painter is fantastic. I also sub out floor refinishing, because I've done it twice myself, and the results weren't great.
Haha, you forgot being a RUclipsr. I totally understand taking longer. At least you seem to know what to do. For me there are also learning curve to budget time for
Ah yes, the video process also adds another 20% to the project timeline, at least. Just enjoy the learning process. I think of it like a giant Lego set, where I get to pick all of the pieces.
Definitely 12 gauge required
😅👌🏼⚡