Wiring question from a dummy.

[TednWV]

I have a 2017 Jay Flight 28BHBE. I want to wire an LED light strip in each bunk area. Msybe one in front bedroom above bed too? I want to splice into the puck lights already there. I want to be able to turn puck light or LED light strip on separately.

I think I need a LED light strip with a switch of its own?

There is a black wire and a white wire for each puck light. I assume white is + and black is - ?

Do I need 12 volt LED strip or 110 since I really won't be turning them on til we are hooked up to shore power.

Anything else I need to know?

[hoppers4]

RV lighting is 12VDC. If you want to control them individually, you'll have to install additional switches or get lighting with switches on the cords.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by TednWV

I have a 2017 Jay Flight 28BHBE. I want to wire an LED light strip in each bunk area. Msybe one in front bedroom above bed too? I want to splice into the puck lights already there. I want to be able to turn puck light or LED light strip on separately.

I think I need a LED light strip with a switch of its own?

There is a black wire and a white wire for each puck light. I assume white is + and black is - ?

Do I need 12 volt LED strip or 110 since I really won't be turning them on til we are hooked up to shore power.

Anything else I need to know?

Typically in wiring, black is hot and white is neutral, green is ground. You may have other colors red etc, they are also hot. White is always neutral and green is always ground.

You can't wire 120 volt fixture into a 12vdc circuit. Do the existing pucks have an internal switch or a wall switch? If a wall switch than anything you wire into that circuit will work off the same switch.

Good Luck !

[Sunflake]

110 volt is black is hot and white is neutral. Not sure on 12 v

[FlyFish]

12VDC wiring black should be negative and white should be positive. Easiest way to confirm is to use a volt meter.

[rbrumfield]

Originally Posted by FlyFish

12VDC wiring black should be negative and white should be positive. Easiest way to confirm is to use a volt meter.

I belive it is the opposite. Black is + and white is -.

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[mike837go]

Originally Posted by rbrumfield

I belive it is the opposite. Black is + and white is -.

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X2!

RV's took thier color coding (no real standards) house wiring.

As stated above Black AND Red are HOT (+12VDC or 120VAC) White is neutral. Green is AC ground.

So, when chasing 12VDC wiring vs. the frame, you should find the white wires are connected to the frame and the others will have something in them.

It is MOST IMPORTANT that you can recognize the difference between romex (120VAC wires) and twisted pair (12VDC wires). They are often run through the same chases.

Modding one's RV is fun. But understand the peculiarities before you go letting the smoke out of the wires!

[Jm9301]

Originally Posted by rbrumfield

I belive it is the opposite. Black is + and white is -.

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This should be correct, unless the did something funky

[rbrumfield]

Originally Posted by Jm9301

This should be correct, unless the did something funky

Yea I get in that condition occasionally [emoji12]

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[Vicr]

LED lights are also polarity sensitive.

[Camper_bob]

Those bunk lights should be 12V. The 12V inside the trailer is running on wires that are black and white. Black = +, White = grnd.

They will have power whether you're on shore power or not (assuming you have a battery with sufficient voltage attached to the trailer, and a properly operating converter).

If you add a light to the circuit, it will need its own switch (a 12V switch). You might consider a fuse too (but don't use a higher amperage fuse than the original circuit), or you can depend on the existing fuse that protects the original light circuit. This is what I've done in a couple different spots on my trailer because LEDs don't draw much so the original circuit should be able to handle the load of an additional LED quite easily.

If all the lights on the circuit are LEDs (which they should be), personally, I would just jump the new light into the wires ahead of the original light, add a switch (if your new light doesn't already have one), and have a party.

[bedrck46]

Originally Posted by FlyFish

12VDC wiring black should be negative and white should be positive. Easiest way to confirm is to use a volt meter.

The next time you connect your battery to the RV do it as you mention above Connect your WHITE wire to the POSITIVE terminal and your BLACK wire to the NEGATIVE terminal. You will get a big surprise and learn something that you will never forget

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by bedrck46

The next time you connect your battery to the RV do it as you mention above Connect your WHITE wire to the POSITIVE terminal and your BLACK wire to the NEGATIVE terminal. You will get a big surprise and learn something that you will never forget

And then don't forget to check the "reverse polarity" fuse in your converter as well as all the other fuses.

[TednWV]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Those bunk lights should be 12V. The 12V inside the trailer is running on wires that are black and white. Black = +, White = grnd.

They will have power whether you're on shore power or not (assuming you have a battery with sufficient voltage attached to the trailer, and a properly operating converter).

If you add a light to the circuit, it will need its own switch (a 12V switch). You might consider a fuse too (but don't use a higher amperage fuse than the original circuit), or you can depend on the existing fuse that protects the original light circuit. This is what I've done in a couple different spots on my trailer because LEDs don't draw much so the original circuit should be able to handle the load of an additional LED quite easily.

If all the lights on the circuit are LEDs (which they should be), personally, I would just jump the new light into the wires ahead of the original light, add a switch (if your new light doesn't already have one), and have a party.

So...could I just buy one of those LED strip lights they sell in the automotive section at Wally World and wire it in? They're 12 volt.

This will just be a novelty item for the bunks. My son is 6 years old. We are decorating his "bunk area" in Super Hero's and thought it'd be cool to wire in blue or red LED strip to shine back in the bunk area. I want to be able to still use the original lights that came with camper to "SEE" then before he goes to bed, turn on the LED's to light up the bunks.

I might wire one in the main bedroom too?

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by TednWV

So...could I just buy one of those LED strip lights they sell in the automotive section at Wally World and wire it in? They're 12 volt.

This will just be a novelty item for the bunks. My son is 6 years old. We are decorating his "bunk area" in Super Hero's and thought it'd be cool to wire in blue or red LED strip to shine back in the bunk area. I want to be able to still use the original lights that came with camper to "SEE" then before he goes to bed, turn on the LED's to light up the bunks.

I might wire one in the main bedroom too?

I would say yes. Just make sure all your connections are neat, tidy and solid. I would also wire a separate switch just for the strips since it sounds like you want to control them independently from the existing light.

The only difficulty I've ever had tapping into an existing 12V circuit in my trailer is the difference in wire gauge between the black & white wires running throughout the trailer and the black and red wires on other 12V lights. Those wires in my trailer are HUGE compared to what comes on 12V lights.

It is unlikely the new LEDs (or any on that circuit) will be able to dim though, so keep that in mind. Most LEDs use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) for dimming effect, and you need a direct and discreet (separate) ground for PWM to work. The ground in your existing circuit is most likely a "common" ground. But if you don't need it to dim, no big deal.

[TednWV]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I would say yes. Just make sure all your connections are neat, tidy and solid. I would also wire a separate switch just for the strips since it sounds like you want to control them independently from the existing light.

The only difficulty I've ever had tapping into an existing 12V circuit in my trailer is the difference in wire gauge between the black & white wires running throughout the trailer and the black and red wires on other 12V lights. Those wires in my trailer are HUGE compared to what comes on 12V lights.

It is unlikely the new LEDs (or any on that circuit) will be able to dim though, so keep that in mind. Most LEDs use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) for dimming effect, and you need a direct and discreet (separate) ground for PWM to work. The ground in your existing circuit is most likely a "common" ground. But if you don't need it to dim, no big deal.

Thanks Bob!

[TednWV]

Here is what my lights look like in bunks and main bedroom.

[Camper_bob]

Those Scotch connectors (the blue thingies) represent the exact concept I was talking about. Looks like there's a main run, and that light is tapped into it using those Scotch taps to run that light.

Tap into the same line again, and you're likely good to go. The problem, like I said earlier, is that those wires are awful thick compared to what you're going to see on the "tag end" of your new lights. Scotch taps are size specific, so you generally want to be tapping wires of similar size with those gadgets. That's the problem I run into. I have used "spade" connectors as a workaround.

Now, if there are too many lights tapped into that circuit, you could run into problems, but up to 3 or 4 (LEDs of course, incandescent or halogens use a lot more power, so the same circuit will support fewer lights) I would think you're okay. You can always figure your maximum load for the circuit based on the gauge of wire, length of run, etc, but that's beyond my knowledge. But you could get an idea by turning all the lights on, and pulling fuses one at a time to determine how many lights are at least on one fuse, and that might be helpful. I dunno, I've never added enough lights to feel like I really needed to worry about it. LEDs draw MUCH less energy, and it seems like the circuits are still set up to support standard lights.

[TednWV]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Those Scotch connectors (the blue thingies) represent the exact concept I was talking about. Looks like there's a main run, and that light is tapped into it using those Scotch taps to run that light.

Tap into the same line again, and you're likely good to go. The problem, like I said earlier, is that those wires are awful thick compared to what you're going to see on the "tag end" of your new lights. Scotch taps are size specific, so you generally want to be tapping wires of similar size with those gadgets. That's the problem I run into. I have used "spade" connectors as a workaround.

Now, if there are too many lights tapped into that circuit, you could run into problems, but up to 3 or 4 (LEDs of course, incandescent or halogens use a lot more power, so the same circuit will support fewer lights) I would think you're okay. You can always figure your maximum load for the circuit based on the gauge of wire, length of run, etc, but that's beyond my knowledge. But you could get an idea by turning all the lights on, and pulling fuses one at a time to determine how many lights are at least on one fuse, and that might be helpful. I dunno, I've never added enough lights to feel like I really needed to worry about it. LEDs draw MUCH less energy, and it seems like the circuits are still set up to support standard lights.

Thanks again for your reply Bob. I appreciate your time. I'll update once I decide which lights I'm going to install.