Hello! I’m an electrical student enrolled in a local trade school so I’m new to much of this. I do have a decent grasp on the electrical fundamentals of AC but I have run across something that I’m not confident about and was hoping someone might help me clear my brain fog about.
A friend of mine is remodeling a small 12’ camper and we’ve been talking about how to wire it. There won’t be any low voltage circuits, just 120 VAC throughout the camper. He’s planning on putting in:
5000 BTU ac unit- 540 watts
Microwave - 1300 watts
a small fridge - 240 watts
lights - ~40 watts
I believe all of this could be on one 20 amp circuit but my friend is worried that the microwave might be too much so he’s wanting a dedicated microwave circuit.
I did some light research on which load center would work best on a small budget. I’ve found online that many people who are doing small RV remodels and cargo trailer conversions are using a Square D QO 30 amp 2-space 2-circuit load center. It’s usually less than $20 at Home Depot. I felt this was a effective way to go and it’s what I suggested to him. But I’m havsecond thoughts about it.
What I’m not confident about is how it is wired. I do understand how a traditional main or sub panel is wired and this one will be wired as a sub with the neutrals and grounds separate. However, if you want to use both breaker spaces and have 2 separate circuits would it be effective (and safe) to use use a #10 jumper across the 2 main lugs? There will only be one 120 VAC leg coming into the panel. Is this considered wiring the breakers in parallel by jumpering the lugs? Yes I know this isn’t “legal”, and I know it’s not a balanced system. Where I get confused at is wondering if we truly have total of 30 amps of OCP (15 for each circuit), or 15 overall for both circuits, or will each circuit now have 30 amps of OCP.
Any ideas, criticism, or suggestions will be welcome. I’m still learning and trying to make the safest suggestions possible. Thanks in advance!
A friend of mine is remodeling a small 12’ camper and we’ve been talking about how to wire it. There won’t be any low voltage circuits, just 120 VAC throughout the camper. He’s planning on putting in:
5000 BTU ac unit- 540 watts
Microwave - 1300 watts
a small fridge - 240 watts
lights - ~40 watts
I believe all of this could be on one 20 amp circuit but my friend is worried that the microwave might be too much so he’s wanting a dedicated microwave circuit.
I did some light research on which load center would work best on a small budget. I’ve found online that many people who are doing small RV remodels and cargo trailer conversions are using a Square D QO 30 amp 2-space 2-circuit load center. It’s usually less than $20 at Home Depot. I felt this was a effective way to go and it’s what I suggested to him. But I’m havsecond thoughts about it.
What I’m not confident about is how it is wired. I do understand how a traditional main or sub panel is wired and this one will be wired as a sub with the neutrals and grounds separate. However, if you want to use both breaker spaces and have 2 separate circuits would it be effective (and safe) to use use a #10 jumper across the 2 main lugs? There will only be one 120 VAC leg coming into the panel. Is this considered wiring the breakers in parallel by jumpering the lugs? Yes I know this isn’t “legal”, and I know it’s not a balanced system. Where I get confused at is wondering if we truly have total of 30 amps of OCP (15 for each circuit), or 15 overall for both circuits, or will each circuit now have 30 amps of OCP.
Any ideas, criticism, or suggestions will be welcome. I’m still learning and trying to make the safest suggestions possible. Thanks in advance!
