Right way to add 12v branch circuit

[David-and-Cheryl]

I want to add a branch circuit to my 2013 Landmark San Antonio. This will simply be a busbar in the cabinet above the control panel, to which I plan to connect a WiFiRanger Go2 router and a Verizon JetPack.

I can easily access the 12v distribution panel from the cabinet location to run wires to the remote busbar. But what is the right way to connect those wires to the distribution panel? I have a Progressive Dynamics panel with 18 fuses. All 18 fuse positions are occupied, although only the first 15 are labeled on the cover, so I don't know what the last 3 do.

I assume I can simply connect the negative wire from the busbar to the negative bus on the panel. However, I'm not sure where to connect the positive wire, since all the circuits seem to be in use. Should I just pick a circuit that probably has a low load or isn't used frequently? (By the way, I've replaced all our interior lights with LEDs, so there is much less current draw on all the lighting circuits than before, and I doubt the electronics I plan to install in that cabinet draw very much current themselves.)

 

[Gaffer]

Why do you need a router with the MIFI?

 

[Rollin_Free]

A picture would help. My power box has both 120vac and 12vdc in the same panel. If this is what you have the be careful connecting to the white wire. The box has a ground buss bar and a neutral buss bar used specifically for 120vac which uses black (hot), white (neutral), and ground (green or bare). The 12vdc uses red (hot), and black (ground).

Since you don't have any open fuses you can connect directly to the 12 v DC buss bars but you need to put an in-line fuse on the red wire and connect the black directly to the black bar.

 

[David-and-Cheryl]

The router integrates an external wifi antenna/booster with the JetPack, and uses whichever signal is stronger.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[David-and-Cheryl]

A picture would help. My power box has both 120vac and 12vdc in the same panel. If this is what you have the be careful connecting to the white wire. The box has a ground buss bar and a neutral buss bar used specifically for 120vac which uses black (hot), white (neutral), and ground (green or bare). The 12vdc uses red (hot), and black (ground).

I'm not at the rig at the moment. But I do have completely separate AC and DC panels. Here is the front of the DC panel.

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[danemayer]

If you've switched out the bedroom lights to LEDs, that might be a circuit that's ok to double up on. I'd suggest pulling the fuse and testing to see what doesn't work. You probably don't want to be on the same 12V circuit as your water heater, refrigerator, furnace, thermostat, or water pump. If you have the YETI package, I'd also stay away from the fresh water feed line's heat tape.

 

[David-and-Cheryl]

If you've switched out the bedroom lights to LEDs, that might be a circuit that's ok to double up on. I'd suggest pulling the fuse and testing to see what doesn't work. You probably don't want to be on the same 12V circuit as your water heater, refrigerator, furnace, thermostat, or water pump. If you have the YETI package, I'd also stay away from the fresh water feed line's heat tape.

Perfect. Thanks Dan.