RE: [SilverStreak] electrical questions

["Ralph Cooke" <rcooke@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Great post Eddie, it goes into my SS Trailer File.

Ralph

-----Original Message-----
 Subject: Re: [SilverStreak] electrical questions

Bev,
One of those sealed 12v burg alarm/deer feeder batteries works well
and is 
conveniently portable. Use that and one of those 12v cheapy test probe

lights with the alligator clip on one end and the sharp probe on the 
illuminating handle. Re-charge the little battery at no more than 2
amps for 
no more than one hour. The little battery will also audibly excite the

brakes like you described.

Remember to get a cheapy Greenlee GT-11 Voltage Detector or equivalent

available at Depot for under $10 to check everything ac voltage
everywhere, 
including the trailer body. Like a fat ball point pen, you can use it
on 
anything ac including your home, appliances, and that RV park plug
just 
before you plug in. You'd be surprised how many simple wall plugs are
a 
50/50 chance of being wired backward.

The widest looking slot on a wall plug (duplex) is always the non-hot 
(neutral) side so only the narrow slot should ever be "hot". The
little 
probe will reveal backward wired plugs with nothing to disassemble.
One 
backward wired plug will corrupt an entire circuit as soon as an
appliance 
is plugged in or plugged in and turned on. One backward wired wall
switch 
leaves the light fixture dangerous even when switched off and the
light not 
glowing. The simple little probe will reveal backward wired anything
ac!

People get confused with wire colors, and rightfully so! AC wiring,
like in 
your home is: Black=Hot, White=Neutral, Bare=Ground Lug. There is NO 
EXCEPTION to this absolute wiring. This is for 120v and can get much 
different when 220V which I won't go into here.

12volt wiring was, and still is, not standardized. Sure, you have
various 
trailer connectors that you hope follow the evolving standardized
colors, 
but that is only good if the vehicle got wired properly. Generally in 
automotive which includes trailers, Black=Ground, and lot's of them!
So 
easily confused with the absolute standards of AC wiring! White=Ground
too, 
or it can be the powered wire! You cannot substitute and resolve
anything 
without the little 12v handle-illuminating probe! Even the age-old
1157 
stop/turn/run tail light fixtures can be a mix of any colors depending
on 
who made what when the light fixture was produced! So when you are
looking 
for Brown=Running Light, don't be surprised when the colors are blue,
red, 
black or something else. A maddening non-standard exists even today!

Trailers seldom are just one voltage, but a mix. Even the old 40's
models 
often just 120V ac throughout, are a mix because there are at least
trailer 
running lights and usually brake wiring that are 6 or 12 volts
depending on 
the year. Often the old ones did not follow standards of ac wiring, so
be 
very careful to avoid that shocking surprise!

The only thing special about your description is that "Old Yeller
Wires" 
didn't befall it. Seems like every car, truck, and trailer I get has
had the 
expertise of someone with a roll of yellow wire going everywhere and
to 
everything! I start with just cutting away every piece of wire that is
added 
to obvious original wiring. Just get the birds-nest mess out of there.

When doing wiring there are little things that will make the work
better. 
Grease bulb sockets and bulb bases, just like on new vehicles. This
stops 
air-moisture corrosion and keeps future problems away. Grease ground 
connections to the chassis-body before affixing. This will save you
many 
headaches later from corrosion. Use a Q-Tip and grease that trailer 
connector to make that easier to work and keep a good connection. The 
quality or color of the grease can be anything including Vaseline.
There are 
lot's of other little things that will help.

Remember, don't let the smoke out! You have to keep all the smoke in
the 
wires and appliances. You can't let the smoke out!

-Eddie-
Houston, TX