Adding a Battery on an Enclosed Trailer to Power Interior Lights

Question

Question:

I want want to install a separate, standard 12 volt deep cycle trailer battery to operate my switched interior LED lights. The interior lights are wired to operate only when the ignition in my truck is on and trailer is plugged in. My current configuration is a breakaway battery perhaps I can eliminate this and use a larger battery for both lights and brakes?, 7 pin connectors on 2012 Toyota Truck and Featherlight 7x16. I will use a group 24 deep cycle battery on the tongue of the trailer. Can you tell me how I wire this and what parts I need?

asked by: Scott

0

Expert Reply:

The best way to power the interior lights in your trailer is with its own independent battery. You will not want to use the breakaway battery. The breakaway battery is only designed to operate the breakaway and will drain extremely quickly, they're only required by law to operate your brakes for 15 minutes.

There's a few ways you can install a battery onto the trailer. One is to connect it to the 12 volt pin on the trailer's 7-way in place of the breakaway battery that is currently connected there, then connect the breakaway battery to the new battery. To do this you will need a new battery and some wire like # 10-1-1 which is sold by the foot.

Another is to use a junction box, like # 38656, and mount it to your trailer connecting all of the trailer wiring through it to your 7-way. This requires more rewiring but you end up with a nice, clean set up on the trailer once it's finished. You'll also need some ring terminals, # 44-5310A, to make the connections inside the box.

expert reply by: Charles S

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Josh H.

9/29/2024

Charles I want to be sure I understand this correctly. If I tie into the 7-way in place of the break away with a battery, it will both charge the battery from the vehicle and also send power from the battery to operate the trailers electronics (such as done light) when not plugged into the vehicle?

Reply

Kevin C.

9/30/2024

@JoshH The breakaway battery is solely for activating the brakes during a breakaway event and should never be used to power anything else. These batteries typically only hold a small charge that's enough to activate the brakes for 15 minutes so that you can get pulled over safely. Typically the trailer will have a "house" battery that stays on it and powers the 12v DC interior lights or other 12v accessories. If you don't have a battery on the trailer you can splice into the 7-way junction box and wire to your lights to the 12v accessory terminal, but you're limited to the amperage rating of that pin so you could potentially overload the circuit and blow a fuse on your tow vehicle. Running a wire from the 12v accessory pin to the battery would also send a charge to the battery, but you'd still be limited to the amperage rating of the circuit so the trickle charge you get really isn't the best battery charger.

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Dean

10/28/2024

Should the battery in a break away brake system on a cargo trailer be the Positive side of a battery hooked to a white groundwire.And the ground wire goes directly to the frame ? Thank you For your anticipated response.

Reply

Robin H.

10/28/2024

@Dean your breakaway should have 3 wires and colors can vary. You probably have a black or red wire that will connect to the 12V power, white wire that connects to your main trailer ground, and a blue wire that connects to the brake output circuit. They typically come with instructions so I recommend following the installation instructions for your particular breakaway.

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Answer 1

You are correct in your description of how to wire in a new auxiliary battery in your enclosed trailer. You will take the 7-Way's 12V power feed and route this to the positive terminal on the auxiliary battery, and you will ground the second…

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Answer 2

I recommend a 12 volt car battery rather than a breakaway battery because you may end up needing the larger battery down the road. What you will do is attach a battery box (see link for options) to the trailer frame. From the trailer side 7-Way…

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Answer 3

Yes, in order to set your trailer up for use with shore power you will first need an AC distribution panel. For this, I recommend a Progressive Dynamics Series AC Distribution Panel. In order to bring power into the panel you will also need a power…

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Answer 4

If you have 12 volt lights in your trailer that you are wanting to power with your trailer's battery all you need to do is run the power and ground to the battery. When your tow vehicle is connected they will either be powered by the 12 volt…

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Answer 5

For your enclosed trailer application I have several suggestions for adding interior lighting that you can control directly via a switch. Since your current 4-pole trailer wiring does NOT include a 12V auxiliary power feed that could power inside…

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Answer 6

You would not be able to charge your battery through the wiring on your 4-way trailer connector. Since your truck has a 7-way connector, you could maintain the power to the battery but not charge it. To begin, you would need to cut off your 4-way…

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Answer 7

The best way to get interior lights in your trailer is to have a dedicated 12 volt battery, and battery box like #329-HM318BKS mounted to the trailer. This gives you the power needed while you're not hooked to your truck. For lights I recommend…

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Answer 8

All clearance lights, tail lights, and the camera should run through to the 7-way connector junction box so that they are powered when connected to the tow vehicle. The breakaway switch will also need to be ran to this junction box in order to…

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Answer 9

I can help you figure out what your circuit breakers are rated for but unfortunately I don't know what circuit breakers came on your 2018 Venture Sonic 200VML. I can say that we typically recommend using either a 20A or 30A circuit breaker for…

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Answer 10

I was able to find a photo of a Lance travel trailer with the large 3 tank cover that you referenced. If your setup looks like the one in the photo, from what I can tell, you should be able to install the Stromberg Carlson Trailer Tray #CC-255, but…

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Answer 11

There's quite a bit of available room under the bunk adapter #CC-255 to allow you access to the propane tanks. I attached a couple pictures that shows how much room you'd have. I also attached a review video link for more info on it as well!

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Answer 12

There are a lot of people who run batteries on the interiors of their trailers without problems. What you can do is install a battery vent like part #A10-3300 on the trailer and it would be vented. Ideally you would have the battery sealed in a box…

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Adding a Battery on an Enclosed Trailer to Power Interior Lights

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