aliner ext porch light project

4-Way Exterior Porch Lights Project

Welcome to Motel A well leave the lightS on!Do you remember that familiar radio jingle from a national motel chain where the announcer says hell leave the light on for you? That same jingle ran through my head one evening when my wife and I took our final just before bedtime trek to the campground restrooms. The glittering lights of that building were a bright beacon of comfort awaiting us before we snuggled in for a night of restful camping slumber. At least it felt that way until our return trip.We had chosen a well-wooded location several campsites from the restroom complex so as to avoid its gleaming all-night outdoor illumination. But as we returned to camp the dense landscaping, coupled with non-existent moonlight, rendered our Aliner invisible. It never dawned on us to take a flashlight; our campsite was only 5, no 7, wait 6, yeah 6 sites from the restrooms. Or so it seemed. Our single porch light projected its beacon in the opposite direction of our travel, so it wasnt much help amidst the trees, shrubs and other foliage.Obviously we found our way back, but it encouraged me to add three more porch lights, one on each side of our trailer. I complicated the project by insisting that my new lighting system have the ability to turn on each porch light individually or all four at one time. An evening of sketching a wiring diagram resulted in a relatively easy weekend project. Examine the list of materials, supplies & tools necessary to deliver this system to your trailer. This project is a 3 on a 5-point scale. If youve successfully used a drill and soldering tool you should have little problem with this project.

Parts, supplies & tools needed: 30-40ft of 16-18 gauge (lightweight) insulated copper wire, stranded preferred three (additional) exterior RV porch light fixtures (12-volt, w/ self-contained switch) rosin-core solder or solid-core solder & rosin soldering flux (do NOT use acid-core solder or acid flux!) one 4-pole, single-throw slide switch (DigiKey.com sells an inexpensive 4PST switch for $2.18 + tax

+ S&H (as of March 2015), DigiKey #SW106-ND, manufacturers part #GF-642-6010, description Switch Slide 4PDT 6A 125V (6-amp, 125-volt).

wire-cutting pliers wire stripper cable clips or cable staples to secure wires to wall two small (#6 or #8) bolts & nuts for mounting 4PST switch

Procedure: Read all directions several times before starting the first step !1. Determine locations for your three additional porch lights. Aliners have upward- and downward-

angled exterior walls at the front & rear of the body, so you may wish to elect mounting your porch light upside-down in order for light to be projected a sufficient distance away from the camper. Just remember, every light fixture mounted upside down will perform better & longer if the existing switch on the fixture is relocated to the underside of the light fixture to reduce moisture/water invasion into the fixture (causing corrosion and the eventual ruin of the switch). See figure #1. The red square is the taillight. The other three shapes represent a typical porch light fixture and the direction of its emitted light. The blue dot represents the typical location of the rocker switch on the porch light fixture. If you choose to mount the light fixture upside-down I recommend you either relocate the

drill & drill bits sheet metal screws

wire nuts to match wire size(s), probably small-blue or orange

12VDC LED indicator light electrical tape


switch to the underside of the fixture and fill the now vacant hole, or install a porch light fixture without a switch and install a separate switch into the fixture. The first option involves more work, but finding a porch light without a switch may be harder to locate. [ Relocating the switch is not too hard a job. Remove the switch; place masking tape inside under the hole; fill hole with autobody filler; sand when dry; paint. Trace shape of switch hole on other side of light fixture; cut hole (drill hole & file to shape); insert switch in hole. ]

2. It is best to locate the porch lights below the horizontal plane where the bed platform is located. This will keep wiring out of view, reduce the possibility of dislodging wiring after installation, and make installation much easier as a whole.

3. (See Fig. 2) Spend some time becoming familiar with the existing wiring AND the potential locations for new porch light fixtures. Factors to consider in selecting your final locations: will light be blocked or limited by obstructions (spare tire, bicycles, racks, tarps, awning, etc.), closest sources for 12-volt power for lights, structure in trailer to which wiring will be attached, path for new wiring, etc.

4. (See Fig. 2. NOTE: The location of various components may vary depending upon year, model & make of trailer.) The existing porch light is already wired so it needs minor alteration, and it can also serve as a power source for other lights. New wiring is shown in purple with the new front porch light tapped off the new left-side porch light. Other options include each light having its own wire from the converters fuse panel or directly from the RVs battery. NOTE: If wiring directly from the battery, youll need to install an inline fuse.

5. I prefer attaching wires using electrical wire nuts. Theyre easy to install and can be removed for repair or modification. Always install an extra loop of wire at each end of the circuit to allow for easy repair / modification at a later date.

6. Before beginning any work make sure that the wiring sources from which youll acquire your power source(s) have their respective fuse(s) removed. Check each source with a test light prior to starting the project.

7. (See Fig. 3) The existing porch light, and all new, additional porch lights, must have two wires feeding power to the fixture. One wire is the power supply (live, fused 12VDC) being fed through each fixtures existing switch. The second power feed is coming from the new 4-pole/single-throw

bed platform

Fig.1

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existing porch light

Fig.2 battery

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This wiring diagram indicates new wiring necessary to supply each new porch light with power for its individual operation via each fixtures own individual, built-in switch. Possible power sources: RVs battery (inside or outside), attached directly to converter, tapped off of existing 12VDC circuit.


switch that will operate all porch lights simultaneously. In order for each fixture to work via this 4P/ST switch and the individual switches, the wire from the 4P/ST switch must be soldered to the terminal in each fixture switch as shown in Fig 3. Do not solder the wire from the 4P/ST switch to the terminal that supplies 12VDC to the fixtures switch (shown with black wire)! Note: Wires in your trailer may not be the same color as shown in Fig 3.

8. NOTE: In some cases a porch light fixture may not have a ground wire but instead use the fixture itself for grounding purposes. I always recommend attaching a ground wire to the fixture if such a wire is not present. Fixtures that rely upon the trailers body as an electrical ground have an increased potential for recurring ground problems (circuit failure). A ground wire (white preferred) can be attached via a pop rivet to the fixture or by soldering a new ground wire directly to the fixture. Run any ground wires back to ground in the converter. One wire can serve as a ground for more than one circuit.

9. By this time your porch lights should be capable of being operated individually via their respective switches. The next step is to wire circuitry to make all porch lights operate via one single switch. A four-pole, single-throw switch (4P/ST) is basically a switch that turns on four circuits (via four contacts or poles) by making just a single throw of the switch. (The term four-pole, single-throw switch makes sense now, doesnt it.)

10. (see Fig.4&5) In determining the location of this switch there are several considerations: easy access to switch for operation, distance of wiring necessary to reach switch, complexity of running wire to & from switch (e.g. must wire go across doorway?). In my camper I chose to locate the 4P/ST switch on the side of the cabinet next to the door. I do not store anything there, so I can easily operate the switch, plus I would use the porch lights most often before & after going to restrooms each evening. I also chose to install a small LED indicator light so I would be reminded if I left the porch lights on upon retiring to sleep.

11. (see Fig.4,5,7) The installation of the 4P/ST switch is easy. Make sure you have access to any area behind where the switch will be mounted, i.e. if the cabinet houses the microwave, can you remove the MW to install the switch? After determining the exact location for the switch, make a template of the switchs face including the slide area of the switch and the two holes necessary for mounting. Transfer this information from the template to the cabinet. Drill the holes for the two mounting bolts & nuts and the rectangular hole for the switch. I chose to drill one hole and file that hole to fit the slide path of the switchs handle.

= existing wire, power in, from 12VDC power= existing wire from switch to bulb socket= new, added 12VDC wire from 4PST switch that lights all porch lights at same time. This wire is soldered to the power-out terminal on the fixtures switch.

Fig.3

Fig. 4

Fig.5

Fig.6


12. (see Fig. 4 & 6) Solder six wires to the switch, preferably with different color wires for easier identification. One wire (ex. red) will be the input (power coming in) from the power source. Its copper wire has been stripped and run through & soldered to all terminals in that row. The other four output terminals have 5 wires soldered them. (In this example the orange & yellow wires share the same terminal.) Make all wires 6-10 in length to allow for wire stripping & connection via wire nuts. Four of these wires will go to the porch lights. One of the wires will tap off to power the indicator light. Mount the switch on the backside of the cabinet with the slide switch protruding through the slot and attach the switch to the cabinet using two small bolts & nuts (#6 or #8 small machine screws* [*technical term for small bolts] ).

13. (see Fig.7) My power source for the 4P/ST switch was the original 12VDC porch light (doorside of trailer near wheel well). After tapping into that power source I ran a supply wire to the side of the cabinet (see red line). Note: Leave extra wire in case of repair or modification. (You may choose to select a different locaiton & power source.) The blue lines represent the wires from the 4P/ST switch to each new porch light. The red dot is the LED indicator light. NOTE: Each light fixture needs to be grounded. I prefer to use wiring for grounding rather than mere attachment to the trailers body. To keep the diagram simple the ground wiring has not been included but is necessary. One ground wire looping the trailer is sufficient. (The other colored lines represent wires installed in step #4, fig.2.) Connect the fifth wire to the LED indicator light & install.

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Fig.7

14. Again, I prefer to solder wires going directly to switches and light fixtures and attach these wires to each other via wire nuts. The use of wire nuts allows for easy disassembly and reassembly if troubleshooting or repair is called for. Soldering wires to fixtures (where screw connections are not available) provides a better connection against vibration that naturally occurs with trailer movement.

15. Prior to reinstalling the microwave, etc., test your wiring to see that everything operates as expected. If not, trace where your wiring is incorrect. A first step should be to check for proper grounding, which accounts for the majority of 12VDC wiring problems. Also check to see if your abundance of wires have not become attached to the wrong circuit. Though I have not mentioned this previously, it is important to check your wiring at various points in the installation process rather than waiting until the end of the project to find youve made an error.

16. Assemble all items necessary to complete this project: reinstall microwave, cabinet countertop, seats & cushions, etc. Make sure all wires are attached to some framework or other stable surface to prevent dangling wires that will eventually pull apart and break. Use insulated telephone wiring staples to secure wires, or other suitable plastic or metal fasteners. I do NOT recommend the use of simple construction staples from a staple gun as these staples have potentially sharp edges that often cut through the plastic insulation on electrical wires leading to cut wires or powered wires grounding and shorting out. Do not secure with adhesive tapes (nor duck tape).


+ 1st 12VDC power circuit2nd 12VDC power circuit

common / to ground

Wiring diagram of porch light system

17. Though this project involves simple electrical circuits and basic wiring, soldering and woodworking skills, it can become rather involved if you allow it to get to that point. By reading through these directions several times, closely scrutinizing the diagrams, and determining your personal trailering needs, you should be able to decide if this project is worth your efforts and expense. We have used this lighting system for several years and have found it to be worth my time and resources as it has enhanced our camping enjoyment and nighttime safety.

HAPPY CAMPING ! !

aliner ext porch light project

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