Connecting Cables Through Wood??? (1 Viewer)

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Hey Guys

I am building a fridge stand / power station thing and had a question.

The box:
box4.jpg


Inside the box will be a 1500watt inverter (with 2 addtional 4" cooling fans) and i am trying to figure out how to cleanly wire it up.

I want to connect the wires from the front of the vehicle to the outside of this box, then inside the box, i will be connecting the inverter and a series of 3 cigarette lighters up to it. My goal is to keep the wiring all nice and neat and have it all enclosed. My question is, what is the best way to do this? I was thinking of running a simple bolt through the side of the box and bolting the cables to the outside and then into the inside. Thinking that the wood would insulate the bolts. This sounds kind of ghetto and i am not sure it would work. I know there must be a better way, no? Is the bolt idea so simple it will work? There would be a lot of juice running through it! :D

Any ideas, products to try, or suggestiosn to get this to work?

Thanks a bunch
 
Last edited:
Got any venting on that wooden box?
 
why you gotta be double posting here and on pirate?
:flipoff2:
 
Because the view differ GREATLY between the 2 boards and i like to see the different ideas everyone has!

:flipoff2: :flipoff2:
 
Because he swings both ways Doug! :D His mild mannered side resides here and his wild side visits Pirate. hehehe What did you think I meant? :princess:
 
firetruck41 said:
Got any venting on that wooden box?

Yes, there will be one 4" fan in the front (pulling air out) and one 4" fan in the rear pushing fan it. This will completely circulate the air and keep things cool! In theory anyway! :D
 
Boston,

Great idea.

If you have an ARB/Engel/Norcold fridge, you may want to put a 12v socket on the "back" of the box. On these fridges the power connection is on the back. I am not sure if you have a "back" to the box though or if it is open for ventilation.

Additionally, you may want to consider height as a factor. For example, my Engel 45 cannot open all the way with the height of the slee fridge slide and the false 3/4" wood floor. So I am stuck using the Engel transit lock.

Post a pic with the fridge when you are done.

Cheers,

Mike
 
mthomp6 said:
Boston,

Great idea.

If you have an ARB/Engel/Norcold fridge, you may want to put a 12v socket on the "back" of the box. On these fridges the power connection is on the back. I am not sure if you have a "back" to the box though or if it is open for ventilation.

Additionally, you may want to consider height as a factor. For example, my Engel 45 cannot open all the way with the height of the slee fridge slide and the false 3/4" wood floor. So I am stuck using the Engel transit lock.

Post a pic with the fridge when you are done.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks Mike, Yes, there is going to be a 12v socket on the back of the box. I got it sitting here waiting to install. The 12v socket will be right next to the 4" fan that will be installed in the back of the box for ventilation

I have done some test fits and as of now it fits well. How high is your false floor?
 
Boston Mangler said:
How high is your false floor?


It is just a piece of 3/4" ply wood covered with carpet. It is attached front and back with ratchet straps - so it can easily be removed. However, the fridge slide added enough height to make it so the fridge door couldnt open all the way. BTW - How is your fridge/power box mounted?



Here are some pics:
rear engel slide.jpg
Engel open.jpg
 
Hmmm

Interesting. I will need to do another test fit tomorrow and make sure the lid opens all the way. Not sure i checked that 100%
 
Just wondering what size wire you are planning on running to that hog. A 1500W inverter is giong to pull (at 1500W) about 125 amps off your battery. If you plan on running cable from the front to the back, you should go with a farily hefty cable or you will end up with a significant voltage drop. (I'd suggest 2 ga at a minimum) Also are you planning on running this off your battery only, or battery and alternator? You got a second battery to paralell in?
 
MrMoMo said:
Just wondering what size wire you are planning on running to that hog. A 1500W inverter is giong to pull (at 1500W) about 125 amps off your battery. If you plan on running cable from the front to the back, you should go with a farily hefty cable or you will end up with a significant voltage drop. (I'd suggest 2 ga at a minimum) Also are you planning on running this off your battery only, or battery and alternator? You got a second battery to paralell in?

I plan on running 4 ga, possibly 2 ga. Yes, i got a second battery (deep cycle marine/RV).

Inverter will most likely never be used @ its max, i just bought the big one "In Case" :D

Thanks
 
I think I would go with the same style connector they use for welders or winches. That way the hot side is always covered and would be tough to short to ground.
 
mthomp6 said:
It is just a piece of 3/4" ply wood covered with carpet. It is attached front and back with ratchet straps - so it can easily be removed. However, the fridge slide added enough height to make it so the fridge door couldnt open all the way. BTW - How is your fridge/power box mounted?



Here are some pics:


This is bizarre. I just did a test fit with my fridge on top of my 6" high powerstation thingy and the lid opens fine! About 99% of the way! Plent for what i need. If i put a little pressur on it, the headliner holds it open (almost all the way). I dont want to mess up my headliner so i wont be doing that but just to give you an idea.

Either the Engel or Norcold fridges are different dimensionwise but mechanically the same, or your 100 series has a shorter roof. What is your measurement from the floor to the roof (headliner?)

Mine is: Floor to Roof = 42"
My Fridge (Norcold MRFT40) = 20" High
 
Boston,

Glad it fits good.

My interior dimensions are similar ~42"high. My issue was due to the curve in the ceiling towards the opening (rear). I wanted my fridge as close as practical for access, and this becomes the low point in the arch that the freezer door takes.

BTW - how did you mount the box to the truck? Are you going to use turn-buckles to mount the freezer?

-mike
 
mthomp6 said:
I wanted my fridge as close as practical for access, and this becomes the low point in the arch that the freezer door takes.

Gotcha!

mthomp6 said:
BTW - how did you mount the box to the truck?

If you look close, you can see 3 bolts (all i had at the time, now there are 4) holding the 1/2" plywood to the floor. These are the 4 bolts that originally held in the cargo tiedown things that the 3rd seat clicked into

box1.jpg


mthomp6 said:
Are you going to use turn-buckles to mount the freezer?
-mike

Yes, until i eventually get the Christo sliding thing and then i will use that. As of now the fridge will not be sliding or moving! At least i hope not! :D
 

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