RV Electrical & Lighting

An RV is basically a house mounted on a truck chassis. As such, it has elements of both the motor vehicle’s 12-volt electrical system and the familiar 120-volt AC, commonly known as “house current”. Power for these systems is provided by the vehicle’s alternator; a gas, diesel, or propane powered generator; converter; inverter; solar panels; or by a connection to grid power. Regardless of your electrical requirements, we can supply you with what you need. In addition to the above equipment we also have the power cords, adapters, connectors, switches, fuse panels, and receptacles needed to make electrical connections and use the electric power. Here you’ll also find an extensive selection of indoor and outdoor lighting products. With our lights you can make repairs and improve the quality of your coach’s lighting, enhancing functionality and creating a more pleasing environment.

A typical RV will have a 12-volt starting battery and one or more 12-volt deep cycle batteries, commonly called the “house” batteries, which are used to supply power to the various 12-volt powered fixtures in the coach. The starting and house batteries are typically separated with an isolator, which allows the alternator to charge all batteries when the engine is running but prevents the starting battery from being drawn down along with the house batteries, thus avoiding a no-start situation. When the RV is connected to the grid, usually called “shore power”, with a power cord, it supplies power to 120-volt appliances like the electric water heater, microwave, and ceiling fans, and to a converter, which converts the 120-volts AC to 12-volts DC to power all the 12-volt appliances and light fixtures and charge the batteries.

We have both 30-amp and 50-amp power cords, as well as adapters if the campground where you’re staying only has a 30-amp hookup. We also offer extension cords, cord reels, cord ramps to protect the cord from damage, and many other power cord related accessories. When the power comes into an RV it goes to the distribution center/fuse panel and we offer these if you need to make repairs or upgrade, as well as other circuit protection and control devices including fuses, circuit breakers, and relays. And you can get faster and more efficient battery charging and longer battery life by upgrading a standard single-stage converter/charger to one of our multi-stage “smart” converter/chargers. Smart converter/chargers quickly bring the battery state of charge to about 80%, then decrease the charge rate to bring the battery to full charge without overheating, and finally go into the “trickle” charge stage where only enough current is provided to maintain the battery at full charge.

When you’re “boondocking”, also called dry camping, where a connection to shore power is unavailable, you can operate some lights and appliances for a period of time on just the house batteries, but battery use should be monitored so that these batteries don’t become depleted to the point where they’re irreparably damaged. You can get power to operate all your RV’s electrical equipment and charge the house batteries using a generator and solar power. A generator converts mechanical energy created by an internal combustion engine to electrical energy. Built-in generators are usually powered by the same fuel used by the RV’s engine, gasoline or diesel fuel, but may be powered by propane. Generators can also be portable, have manual start or electric start, and come in a wide range of power outputs. We offer generators that are quiet and efficient, so you get long running time without a lot of noise. We also carry generator accessories including covers, generator maintenance supplies, and controllers that will automatically start a generator based on battery voltage or inside temperature.

Whether you’re outfitting your RV with solar power or want to upgrade the system you have we can supply all your solar needs. We have solar panels in various sizes and power ratings for roof installation, portable solar panels, charge controllers, mounting kits, and complete solar charging kits that include solar panels, charge controller, inverter and everything needed for installation. Inverters are used to convert 12-volt DC power from batteries to 120-volt AC necessary to operate things like TVs and cell phone chargers. Some inverters also include built-in battery chargers that can recharge the batteries when the RV is connected to grid power. Inverter performance will vary with cost. Less expensive inverters produce a modified sine wave that is fine for running basic appliances but may produce unwanted noise when operating some equipment and can even damage sensitive electronics over time. Pure sine wave inverters are more expensive but produce the same kind of power that comes from the grid, so you can expect optimal performance from any AC device.

Think of the number of fixtures that light the way in the average home along with the large number of exterior lights required by a large vehicle, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the lighting requirements of the average RV. We have an extensive selection of every type and style of indoor, outdoor, and trailer lights imaginable along with incandescent, fluorescent and highly efficient LED bulbs and the necessary switches to control lights and other electrical accessories. Our indoor light collection includes dome and courtesy lights, utility lights, ceiling lights, wall sconces, reading lamps, under cabinet fixtures, and replacement lenses. For outdoors we have porch lights, motion sensor lights, security and step area lights. For enhanced ambiance and entertaining we also offer a large selection of decorative and patio lights, and LED lights strips and rope lights, including multicolor lights with remote control. Perhaps the best lighting improvement you can make to your RV is upgrading to LED bulbs and lights. LEDs provide the same level or better illumination than incandescent bulbs while consuming much less power, an important consideration when dry camping.