adding outlets to a 15p van

I've done plenty of household wiring, but never dared touch anything in a vehicle, so sorry if my questions are ridiculously simplistic

I would like to put a bunch of outlets in our 15p van which we use for LONG road trips. I'm thinking 5-6 outlets. I expect we'll need about 20 amps total. I have one non-switched spare slot in my fuse box.

I was going to use an "add a fuse" tap thing to avoid messing around in my fuse box. It says max 20 amps, but that 16 gauge wire coming out of it seems on the small side. Am I really okay to use one of these on a 20a circuit?

If I was to bump it up to 30 amps total, I should run 2 separate circuits, right? This one from China that says 30A looks exactly like the 10A one at Napa so I'm skeptical: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/5A-10A-15A-20A-25A-30A-Mini-Blade-Fuse-Tap-Holder-Add-A-Circuit-Line-ATM-APM-Car-/151042020866?pt=US_Car_Audio_Video_Fuses_Fuse_Holders&hash=item232ace5602&_uhb=1

What gauge wire should I use? The back of the van is about 15' from the fuse box.

What's the best way to branch off the outlets from the power source wire? T-taps?

Any suggestions for the best place to ground? The outlets are going to be mounted next to the cupholders at the window ledge.

Does 20 amps sound reasonable for a few LCD screens and some ipods charging? Or should I go for 30 amps? Or more? :p

Thanks!!!

Welcome to the forum. There are many ways to do what you want to do. I would always suggest using a switched accessory source for these type of add ons. That way if things get left plugged in you will not come out to find a flat battery in the van.

You did not specify what year make and model van you have. We will need that info for specific wiring advice.

In general you would want to run at least a 12 AWG from your power source to the distribution point, or simply run it to the furthest away socket routing along your intended drop points.

You will get no support here for using t-taps on vehicle wiring. The wires are multi stranded and these connectors can break strands and make poor contact. Always strip open the wire and make a good soldered connection.

20a honestly seems a little on the low side. I would go a minimum of 25a for that many sockets. 30a would be the max I would allow on one circuit and even then I would consider using a larger wire. Most cell phones tablets etc will not strain this layout but you never know what you might add in the future

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To master and control electricity is perfection. *evil laugh*

Thanks!! We have a 2006 Chevrolet Express 3500.

So what's the proper way to run outlets in parallel in a vehicle? Should I strip open a portion of the supply wire and solder on and then electrical tape it? Or cut the wire and connect with solder & marette? Sorry, like I said, I've only done household wiring where you cut & use marettes inside boxes for adding outlets ;) Everywhere I've looked online so far has people adding stuff to vehicle circuits using wire taps.

Yeah you will see DIY'ers using t-taps, and them having alot of issues down the road. They may or may not post back about all the issues they have later on. Do the job right the first time and you will have a much better time enjoying your work rather than redoing it later.

Yes run the single power line, strip open the wire where you want to tie another drop point in. Solder and tape with a zip tie around to keep the tape from unraveling is the suggested method.

Ground with equal sized wire as near to the outlet as possible. 3 ft or less of ground wire is fine. Clean the paint from a good metal spot on the vehicles body. Use a self taping screw and star washer, and then paint (or rubberized undercoating) over the ground to keep moisture out. Pay attention to what is on the other side of where you are shooting the screws in.

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To master and control electricity is perfection. *evil laugh*

The brown accessory 2 wire in this photo is fine for adding a relay to control your new circuit.



You would use a standard bosch 30/40a relay available at most auto parts stores.

Pin 86 would go to the brown accessory wire in the photo.
Pin 85 would go to a good ground.
Pin 30 would go to 12v constant from the fuse box or battery. (fuse for the entire circuit will be within 18 inches of the battery source)
pin 87 will be the supply for the new accessory sockets.

This will give you switched power on all the sockets. It MAY (not completely sure) give you RAP (Retained Accessory Power) on that circuit as well. Added bonus.

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To master and control electricity is perfection. *evil laugh*

This may sound like a dumb question but you said "outlets" in your original post. Are you installing cigarette lighter type sockets or are you actually trying to wire up regular outlets like you would find in your home? If your doing the cigarette lighter type then ground is ground and power is power though use a relay like racerjames explained above. If you want to install home outlets you would need a series of power inverters to get 5-6 outlets. You CANNOT just wire up home outlets in a car. They are 120VAC and a car battery is 12VDC

Yes, they're 12V accessory cigarette-lighter-type outlets.

Thanks for all the information guys!! :D