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Old 07-11-2013, 07:43 PM   #1
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12 Volt ground question

Just finished running 12 volt wiring and I'm wondering if I can ground directly to interior van wall, after I sand away paint. I intend on bolting a few ground wires together then coating.
Thanks for any advice
Paul

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Old 07-11-2013, 08:47 PM   #2
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Re: 12 Volt ground question

Yes you can.

Military vehicles I'm familiar with used to be made with feed and return wires for each circuit. But that's overkill. If you take a look at most commercial electrical install jobs they don't bother sanding back the paint, they just run in a self drilling screws somewhere handy. However, that is not always the most durable and effective way to do it, especially if you are running anything drawing a substantial load. Loose screws cause havoc in the head and the body... If you want to be really careful, run a wire to the frame and use a bolt, though a good bolted connection to the body has never failed me yet.
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Old 07-11-2013, 09:58 PM   #3
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Re: 12 Volt ground question

You can but I prefer to run all the ground wires that I add back to one location. It becomes much easier to fine the ghost that is causing electrical issues if all the grounds go to one location.
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Old 07-12-2013, 06:32 AM   #4
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Re: 12 Volt ground question

Thanks Guys.
I intend on bolting and its only water pump tankless water heater and one 12v receptacle that will be in back of a top cabinet therefore easy to get to in case of "ghost" issue
Appreciate the feed back.
Paul
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Old 07-18-2013, 11:43 PM   #5
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Re: 12 Volt ground question

The winch on my work truck had a frame ground that failed at a bad time. Sanded it and reattached and all was good except all the shovel work I had to do to get out. Even some stereo systems use the chassis as a ground. Myself I'm not a fan of it but if the line has a backup or multi point connections it's probably better. It can be a trouble shooting nightmare at times but standard for many vehicles.
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