Is it OK to install a 12 volts wiring system in a house?

Hello,

is it OK to install a 12 volts wiring system in a house? Including a 12 volts bulb only.??/

Yes, it's ok. Here in the US, travel trailers and motor homes often have 12volt lighting systems. Also people who produce some of their own power with wind turbines or solar cells have 12v lighting.

Just be careful that you don't connect any of the 12v wiring or lights to regular house current.

Low-voltage lighting systems can be used, but they have to be properly installed. The wiring might be illegal, or might be against the rules of insurance policies, unless it was put in place or at least checked over by a qualified electrician. The regulations may be different in different countries.

Low voltage wiring must be clearly separate from any higher-voltage systems. It is not acceptable to use any sockets or other fittings of types which could be confused with the mains power wiring.

You should not use the same wiring fixtures as those used for mains power though.

But my incandescent 12 volt lamp uses also E27. So is it OK?

Yes, of course. I will seperate it to mains.

What kind of "outlets" to you plan to put in, if any, for your 12 V power? What type of plugs?

Lightfire said:

But my incandescent 12 volt lamp uses also E27. So is it OK?

Yes, of course. I will seperate it to mains.

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You didn't really ask this, but you may be wondering why you would EVER wire a house with high voltages, increasing the risk of injury or fire. Why not 12v everywhere?

It's a cost issue, in this case the cost of wiring to support the very high currents you would need at low voltage. Suppose you need 1200 watts of power. Delivered at 12v, this requires 100 amps. Delivered at 120v, it's just 10 amps.

The power lost in a wire is given by I^2•R. So the wire required to deliver 100 amps, compared to 10 amps, is 100^2/10^2 = 100 thicker than required if you're using 120v. A hundred times more copper!! Makes you wonder how much energy the U.S. might save by going to 240v instead of 120v as the standard.

I mean in E27 is my 12 volt incandescent also uses E27 socket and E27 sockets are mostly used in a high voltage bulbs, isn't it? As SgtWookie said, it is recommended that you should not use and recipticles or sockets in a 12 volts as it may confuse others and it might cause troubles. So, I am sking if it is ok to use E27 then for my 12 volt incancdesent. if it is not OK, i'll use other incandescent lamp...

Not a good idea. The socket is also used for regular house wiring. If it were separate from the house maybe, but it is a bad idea to use anything that is not specifically designed for 12V and 220VAC (I think that is what is used at your location?).

If there can be a mix up, don't do it. If you want to mount your 12 hardware on a piece of ply wood I think that would be OK, because it would be obvious that it isn't part of the house system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E27

Just curious, what are your parents making from your electrical experiments? Does your Dad have a back ground in electricity or electronics?

Switches and other hardware for house current to tend to be cheaper, so if you must use them use the ply wood idea so that it is obvious they are not plugged in.

I can't disagree that plywood with binding posts make it obvious that it's some kind of project voltage and don't try and plug your computer into it.

I was thinking in terms of making the 12V power in your house really useable for everyday things you might want to design a custom outlet that looked nothing like a standard 110V house outlet. I was thinking a car cigarette lighter adapter socket (that's pretty standard for 12Volts right?) and then a usb style socket with a linear 5V regulator behind it, to provide 500mA 5V power like a computer usb port. If I had one of those outlets handy in every room I could make use of it.

I would use the NEMA 6-15 style for DC wall sockets. It's what I plan to use in my house. It's UL rated, NEC approved and should be easy to find plugs and sockets at any electrical house. Cigarette lighter style sockets are just horrible for long term use.

those sockets are a good suggestion nsaspook!


I used some once for a similar purpose.

It's easy to be code compliant and still have a cost effect system.
Link to PV DC house distribution system recommendations.

http://books.google.com/books?id=im-No5TYyy8C&pg=PA491&lpg=PA491&dq=NEC+406.3(F)+DC&source=bl&ots=EkeIKbB4OO&sig=l-UJ4ZIX5eXP9cSdc42lwvJ28Is&hl=en&ei=-cGXTfDCFoXQsAOdnNG3BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=NEC

Lightfire, most of the Philippines are quite rugged and rural, with the exception of Manila. Do you live in a rural area?

Just curious, what are your parents making from your electrical experiments? Does your Dad have a back ground in electricity or electronics?

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They do not care. They are just letting me to play as long as away from the main voltage. Ah, no my dad do not have any electrical background.

About E27, what socket should I use for my 12 volt? I can't understand the ply wood one. What plywood?

CDRIVE said:

Lightfire, most of the Philippines are quite rugged and rural, with the exception of Manila. Do you live in a rural area?

Click to expand...

I live in Manila City.

It is perfectly acceptable to use 12 volt lighting in buildings.

Indeed there are whole ranges of types available, using Halogen, LED, Low energy flourescent etc.
You can also get colours and special effects.

In general the standard fitting for these is MR16 for the larger or MR11 for the smaller ones.

http://cpc.farnell.com/_/exn-p-pro-red/lamp-35deg-12v-red/dp/LP02085?Ntt=lp02085

You can get all types with this fitting.

This fitting is different from the mains voltage version GU10 as the lamps (often called bulbs) look very similar.

These bulbs can be run from a suitable transformer (get an adult to wire this in for you) which are also readily availble with the MR16 lamps.

12 volts can also be used for safety reasons eg to a bathroom fan.

go well

I meant to mention before, but forgot - slapped wrists - never forget safety.

12 volt lamps get just as hot as mains voltage lamps for the same wattage.

So take precautions not to get yourself burned by the lamps or to cover them or place them near material that could catch fire.

go well

May I ask something. Is there any bulb 12 volt bulb that the socket is E12 or E14???????

Yes indeed.

E stands for Edison Screw which is a fitting that has one contact to the screw and one to a blob at the end.
12 stands for the diameter (12mm)

This size is common in hand torches.

Unfortunately E12 and E14 are also used in some mains light fittings in cookers and fridges.

So there is a clear danger of getting either the lamp or the fitting mixed up.

If you use these for mains in your house you should not also use them for low voltage as part of the building wiring.

http://www.uklightbulbs.co.uk/low-voltage-light-bulbs.html