Outlets |
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rawest50
Senior Member Joined: 07 Mar 2017 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 440 |
Topic: Outlets Posted: 13 Aug 2017 at 7:42pm |
I fairly new camper but I have seen every campsite with a 20 amp circuit. My question. Has anybody setup their pod to provide an additional circuit or two? I would like to plug into the circuit and install an outlet or two. Any problems? I know these 20 amp are for tent campers etc.
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2017.5 RPod 179
2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab 2 Weiner dogs Great wife puts up with my BS ❤️ Thoroughbred Racing. |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 13 Aug 2017 at 8:03pm |
Some folks have installed an extra outlet in the camper and wired it to a waterproof plug on the outside. They then connect the camper to the 20A outlet on the pole with a short 12 gauge extension cord. The added outlet is most often used to run an additional 1500 watt heater. The existing 30A circuit will only support two 1500 watt devices so the microwave plus WH plus electric space heater cannot all be running at the same time. The added outlet allows the electric water heater and the microwave to use the original 30A system at the same time. Sort of a poor man's 50A hookup.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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rawest50
Senior Member Joined: 07 Mar 2017 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 440 |
Posted: 13 Aug 2017 at 8:07pm |
Have 30 amp but the location of the outlets are okay but would like 2 more and 20 amps is plenty. Just wondering how folks wired it. Extension cord to RV but the what?
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2017.5 RPod 179
2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab 2 Weiner dogs Great wife puts up with my BS ❤️ Thoroughbred Racing. |
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voisj
Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2016 Location: San Luis Obispo Online Status: Offline Posts: 471 |
Posted: 13 Aug 2017 at 8:44pm |
If you just need two more outlets inside, it should be easy to add them if they are close to the elec panel and just replace one of the single breakers with a dual, as for the cord, you just need the adapter to 110 20 amp on your 30 amp cord and be plugged into a good 20 amp circuit.should power everything fine except the A/C
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pgoelz
Groupie Joined: 22 Jul 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2017 at 7:13am |
I added a duplex outlet under the left seat in the dinette in our 171 and connected it to a lightly loaded existing breaker. You don't need an individual breaker for every outlet as long as the current rating of each outlet and all wiring is higher than the rating of the breaker. I may add another outlet under the right seat if I can find a suitable wiring channel to cover the wires between the bins since there is no existing AC wiring on the right side of the 171 to tie into.
Paul
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2017 at 7:38am |
I am not sure if you want to add outlets to the existing circuits, or add a new circuit taking advantage of the extra outlet in the pedestal. If the idea is to use the extra outlet in the pedestal, I used one of these...
Inlet. As Charlie noted above, we use it run a ceramic heater when needed. If just adding another circuit to the existing distribution center, if you have an open space, no issue, other then the fact that you still only have 30A to use. |
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1447 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2017 at 7:40am |
I think codes and general safety requires that all outlets are GFCI, as they are stock. (They are all controlled by one GFCI outlet, which if it trips, shuts off all outlets.) Just saying.
We use the 4 or 6-outlet thingies that plug into existing outlets -- that turn 2 outlets into 4 or 6. Some of them come with a couple of USB outlets too. It seems to me there isn't anywhere that's hard to reach with the existing outlets, although I, too, often want to plug in more things than there a outlets available. TT |
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser |
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pgoelz
Groupie Joined: 22 Jul 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2017 at 8:20am |
The 171 (and others?) doesn't have any convenient outlets in the dinette area..... which is where we need them for things like a table lamp, PC power supplies, USB chargers, etc. In addition to adding a duplex outlet under the left seat, I also added a 12V outlet since the 171 has none. We bought a 12V three way splitter that also includes four USB outlets that we stuck to the front wall under the table with Velcro. It even has a voltmeter in the plug. That gives us two 120VAC outlets, three 12V outlets (useful when camping off grid) and four USB charging ports in the dinette area.
Not sure what the codes are for an RV but if anyone is concerned about GFCI protection, just use a GFCI outlet if not tying into the existing GFCI circuit. BTW, we found a nice little thermostatically controlled 300W space heater that is fairly quiet and seems more than adequate in chilly weather. Since it is only 300W, it only draws around 2.5A on high and is unlikely to overload anything. Paul
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rawest50
Senior Member Joined: 07 Mar 2017 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 440 |
Posted: 15 Aug 2017 at 6:40am |
Exactly what I need. Thanks. Now to find a clear place to drill the hole and install. |
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2017.5 RPod 179
2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab 2 Weiner dogs Great wife puts up with my BS ❤️ Thoroughbred Racing. |
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