Hey Grand Adventurers, welcome back!
I'm your host Marc Guido, and we're going to talk today about USB ports.
Now just about everything we use these days relies on USB cables to recharge,
be it cameras, drones, headlamps, tablets, and of course phones --
not only yours, but those for all your family members, too.
And if you're lucky your RV manufacturer put in
more than one or two USB ports for recharging mobile devices.
Chances are, too, that it's a dumb USB port
that doesn't have any technology to regulate charging voltages and wattages.
However, we're here today to show you a super simple way
to expand USB ports for recharging devices throughout your RV,
and also put in some smart ones that have technology like Qualcomm Quick Charge
and Power Delivery, so stay tuned!
This is going to be a short episode of Grand Adventure,
just because this project is so darned simple to do!
We're going to replace our existing power outlets
with these combination outlets from,
I'm not sure how to pronounce this brand name, ELEGRP?
We picked up a six-pack of these combination outlets off Amazon for $100.
They're available in both 15 and 20-amp versions,
and with all kinds of various USB power options.
We've opted for the ones with one USB-A port that's compatible with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0,
and a USB-C port with Power Delivery 2.0 (PD),
each rated at 18 watts.
Single units are currently priced at $22.99 or a two-pack for $40.99.
They're also available in different colors,
and they're also carried by Home Depot,
although at least at our local Home Depot it's by order only.
As usual we'll put a link in our Grand Adventure Shop on Amazon,
right here on the screen and in the video description down below
if you'd like to do this project in your own RV.
So now we've introduced you to the "what" and the "why" behind this project,
but before we get to the "how" let's just pause for a moment
to introduce you to our video sponsor RVmattress.com by Brooklyn Bedding.
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They offer four different mattress constructions in 21 different sizes,
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all rolled up and compressed in a vacuum seal.
Just cut the wrap to unroll the mattress onto your bed,
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For our mattress, Brooklyn Bedding starts with a layer
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Now let's get started!
The first thing we're going to do is go flip off the breaker
to the circuit that we're working on,
to turn off the power for safety.
These outlets are of the type installed in most RVs.
You begin by simply prying off the outlet cover.
These two screws are what hold these outlets in place.
They tighten down a little plastic flap in the back
that clamps on to the inside of the luan walls.
The important thing here is to only loosen
the screw so that the flap releases its grip on the luan.
You don't want to remove the screw completely
and let those little plastic flaps drop down into the wall
where you may not be able to easily retrieve them.
The next step is to pop open the back of the old outlet
to release the three wires in the Romex -- hot, neutral and ground.
You do that by pressing on these grey tabs to release the back plate,
which in the case of this outlet isn't actually inserted all of the way anyway.
Two of the tabs are already released.
To remove the wires, simply pull them out of the plates that are holding onto them.
Because the new outlets are of a more typical household type,
these wires will be held by retaining screws,
so we're going to have to strip about a half inch of insulation from each wire.
I'm also going to use a utility knife
to cut open a bit more of the sheathing
to give myself a bit more room to work.
The green screw on these outlets is for the ground,
which is the bare copper wire in the Romex.
The other two screw terminals on the outlet
are marked "HOT" for the black wire,
and "WHITE" for, of course the white wire.
All we need to do is insert each wire into its respective terminal on the new outlet
and fully tighten down each terminal screw.
Give each wire a little tug test to ensure that it's tight.
Because RV outlets typically don't have junction boxes,
we're just going to remove these included screws and discard them
because we won't be using them.
The cover plates for these outlets are a little different than what you may be used to seeing.
They're actually in two parts.
The clear part actually attaches over top of the outlet itself with two screws
that you insert through the luan surrounding the cutout for the outlet.
Make note that these should only be attached in one direction,
and "TOP" is imprinted right in the plastic.
Note the two little tabs on the left side of the clear plastic plate in this view,
which is actually the "bottom" side of this outlet.
Those match up with two cutouts on the black outer wall plate,
and are used to remove the wall plate later if you have to.
Then the outer wall plate simply snaps onto the assembly.
Now we'll go back over to the service panel and flip the breaker back on.
These outlets allow you to use the USB-A and USB-C ports simultaneously,
while still leaving plenty of room to plug in two household devices.
By replacing six of our existing outlets with these new combination outlets,
we've added USB charging stations throughout our RV for both convenience,
and also to greatly expand the number of available USB power ports
to recharge multiple devices simultaneously.
So go on now, admit it.
Wasn't that easy?
That was a kind of project to upgrade your RV that just about anybody can do.
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So until next Wednesday please remember,
life is nothing but a Grand Adventure!
We'll see you then.