External Power inlet
Posted about his before but had not done the full write-up. I'd been trying for some time to decide where to position the external power inlet when I read a post by another RV owner who mentioned that theirs was located next to the rear door on the right (passenger) side. I knew it was the perfect spot for me, almost.
I'm using a 15 amp inlet.
Here is the same model
on Amazon. It's around $20.
While the post I read had the inlet on the passenger side, in my layout the main electrical system is on the drivers side so I'll install the inlet there.
First run some Romex 12/2 I had laying around through the cavities on the van's drivers side from the area of the house batteries back to the inside of the rear doors.
The advantage of using double stick tape to hold the reflectix insulation layer in place is I can pull it away from the inside wall if needing to do some work like this. Just replace the tape when done and remount the insulation.
I'm looking at that small gap you can see in the above picture at the bottom of the panel wondering how I can get tools into that space to tighten the inlet once installed when it hits me about the brake light.
Once you remove the rear brake light.
By the way you'll need a Torx T-15 bit.
It's easy to reach in to the wall cavity.
Figure out the best place to mount the inlet.
Make sure the rear tire wouldn't push up against a plugged in extension cord when the door is opened.
When I'm really, really really sure I have the right spot, first drill a small pilot hole then hit it with a hole saw.
The inlet recommends a 2" hole but the largest metal hole saw I have is 1-7/8". I've found that when using the hole saw on a hand held drill it tends to meander a bit so knew the hole was going to be larger than 1-7/8".
Took about 15 minutes work with a round file and some elbow grease to get the hole to the correct size.
Check the fit.
Prime and paint the inside edges of the hole.
Strip back the insulation and check the fitting on the plug.
When everything checks out, wire up the plug and put a bead of silicone II around the edge of the hole.
Put the inlet in the hole and tighten locking ring on the inside of the van then use three sheet metal screws on the outside.
That's it. Screw the brake light back into place and re-tape the inside insulation. All done.