DC outlets
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14727
Printed Date: 07 Jun 2025 at 3:35pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: DC outlets
Posted By: Rodg Pod
Subject: DC outlets
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 1:52am
| I have a 2017 179. It does not have any DC outlets. Can anyone recommend a good spot for placement. Where did you tap into the wires, and how did you access those wires. The easiest spot I am considering is behind the TV which can be accessed by taking out the stereo. Thank you for your suggestions. |
Replies:
Posted By: ronahue
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 3:44am
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Remove the inside wall of the upper cabinet by the entrance door you can place a DC/USB outlet there and tap into the power at the one of other switches. That's what I did. ------------- Ron & Sharon 2015 R-Pod 179 2022 Nissan Frontier No trees were harmed in the sending of this message but a billion electrons were really agitated |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 8:17am
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I've put in two; one in our 172 and one in our Sonoma. Each time I was able to route a short run of wire from the distribution panel's 12v side to the destination with the wires concealed behind the wall. I used 14 gau. stranded wire. I connected the wire to a little used circuit with a 15 amp fuse. Here's what I installed: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P5MZ111/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P5MZ111/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 8:24am
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We also have a 179. I have added several Dc outlets I added one on the front of the bed at floor level. I snaked a wire from the power center under the bath floor and made a junction box under the bed. from there, I can access the area over the wardrobe or add more wiring to go anywhere under the bed area. https://postimg.cc/zVqVtqJ3">  I added one above the tv https://postimg.cc/G85nkJhk">  I connected the wiring into the power panel and have fused the connection. Vann ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9"> 
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Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 11:20am
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I mounted DC outlets (accessory and USB) and AC outlets for my inverter on the wall where the TV mount attaches. I ran a dedicated circuit under the shower, behind the drawers below the wardrobe and up into the space behind the stereo. My inverter is mounted in that space too. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 11:55am
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Check my mods and you will see where I installed DC outlets. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Ben Herman
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 5:22pm
| I added a double outlet behind the tv and added a small shelf to hold our iphones for charging. I just spliced into the power feed for the stereo (which we rarely use in any event). |
Posted By: Rodg Pod
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 7:33pm
| Thank you everyone for responding. It is appreciated. I definitely have some outlets to install. |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2021 at 8:54am
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If you pull out the audio box you can tap the 12v supply to it and feed it out through the adjacent wall. Easy to do and already fused at the panel. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2021 at 10:59am
Be careful not to overload the circuit. I ran a dedicated circuit so I could make sure I had the wire gauge and fusing necessary to handle the load. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2021 at 1:39pm
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The fuse will protect the wire. I don't recollect the gauge but it runs two 12v fans and my dual voltage TV fine. Don't use it to run an inverter or something like that. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2021 at 9:37pm
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That's what I did--dedicated fused circuit from the panel, under the bath and terminated under the bed adjacent to the wardrobe wall. This is now a junction box that serves all of the new 12v devices that I added in the " bedroom" area.Makes for easy access to add more as needed. Vann ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9">
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Posted By: wthoms2000
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2021 at 12:13am
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Ran a cig lighter outlet behind the TV. Ran another on the kitchen cabinet next to the front door above the fire extinguisher. This line I ran from a spare fuse holder on the inverter to under the door jam.
And incredible there were no 12V outlets or USB ports! So I also added next to the door a dual USB outlet with voltage readout. Enjoy! ------------- Porta Poddy Wil and Luz, Orange County, CA 2017.5 179 HRE 2021 Ranger XLT FX4 REDARC Brake Controller |
Posted By: poston
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2021 at 6:37am
It is incredible. Maybe it's a indication that Forest River thinks in the "full hookup" world, where you plug in your AC adapter to get USB power. I also installed a "power center" with 12V outlet, 12V gauge and USB-C and USB-A ports. We love it! ------------- -- Jim Virginia City, Nevada 2016 R-pod 180 2015 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2021 at 8:20am
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I don't know why someone doesn't come up with a better 12v plug system than the clunky cigarette lighter style. For dry camping, more 12 plugs would be handy, but the big cigaret lighter tube plugs take a lot of space inside the wall, limiting where they can be installed and the male part of the plug is vulnerable to getting hit and damaged. The SAE style plugs used for the newer solar connections, or something like it, would work much better. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: poston
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2021 at 8:55am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_Powerpole - Anderson Powerpoles are a good way to deliver power. Very solid. The Powerpole distribution box is compact. http://powerwerx.com/powerpole-connector-chassis-mount-8 - http://powerwerx.com/powerpole-connector-chassis-mount-8  ------------- -- Jim Virginia City, Nevada 2016 R-pod 180 2015 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2021 at 10:45am
USB-C ports with Power Delivery could replace the accessory socket because they support a lot more amperage than plain USB. USB-C PD can deliver 100W laptop power and can deliver a variety of voltages, so it should work for most 12V devices.
------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: poston
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2021 at 11:26am
I put a USB-C PD 48W socket in one of my slots, but I don't appear to be getting that much power. I think it's my external cable though. I bought a USB-C tester to measure power delivery but haven't sussed it out yet. ------------- -- Jim Virginia City, Nevada 2016 R-pod 180 2015 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2021 at 7:25am
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The problem really isn't the receptacle/outlet. You could use any rated receptacle for a 12v circuit. The problem is the plug, the danger being that if you wire up your 12v appliance with a plug that is normally used at 120vac you could later inadvertently connect it to a 120vac circuit and find out where the smoke was hidden.
Hence the cig lighter convention. The cig lighter outlets are typically rated for 15a which will provide around 180 watts. There are surface mount MC4 connectors available if you can find them but that is really overkill anyway for 12vdc as they are rated for 600vdc (non load break). You can readily get SAE surface mount connectors (like the "solar port" on rpods). I'd suggest using that if you don't like the cig lighter standard. Just cut off the cig lighter plugs and replace them. Check the current rating of the connectors you get (you see numbers between 15 and 30a) and if the manufacturer doesn't list one then try to get something else. The wiring also has to be able to handle the current (14awg for 15a, 12awg for 20a, 10awg for 30a). Also be sure that you wire the appliances you connect for the same polarity you have wired the wall receptacles as the SAE standard doesn't specify that. And use the applicable fuses back at the distribution panel... ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2021 at 8:57am
I like PowerPoles and use them with my HAM equipment. However, since my CPAP machine and other items I have use the cigarette style plugs, that is what I have in my RPod. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Shoes
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2021 at 4:58pm
| Not sure how this works, since this was an older post. But I have read where people have put DC outlets into their pods. The idea of using the space above the stereo appeals to me, there's a good mounting spot there. My only concern is Tying into the stereo power. I believe it has a 15 amp breaker. I want to add an outlet that includes two USB charging ports and a voltmeter for the system and one car charging style outlet. The most I would ever plug into the outlet is about 65 watts. Running the stereo/dvd player at the same time that I use the outlet might be asking too much of that one fuse. What do you think? 2016 Rpod 180 |
Posted By: Ben Herman
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2021 at 7:42pm
I did exactly that with our 179 without any problems. I put a double usb wall plate next to the TV, tied into the power that runs the sound system. I. built a small shelf to hold our two iphones while charging. I put a digital readout voltmeter next to the door, tied into the dc power board. That way I can monitor the dc voltage from outside of the trailer just by looking inside the door.
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2021 at 9:38am
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+1 I did the same plus changed to a 12V TV. I ran 2 small fans, the TV, the stereo. and charged a phone all in that circuit. No blown fuse issues.
Remember that the fuse is there to protect the wire. If it blows it's doing its job, it's only a problem if you don't have a replacement fuse. If you ever did blow a fuse. just replace it and reduce current consumption on that circuit. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |