AC/USB Plug Change Out for RV

Change out the AC outlet for a combination AC/USB outlet in a Jayco RV

Supplies

Screwdriver, drill, wire cutters, wire strippers, needle nose pliers, Multimeter

Step 1:

Turn off Electricity! Use a multimeter or electrical tester to make sure the electric to the outlet you are working on is off.

Step 2:

Remove the cover to the outlet. Mine was held on by two little plastic clips, unlike a house outlet which is usually screwed on. I just used the screwdriver to gently pry it off the outlet. You can see the plastic clips in the photo.

Step 3:

Remove the outlet from the wall by unscrewing the screws, mine was held in by two little plastic cams. You may have to back the screws out a ways and use another screwdriver to gently get them to lay flat so they can come out of the wall. The photo shows the cams I am talking about. Be careful not to break these, you will need them in a later step.

Step 4:

The RV outlets are not like home outlets. You will have to remove the back cover off the outlet by inserting a small screwdriver into the side slots and prying off the back. There was instructions on mine indicating how to remove the cover. The photos show the instructions written on the outlet and what the clips look like that you are trying to unclip.

Step 5:

You will see the wires are inserted into a split clip design. Just pull on the wires with the needle nose pliers and they should come out releasing the outlet

Step 6:

I used this outlet from Harbor freight.

Step 7:

Make note of were the black and white wires go on your new outlet. General rule of thumb is the black wire goes to the brass screw. the white wire goes to the silver screw. The bare or ground wire will always go to the green terminal which is on the bottom of this outlet. Sometimes it is written on the outlet like this one was.

Step 8:

Remove the mounting screws from the new outlet. You will be replacing them with the ones from your old outlet. RV's don't usually have wall boxes and the outlets are held in with the flip cams instead.

Step 9:

Remove the flip cams from your old outlet and reinstall them on your new outlet as seen in the photos. They should just fall off after removing the screws. Use the screws off the old outlet to ensure the proper threads.

Step 10:

Wire up your new outlet. Make sure the wires go on the correct screws. Black to Brass, White to silver and bare or green wire to the green screw terminal. BE sure to tighten the connections well.

Step 11:

Install the outlet back into the wall. The wires might be a little stiff but you can usually bend them gently to get them back into the wall. Make sure the flip cams are down as shown in the photo.

Step 12:

Using a small screwdriver, push the flip cams up vertical. They will grab onto the back of the wall and hold your outlet in. Try to get them straight up and down for maximum strength. Dot worry if they are slightly off, just make sure they have as much hold behind the wall as possible to keep the outlet from moving. Tighten the screws down to were you feel them starting to get tight. These don't have to be super tight, just slightly more than hand tight. The wood is thin and these are soft plastic and you can strip them or break the wall board easily. Just snug is all they have to be

Step 13:

You should NOT be able to see the flip cams once they are tightened down. This is preferred, but as long as the cams are gripping the wall, that will be fine.

Step 14:

Test your outlet. Turn on the electricity and plug in a phone to make sure the USB charger is working. Plug in a fan or light or use your meter to see if you have 110V AC. If you don't, go back and recheck the tightness of your wires on the AC plug and make sure nothing came loose when you put the outlet back into the wall.

Step 15:

TURN OFF THE ELCTRICITY AGAIN! In this step you will be drilling near live electrical wires otherwise and this dangerous. Be sure to turn the electricity back off before proceeding!

To put the cover on, you will need to drill out wall board were the mounting screw for the cover goes into the metal support. In a home, this hole would not be blocked so it would let the screw stick out from behind. In the RV the wall board blocks this since the outlet is not installed in an electrical box. Use a small drill bit to just drill through the wall board.

Step 16:

Install the cover. Turn the electricity back on and you are done.