Detachable Power Cord

Upgrading to a detachable power cord has a few advantages. The connection is weather and bug proof. The cord can be coiled up and kept elsewhere or stuffed back in the original hatch. The 30 amp twist plug is standard in the RV/marine industry, so you can buy different length cords or extensions.

The Casita uses a 30 amp 3 prong twist lock outlet. Not to be confused with the 4 prong, 50 amp cords for the big RV’s. There are cheap ones on Amazon under $20, or you can go with a name brand such as Park Power, Furion or Mighty Cord for a little more.

Note: Clicking on any of the little images will take you to Amazon to buy that part.

I like the Marinco brand power inlet. It’s pricey but heavier duty than the cheap-o ones.

You can convert the old cord with a new plug with this kit that includes the outlet for even more savings.

For a little more you can buy a new cord that will be weather sealed, plus it’s less work!

The conversion is fairly straight forward.

The first step is to throw away the instructions. They tell you to drill too big of a hole. In my case I only needed 2 1/8″ hole saw (double check on your outlet). Having a smaller hole will give more room for the mounting screws in the next step. I use blue painter’s masking tape to protect the gel-coat from chipping. Before drilling, check on the backside of the wall with your hand to avoid cutting anything you don’t want to!

Pro-Tip:  After the pilot bit goes through the fiberglass, reverse the drill and let the saw teeth score the gel-coat.  Switch to forward again and drill through the fiberglass.  Once through, reverse the drill again and let the saw cut through the foam and carpet.  That will keep the drill from snagging on the carpet and make a perfect hole.  

Pull the old power cord through the hole and cut it with a few inches remaining outside. Cut the insulation back and strip the 3 wires to expose 1/2″ of wire. The outlet is marked (W) for white, (B) for black, and surprise, (G) for green. Put the gasket into place, insert the wires and tighten the set screws. Push the outlet into position, mark and drill the 4 mounting holes with a 1/8″ bit and mount with #10 stainless sheet metal screws.

If you bought a new power cable, congratulations, you’re done!  If you are going to convert the old cord, read on… However you’ll see it’s well worth the extra $20 to just buy a new cord.

To add the new end, push the cut end of the power cord through the weather boot, the back of the plug housing, and strip the ends. You may have to adjust the length of each color of wire to get it all to fit. It’s a fiddly process to get the wires into their positions and tighten the screws, assemble the outlet, and wrestle the boot in place.

Pro-tip: Do NOT loosen the terminal screws too much, or the clamp will fall loose inside the plug and require disassembling and reassembling all the pieces and verifying the correct pins are in the correct slot. It’s a major pain to correct.

Once complete, use a circuit tester on an outlet to verify all three wires are correct.

Here’s a good circuit tester.  You want the center and right amber lights to illuminate, otherwise something is wrong.