plugs in front comparment

[jared316]

whats the best way to get a plug or two in my from compartment of my cougar fifth wheel.

[Clanton24v]

120v Or. 12v ?

[michol02]

Open the compartment door and put them in!!! Hahahahaha, just kiddin. I put one in my front storage compartment by taping into the 120v plug on the front wall next to the bed. RV plugs are a little different than regular plugs. You have to remove the back cover and wedge the wires into the proper slots(on top of the other wires). I'm not sure if this is up to code, but I haven't had any issues. I drilled a hole in the compartment wall (being careful not to drill into the outer wall)and fished the wire up through the wall, to the plug. You can use a regular household receptacle and box mounted in your compartment. That's the way I did it, someone else may have a better or easier way. Good luck.

[webslave]

I took the "ghetto" route... There is a duplex outlet in the pass through on my 318SAB on the curb side, back wall. I bought a round, heavy duty (16 amp) extension cord and cut the male plug off of it. I then drilled a hole in the front compartment's rear wall just a tad larger than the diameter of the extension cord and fed the cut end of the extension cord through the hole. Attached it to the ceiling using 3M Command cord holders following the inside lip of the pass through so that nothing would catch on it. When I got to the duplex plug, I cut off the excess of the extension cord and put a replacement heavy duty male plug back on the cord and plugged it into the duplex. The extension cord I used had a 3 receptacle end on it, so, I gave up one plug of the duplex (I wasn't using either of them anyway) and picked up three plugs in the front compartment, one for my compressor, one for the charger on my Lincoln battery powered grease gun and one for the charger on my LED flare set.

[Bob Landry]

I have an aluminum diamond plate box on the back of my Outback that I need to do the same thing with. I carry my air compressor in it among other things and in order to use the air compressor, I have to run an extension cord to the outdoor outlet on the side of the trailer. I'm thinking an outlet box with two receptacles, one hot all the time just in case it's needed and one operated by a switch to turn the compressor on and off. I hardly ever take the air compressor out of the aluminum box, but I would leave the power cord intact just in case I needed to use it elsewhere. I have two outlets on the back wall in the living area that I could tap into and run a short romex into the box from the bottom. Thanks for that idea.

[Jim W]

I am curious if you want a120V power outlet in the front basement compartment why not use the curb side outlet for the power source in the basement compartment. This way you will not provide any access hole into the living area for critters to enter.

At least on the 318SAB on the curb side there is a 120V power outlet that is ready available to use. I would run a Romex three wire cable to the front compartment using wire supports screw to the Al frame and then add the outlet where you need it in the front compartment. I would then place the outlet in weather proof housing and face plate mounted to the metal basement plate that separates the front compartment from the rear basement compartments.
Jim W.

[christopherglenn]

I am thinking space heater for the winter, semi permanent mounted air compressor, cordless tool chargers, mini cooler, etc. Anything you would want to have power with the hatch closed and secured.