Replacing 120V receptacle's

[rustykramermetalfab]

Has anyone installed some new 120 V plugs with the USB built in style? Just wondering about the install type what you used that works. A lot of them on Amazon just not sure about the quality/fitment.  Are they the same as residential?   2006 Dynasty

Edited February 5 by rustykramermetalfab

[Ivan K]

I thought about that but waited until I know how it does with MSW inverter. I guess we'll find out if you still have that too.

[MurrayD]

I installed 2 Leviton brand USB receptacles and they’re operating fine. We have our phones and iPads plugged in daily.

[Scotty Hutto]

I’ve installed a few Leviton brand in my coach. I would also consider Eaton a reputable brand. 

I have a MSW inverter (Magnum ME2012) and haven’t had any issues in the 3+ years since I installed them.  

You can get them at the Amazon link below or just about any big-box or local hardware store. 

https://amzn.to/3UvYxoa

As a side note, the walls are thinner than a house, so you’ll need to use a shallow old work box. 

[1nolaguy]

I installed a Leviton purchased at HD and have had no issues. Use it to charge phones, tablet, cordless led etc. Previously had a regular outlet with adapters and never an issue with inverter so I assumed no issue with a built in system. I have a 3K AIMS pure sine wave inverter

[DBRV.0]

A couple of months ago I bought 3 and installed 1 next to the living room sofa.  Only 1 because it was a test.  The brand is Bryant, which is an offshoot of Leviton, or something similar.  First issue was that the wall has is no receptacle box - the original receptacle for mine has "wings" that draw the receptacle tight against plywood.  Basically, you have to have a method to mount the new receptacle into a square hole in plywood.

I grew tired of the new USB-capable receptacle and replaced it with a standard outlet.  My peeve is that the USB holes were too close to plugs, so rarely could I have 2 AC plugs and even one USB cord.

I have located a 12V source under the kitchen sink, and will soon run a wire from there to a dedicated 12V USB wall outlet right next to my AC receptacle.  And while I am at it, I am going to also add a 12V XT-60 wall-mounted connector next to the USB outlet, so I have a handy 12V outlet where I can plug a cord to support 12V powered devices.

- Jeff

[DBRV.0]

Oh, and if you are curious about the 12V outlet, this is the outlet:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5X5Q1NN

And this is an example of a pre-made cord (I can make my own of any length):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B48TT9LK

As I check my devices, I am amazed at how many electronic pieces use 12V wall-warts (transformers).  My desk computer even uses 12V.  When powering DC things directly with DC, there are no conversion loss, no transformers, no load on the AC (electrical) system.  There can be 100% up time. 

[LakeBob]

I've installed 4 of these.  I looked for a UL listed product.  They have worked well with many different device types. 

ELEGRP USB Wall Outlet Receptacle with Dual 4.0 A USB Ports, 15 Amp Duplex Tamper Resistant Receptacle, Charging Power Outlet with USB Ports, Wall Plate Included, UL Listed (1 Pack, Glossy Black) - Amazon.com

[rustykramermetalfab]

Thanks to all I am not sure what route to go yet. I have a Magnum MS2012 Pure sine wave inverter. 

[Tom Cherry]

46 minutes ago, rustykramermetalfab said:

Thanks to all I am not sure what route to go yet. I have a Magnum MS2012 Pure sine wave inverter. 

A few final comments 

 I would only purchase know brands.  Hubbell, Levitan & Eaton Wiring Devices.  These were the “approved” manufacturers of GFCI by Magnum.

i do not like, nor trust the Utilitech “imported” Lowes brand.  Yes, Eaton Wiring Devices has Mexican sites.  I know.  I audited them for environmental and safety compliance.  Their engineers are top notch as is the factory.

I would have a ratcheting crimper on “standby”.  A supply of yellow (most of our Romex is #12) butt splices and a couple of feet of 12/2 W Ground Romex.  If the leads are too short…add short extenders.  Not a fan of wire nuts, but Monaco used them…and we currently have a member that fixed a Magnum with a faulty neutral and is now going J-box to J-box trying to find the “open” or missing neutral.

Based on my limited experience in replacing the “bash in place” manufactured housing style outlets with same, be prepared to complete one in an easy location to learn.  Never again will i install a manufactured housing receptacle….  And i have been doing electrical repairs since I was 13….or 66 years.  Have probably wired several houses as part of repairs and additions.  This ain’t my first rodeo….

 

 

[rustykramermetalfab]

23 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

A few final comments 

 I would only purchase know brands.  Hubbell, Levitan & Eaton Wiring Devices.  These were the “approved” manufacturers of GFCI by Magnum.

i do not like, nor trust the Utilitech “imported” Lowes brand.  Yes, Eaton Wiring Devices has Mexican sites.  I know.  I audited them for environmental and safety compliance.  Their engineers are top notch as is the factory.

I would have a ratcheting crimper on “standby”.  A supply of yellow (most of our Romex is #12) butt splices and a couple of feet of 12/2 W Ground Romex.  If the leads are too short…add short extenders.  Not a fan of wire nuts, but Monaco used them…and we currently have a member that fixed a Magnum with a faulty neutral and is now going J-box to J-box trying to find the “open” or missing neutral.

Based on my limited experience in replacing the “bash in place” manufactured housing style outlets with same, be prepared to complete one in an easy location to learn.  Never again will i install a manufactured housing receptacle….  And i have been doing electrical repairs since I was 13….or 66 years.  Have probably wired several houses as part of repairs and additions.  This ain’t my first rodeo….

 

 

Can you advise what you mean by this ? "Never again will i install a manufactured housing receptacle"

Edited February 8 by rustykramermetalfab
mistake.

[Tom Cherry]

24 minutes ago, rustykramermetalfab said:

Can you advise what you mean by this ? "Never again will i install a manufactured housing receptacle"

YES…. i had a single (one plug) outlet and wanted a “duplex” or two plugs.  Was on my “In House” Vacuum unit.  I wanted a 120 VAC outlet on that side.  Bought a Monaco duplex (2 hole) OEM one. Took it apart….replaced it.  They “snap apart” and you just squeeze or force the outlet to snap shut.  Probably a tool for such, but my hands, even with great grip strength, had an issue.  Brute force prevailed. In and works great.  But swore NEVER again….will hard wire in a REAL residential outlet if I ever need to replace them.  The Romex wires are NOT screwed in…there are V-notched pins that are supposed to cut the insulation and then “penetrate” the copper.

ALL FINE IN THEORY….just never again.

[1nolaguy]

I have over time replaced about half of the duplex outlets in our 2005 Safari. I concentrated on the ones that get the most usage and for outlets that are used to power high amp draw items, like the coffee maker, air fryer and new residential refrigerator.  The OEM duplex outlet designs just make me nervious for regular high amp use. The outlets on each side of the bed , which are only used to occasionally plug in a cell phone charger are less of an issue.

[StellaTariche]

FYI, the other reason not to do this is obsolescence...

USB-B specs (the typical rectangular USB ports seen in the pictures) are minimum 500ma for charging, although they typically can go up to 4 amps split between the multiple ports.  They also require deeper boxes. And their quality and safety varies greatly.  You should see what is inside them - scary if you certify electrical safety like I do.

BUT, everything is moving to USB-C smart charging (required by the EU, so will happen everywhere because of economies of scale). USB-C are backwards compatible with USB-B with tiny cheap dongles (4 for $10).

My company certifies electronic products for sale in the US and worldwide. Everyone is moving to USB C. I have not seen any high capacity battery powered devices using USB B in the last nine months.

USB-C smart charging ports negotiate with your USB-C devices to up the voltage and current to the max wattage the device can take - which changes during the charging time. My Macbook Air M2 charges at 100W off a USB C charger.

So, I compared charging my iPhone 15 and new iPad Pro v6 (both plugged at the same - a typical use case -  into one of these USB-B wall 2 amp per port wall chargers - I rewired the house 6 years ago and added them in a couple locations):

• USB-B charging: 2 to 7 hours, depending on the cable, how low the battery charge was.
• USB-C 100W small hub x 2 outlets with appropriate cable: 22 minutes when both were almost empty.

Better to leave the outlet as is and get a multiport smart charger.  There are even some that plug into the dual AC outlet - flush mount - and add 2 x 60W USB (60W total split between the ports) smart ports. More than enough to charge a USB-C laptop AND a phone at the same time.

For quality and safety, get a UL certified device.  While ETL and other safety certs may be ok, UL certs on AC outlets and chargers are more expensive for a reason. We also see CE (self certified) devices - I would NOT buy or use one.

Hope that helps.

- John

John Taylor

CEO

Lead Free Design Incorporated

John.Taylor@LeadFreeDesign.com

(719) 359-5170 direct line

 

 

Edited February 9 by StellaTariche

[Tom Cherry]

19 minutes ago, StellaTariche said:

FYI, the other reason not to do this is obsolescence...

USB-B specs (the typical rectangular USB ports seen in the pictures) are minimum 500ma for charging, although they typically can go up to 4 amps split between the multiple ports.  They also require deeper boxes. And their quality and safety varies greatly.  You should see what is inside them - scary if you certify electrical safety like I do.

BUT, everything is moving to USB-C smart charging (required by the EU, so will happen everywhere because of economies of scale). USB-C are backwards compatible with USB-B with tiny cheap dongles (4 for $10).

My company certifies electronic products for sale in the US and worldwide. Everyone is moving to USB C. I have not seen any high capacity battery powered devices using USB B in the last nine months.

USB-C smart charging ports negotiate with your USB-C devices to up the voltage and current to the max wattage the device can take - which changes during the charging time. My Macbook Air M2 charges at 100W off a USB C charger.

So, I compared charging my iPhone 15 and new iPad Pro v6 (both plugged at the same - a typical use case -  into one of these USB-B wall 2 amp per port wall chargers - I rewired the house 6 years ago and added them in a couple locations):

• USB-B charging: 2 to 7 hours, depending on the cable, how low the battery charge was.
• USB-C 100W small hub x 2 outlets with appropriate cable: 22 minutes when both were almost empty.

Better to leave the outlet as is and get a multiport smart charger.  There are even some that plug into the dual AC outlet - flush mount - and add 2 x 60W USB (60W total split between the ports) smart ports. More than enough to charge a USB-C laptop AND a phone at the same time.

For quality and safety, get a UL certified device.  While ETL and other safety certs may be ok, UL certs on AC outlets and chargers are more expensive for a reason. We also see CE (self certified) devices - I would NOT buy or use one.

Hope that helps.

- John

John Taylor

CEO

Lead Free Design Incorporated

John.Taylor@LeadFreeDesign.com

(719) 359-5170 direct line

 

 

Excellent point.  The smaller or thinner outlets are only rated for small devices... like an iPhone or a Smart Phone.  BUT the iPads require MORE juice.  I was actually thinking about this.  If you want the "best of BOTH worlds"....then a combination.  Say a NEW outlet conveniently located and use a UL ( I like the THREE brands that I posted) and replace the SNAP type Manufactured Housing outlet.  Much better circuit...

Then if you have an outlet like a Bedroom or somewhere where you KNOW that you are only going to charge low wattage devices....like phones or such....you can use the thinner ones...  UL OF COURSE...

I now only purchase TWO PORT "Cube Charger" that has 2 Amps per PORT so that you have versatility and can use it for a Phone or an iPad... I suspect that other similar size devices in other brands will be the same....

Thanks for bringing that up....

[Bill R]

2 hours ago, StellaTariche said:

USB-C smart charging ports negotiate with your USB-C devices to up the voltage and current to the max wattage the device can take - which changes during the charging time. My Macbook Air M2 charges at 100W off a USB C charger.

Recently installed two of these with C Port at the end of cabinets.  Had to install two boxes as the RV OEM ones had no box.  Very pleased with them too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09GLSJP1W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1