Adding Electrical Outlets To Your Casita Liberty Deluxe Twin Bed Modification
One thing you can do to really make your Casita more comfy and convenient if you follow the modification for a headboard like I have done is add a couple of electrical receptacles to it. The ones that are in your Casita now are extremely annoying because of their locations. One is up in the rear left corner where the TV pugs in. Another one is next to the sink. The last one - of all places - is next to the floor at the foot of the closet. Start plugging in your phones and computers to those and see how long it takes you to recall the alternative vocabulary that you used in high school or on your construction job.
When it comes to messing around with electricity, most people think that this is the same thing as letting a kid near the unprotected red button that launches nuclear missiles from a silo in the Nevada desert. Only those who possess intimate military secrets and codes should ever play around with electricity. Because people believe this, electricians make lots of money and keep the average person far away from such easy jobs. But in this case, almost anyone can do this without any fear.
I am a person who believes that what one man can do another man can do. I learned how to do this from an electrician who installed air-conditioning in my house and out of books from places like Menards and Home Depot. I have done it enough times to be confident.
You will need the following:
1. Phillips and flathead screw drivers
2. Wire strippers
3. 25' of YELLOW ROMEX (12 gauge wire). 12 gauge wire is used when connecting to 20 amp breakers, which you will do. DO NOT use WHITE ROMEX. WHITE ROMEX is 14 gauge wire that is used with 15 amp breakers. If you use 14 gauge wire with a 20 amp breaker, you could cause a fire in your Casita.
4. One 3/8" NM Cable Connector
5. 2-14 cu in electric boxes
6. 2 receptacles
7. 2 cover plates
How To Do It
I started with all power to the Casita disconnected. That means NO SHORE POWER connected to any electrical outlets. Or, no electrical current coming into the Casita from outside. Or, no electrical connection to a 20 or 30 or 50 amp power source. I also performed this with the battery out of the Casita. Or, you can just disconnect it. This is probably not necessary, but I am not taking any chances.
First, locate the fuse box on the floor under the street side bed near the sink. It has a brown cover and looks like the picture below.
When it comes to messing around with electricity, most people think that this is the same thing as letting a kid near the unprotected red button that launches nuclear missiles from a silo in the Nevada desert. Only those who possess intimate military secrets and codes should ever play around with electricity. Because people believe this, electricians make lots of money and keep the average person far away from such easy jobs. But in this case, almost anyone can do this without any fear.
I am a person who believes that what one man can do another man can do. I learned how to do this from an electrician who installed air-conditioning in my house and out of books from places like Menards and Home Depot. I have done it enough times to be confident.
You will need the following:
1. Phillips and flathead screw drivers
2. Wire strippers
3. 25' of YELLOW ROMEX (12 gauge wire). 12 gauge wire is used when connecting to 20 amp breakers, which you will do. DO NOT use WHITE ROMEX. WHITE ROMEX is 14 gauge wire that is used with 15 amp breakers. If you use 14 gauge wire with a 20 amp breaker, you could cause a fire in your Casita.
4. One 3/8" NM Cable Connector
5. 2-14 cu in electric boxes
6. 2 receptacles
7. 2 cover plates
How To Do It
I started with all power to the Casita disconnected. That means NO SHORE POWER connected to any electrical outlets. Or, no electrical current coming into the Casita from outside. Or, no electrical connection to a 20 or 30 or 50 amp power source. I also performed this with the battery out of the Casita. Or, you can just disconnect it. This is probably not necessary, but I am not taking any chances.
First, locate the fuse box on the floor under the street side bed near the sink. It has a brown cover and looks like the picture below.
Pull the top of the cover down, and you will see the picture below.
Note 2 things about this picture. One, there is an open fuse box on the right. It is pictured below. This is your DC current box. Power to it is supplied by your battery. The fuses in there look like fuses in your car. If anything battery operated in your Casita is not working when you are boondocking, for example, then it MAY be because one of those fuses needs to be replaced. But you are not interested in this box because you need the panel that supplies SHORE POWER, or regular electric power, to your Casita. THAT panel is on the LEFT side under a steel plate, which is removed by taking out the 2 screws designated by YELLOW arrows with a flathead screwdriver as shown in the picture above.
But before we do that, note the labels below the breaker switches in the picture below. Those breakers are just like those in your house when you have to go to the electric panel to check if one of them has tripped and left you without power to something. You will plainly see what each breaker controls in your Casita. Do you see the word "SPARE" under the one on the far left? That means that Casita has left you ONE 20 AMP Breaker that you can use to add another power outlet, and that breaker is going to be found on the FAR LEFT right under where you see the label when you remove that plate.
So now is the time to remove those screws indicated by the YELLOW arrows above and the plate covering the AC electric panel.
When you remove the steel cover that reveals your AC electrical panel, everything will look like the picture below. On the right is your DC current fuse box; on the left are the AC current circuit breakers. You are going to mess with the left side.
In the picture below of the left side, You will see 3 yellow arrows, one red arrow, and 4 circles. The bottom 3 circles indicate holes in the back of the panel where the wires that control the appliances in the 2nd picture up have been put in by Casita. The TOP circle is where I put in the YELLOW ROMEX 12 gauge wire for the receptacles I have added. You will probably do the same. The arrows point out the 3 wires (black, white, bare copper) that come out of my YELLOW ROMEX 12 gauge wire and where I put them. The red arrow will be explained below. NOTE WELL: the BLACK wire went into the SPARE 20 amp breaker. You will come back to this picture later after the next step.
We are going to leave the picture above and look at the BACK of the above panel. Go to the top of your bed and take off the wooden cover that allows you to look inside and behind the electric panel. It will look like the picture below inside. These wires correspond to the circles in the picture above. The wire I pushed into the back of the panel above is the top one.
You are going to push one end of your YELLOW ROMEX wire (picture below) into the back of that panel as I did and push it through so that you will see it sticking out of the front of the panel on the floor. BUT . . . you are probably going to have to make a hole in order to do that. Do not worry. The manufacturer has already made a couple of partial holes for you on the back of this panel. They are called "knockouts." I have pointed them out for you with red arrows in the picture above and below. Just push one of them from the back with a screw driver and it will yield. Twist it completely off till you have a nice round opening. I pushed out the top one, the third one up (or the red arrow farthest left), but you can use either. You will also notice in the picture that there is a NM CABLE CONNECTOR in each of those holes. That is because if you place your electric cable in there without a NM CABLE CONNECTOR, the sharp edges of that hole will eventually cut through the cable and touch the wires. No. No. YOU DON’T WANT THAT. So SCREW a NM CABLE CONNECTOR into that hole and then put your cable through the NM CABLE CONNECTOR. Don't do it yet, but be sure to tighten the cable connector screws after you are finished, and the wire will be held securely and safely. You will see what I am talking about by looking at these pictures.
You are going to push one end of your YELLOW ROMEX wire (picture below) into the back of that panel as I did and push it through so that you will see it sticking out of the front of the panel on the floor. BUT . . . you are probably going to have to make a hole in order to do that. Do not worry. The manufacturer has already made a couple of partial holes for you on the back of this panel. They are called "knockouts." I have pointed them out for you with red arrows in the picture above and below. Just push one of them from the back with a screw driver and it will yield. Twist it completely off till you have a nice round opening. I pushed out the top one, the third one up (or the red arrow farthest left), but you can use either. You will also notice in the picture that there is a NM CABLE CONNECTOR in each of those holes. That is because if you place your electric cable in there without a NM CABLE CONNECTOR, the sharp edges of that hole will eventually cut through the cable and touch the wires. No. No. YOU DON’T WANT THAT. So SCREW a NM CABLE CONNECTOR into that hole and then put your cable through the NM CABLE CONNECTOR. Don't do it yet, but be sure to tighten the cable connector screws after you are finished, and the wire will be held securely and safely. You will see what I am talking about by looking at these pictures.
Once you have accomplished the above and your cable is sticking out the front of the panel, you are going to perform the part that most people are scared to death to do. But since you have absolutely NO ELECTRICITY coming to the Casita, you have NOTHING to fear.
Referring now to the picture below, pull the YELLOW cable far enough through so you have enough to work with. Inside the YELLOW wire are 3 other wires - a black one, a white one, and a bare copper wire. Separate those 3 wires. Remove the paper from around the copper wire. Also remove about 1/2 inch of the insulation from the white wire and the black wire to that 1/2 inch of bare copper wire is exposed. If you look at the picture below, you will be able to see the YELLOW wire that I pushed through my electric panel and where I placed the 3 wires. But let’s take this slowly. You will also notice that except for the bare copper wires at the top, you cannot see any bare wire on the black or white wires. That is why I am telling you to only cut off about 1/2 inch of insulation from those wires.
Now comes the good part. Unscrew partially a screw on the vertical silver bar on the far left that has no white wire connected to it. On mine it was the 2rd screw from the bottom. When you have opened up that screw a bit, push the bare end of your white wire into a hole on the side just like you see the others. If it goes in, tighten the screw down to lock it in. If it doesn’t, unscrew it until the wire does go in, and then lock it down.
Now take your bare copper wire and unscrew one of the screws on the silver horizontal bar at the top. There probably won’t be a vacant screw for that. But it is okay to double up on bare copper wires in the same hole. You will see that I put my bare copper wire into the 4th screw hole from the left. You will also see that the 2nd screw hole has 2 bare wires into it. Casita did that. So that validates the safety of doubling up 2 bare copper wires in the same hole since they are ground wires anyway. Make sure you get both wires into the hole and lock them down with the screw. Tug on it to make sure it is in there securely.
Lastly, you will now see the BLACK circuit breakers on the right. You should have ONE 20 amp unused circuit breaker on the FAR LEFT - the SPARE - with NO wire in it just like the label said. This is where you will put your remaining BLACK wire. This time you will have to put a hook in your wire and loop it over the screw and tighten it down. That’s it. Just pull on all the wires to make sure they are secure.
Referring now to the picture below, pull the YELLOW cable far enough through so you have enough to work with. Inside the YELLOW wire are 3 other wires - a black one, a white one, and a bare copper wire. Separate those 3 wires. Remove the paper from around the copper wire. Also remove about 1/2 inch of the insulation from the white wire and the black wire to that 1/2 inch of bare copper wire is exposed. If you look at the picture below, you will be able to see the YELLOW wire that I pushed through my electric panel and where I placed the 3 wires. But let’s take this slowly. You will also notice that except for the bare copper wires at the top, you cannot see any bare wire on the black or white wires. That is why I am telling you to only cut off about 1/2 inch of insulation from those wires.
Now comes the good part. Unscrew partially a screw on the vertical silver bar on the far left that has no white wire connected to it. On mine it was the 2rd screw from the bottom. When you have opened up that screw a bit, push the bare end of your white wire into a hole on the side just like you see the others. If it goes in, tighten the screw down to lock it in. If it doesn’t, unscrew it until the wire does go in, and then lock it down.
Now take your bare copper wire and unscrew one of the screws on the silver horizontal bar at the top. There probably won’t be a vacant screw for that. But it is okay to double up on bare copper wires in the same hole. You will see that I put my bare copper wire into the 4th screw hole from the left. You will also see that the 2nd screw hole has 2 bare wires into it. Casita did that. So that validates the safety of doubling up 2 bare copper wires in the same hole since they are ground wires anyway. Make sure you get both wires into the hole and lock them down with the screw. Tug on it to make sure it is in there securely.
Lastly, you will now see the BLACK circuit breakers on the right. You should have ONE 20 amp unused circuit breaker on the FAR LEFT - the SPARE - with NO wire in it just like the label said. This is where you will put your remaining BLACK wire. This time you will have to put a hook in your wire and loop it over the screw and tighten it down. That’s it. Just pull on all the wires to make sure they are secure.
For anyone adding another circuit to your Casita for whatever purpose, the above is how you do it. But this is written particularly for a Casita Liberty Deluxe with a twin bed modification that includes a headboard with 2 electrical receptacles. So let's finish that part.
The hard part is now done. So run the other end of your 25’ wire to the back of your Casita under the bed and past the water heater. Pull it out through the hole on the floor under the bed at the rear of the Casita. See pictures below.
The hard part is now done. So run the other end of your 25’ wire to the back of your Casita under the bed and past the water heater. Pull it out through the hole on the floor under the bed at the rear of the Casita. See pictures below.
Continue to run the wire up and into the head board and over into and through one end of the electric box to the receptacle, seen in the first 4 pictures below, where you will cut off enough wire to connect it to the receptacle just like in the 5th picture below. The black wire goes to a BRASS-colored screw. The white wire goes to a SILVER-colored screw. The Bare Copper wire goes to the GREEN-colored screw.
Before closing this box up with a cover, cut off enough wire to connect one end to the receptacle you just wired and the other end to the other receptacle wherever it is. In this case, you will attach the black wire to the other BRASS-colored screw on your first receptacle, the white wire to the other SILVER-colored screw on your first receptacle, and the bare copper wire to the GREEN-colored screw along with the other wire so that both wires are attached to the same GREEN-colored screw on the first receptacle. Just like it is pictured above. Then run that second wire out the other end of the box and over to the other receptacle if you have one, and attach the Black wire to the Brass-colored screw, the White wire to the Silver-colored screw, and the Bare Copper wire to the Green-colored screw. Cover both receptacles with a cover plate like the picture below to finish the look. Replace the metal plate over the AC portion of your electrical panel with 2 screws, tighten the NM CABLE CONNECTOR screws on the back of the panel, and close the front of the panel by lifting the brown door. The job is complete.
What you have done is connected your outlets in a series just like they probably did in your house. Plug your Casita into shore power or an outside electrical source. You can test to whether you have electricity to your outlets with either a voltage meter, a multimeter, a receptacle tester, or just plug something in. Whether you installed one or two receptacles, you should have power.
What you have done is connected your outlets in a series just like they probably did in your house. Plug your Casita into shore power or an outside electrical source. You can test to whether you have electricity to your outlets with either a voltage meter, a multimeter, a receptacle tester, or just plug something in. Whether you installed one or two receptacles, you should have power.