RV Cable Pass Through Guide (Electrical, TV, Through Wall)
It is not always the best idea, but it may be the only idea. The only main concern will be the location of drilling a new hole in your RV. Drilling holes in your RV is not a great activity but sometimes with the right sealant, it is your only option. You just have to pick the ideal spot to drill.
When you want to create a pass through entry point for your cable or cables, the best thing to do is to drill one hole large enough to handle all the cables you want to enter your RV. One hole is easier to seal than many holes.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It provides the information you want to know about before you pick up your power drill and start making holes in your RV. Take a few minutes to see how this information helps you make a good decision.
What is a Cable Pass Through?
A cable pass through is not a tunnel from one side of your RV to the other like your storage pass through. When you need to install a cable pass through, all you are doing is drilling a hole in your RV’s roof or wall and passing the cable through the hole to its intended destination.
That is a cable pass through. It is a hole in your RV big enough to allow one or more cables to be inserted to reach the feature you need the cable to connect to. But before you get started, you need to do a lot of preparation work to make sure you do not make any mistakes.
The important areas to watch out for are cable length, the size of the hole, the correct glands or grommets, and sealant. It is suggested that you also use a waterproof electrical box to protect the cable and the hole.
Planning is what will take you the most time as you also have to make sure you avoid obstacles, components, other wiring, and so on.
RV Cable Pass Through
There are different methods you can use to create this pass through. If you only need to run one cable through (that does not need end connectors, etc.), you do not have to go to all the trouble of electrical boxes, etc.
All you would need to do is drill one hole a tiny bit larger than the cable diameter, slip the cable through, and then seal the hole with Dicor sealant. Also, use some of the sealant to hold the cable in place on your roof.
Another method is as described earlier, where you would need grommets, glands, connectors, an electrical box, sealant, and so on. This setup is when you need end connectors to hold the cable in place as well as run more than one cable.
One owner drilled a hole that a piece of PVC conduit fit through and then he sealed the hole around the conduit so there would be no leaks. Of, he sealed the open outside end of the conduit after the cable was slipped through to the other side.
Make sure to seal the conduit to the roof so it does not flap around in the wind. You have lots of options to use, just pick the best one for your situation.
Electrical Cable Pass Through The RV
This can be a bit tricky and a little more involved than just running a satellite or cable TV cable through your roof or wall. You have electrical current and its risks to think about and prevent.
One owner took an outside outlet box, waterproof, of course, and cut the depth of the box to fit between his two walls. Next, he marked the holes where he needed to attach the altered box and drilled them.
After that, he cut his 4-inch hole, put TremPro 365 on the box to hold it in place and seal the hole. Once that was done he used his drilled rivet holes to firmly secure the box in place.
He is not done yet, as the next step was to use some butyl tape on the inside of the face plate to secure and seal that part. Then he riveted the face plate to make sure it won’t fall off.
When all that was done, he had a nice pass through hole for electric wires that may meet code.
Exterior Cable TV Pass Through For RVs
We have described some methods you can use already. It all sounds simple and easy to do. However, there are still some challenges left to address. These pass through holes are easy to do when there is nothing on the other side of the wall.
But when you may have wires, components, vents, and other items to navigate around, then placement becomes a bit trickier. This is what the planning stage is all about.
Not only do you need to make sure you buy and cut the cable at a length that is long enough, you have to map out where everything is before you drill your hole. Some people suggest drilling in a central location and that is a good idea.
You want the cable to reach all areas of your RV easily just in case you make a change in the location of the product you are hooking up. Once you plan your route, the rest of the task is easy and just takes a little drilling and sealing to get it done.
The other part that you have to work on, is deciding how many cables you will pass through this hole. If you foresee a time when you will be adding a cable or two, you may want to do some pre-planning and prepare for that eventuality.
RV Shore Power Cable Pass Through
For this project, you can use the electrical pass through method we described earlier. Or you can go to your favorite RV parts store and pick up either a power inlet or an RV electrical hatch.
Both are inexpensive but they will allow you to pass through your shore power cable. The process of installing is similar to what that one owner did earlier. The key to using these parts is to make sure you seal them well as water and moisture will exploit any tiny opening they find.
The good thing about using these two items is that some of the models come with a key and a lock. When you are not plugged in, you can lock the entry up keeping your RV nice and safe.
No matter which pass through item you use though, you cannot get away from the planning stage or the cutting or drilling stages. You will have to cut your RV.
RV Through Wall Cable Pass
Using your wall instead of your roof is okay and nothing wrong with it. The location you pick on your wall may be more convenient and easier to use. You can use the roof methods if you want to but the waterproof box may have to be altered and indented into your wall.
That is a lot of work. The best option would be to go to your RV parts store and pick up a cable round hatch. These little items have a sliding door you can close when the cable is not hooked up.
The process is going to be the same as all other methods. Just pick a good location where nothing else is inside. The good news is that all of these hatches and inlets is that they are generally selling for under $20 or just over that mark.
It is an inexpensive option that should protect your RV as well as the cable. You can get these items in white or black so you do not ruin the exterior look of your RV or trailer.
RV Roof Wire Pass Through
When you check Amazon, you will see that there is a wide variety of cable glands. Some are for individual wires and others will allow multiple cables to run through it.
Which ones you pick up will depend on how many wires you want to send through your roof. Most experts recommend that you only drill one hole and run all your cables through it.
That makes sense if you are doing all the cables at one time. If not, then you can use the individual glands and they come in a variety of sizes.
Some Additional Words
When you are thinking of adding a feature that requires an exterior cable connection, then planning is everything. Not only do you need to drill the right-sized hole, but you also need to pick the right location for that hole.
The cutting of the hole and the threading of the cable are the easiest parts of this project. Making the right decisions and finding the best spot will be the hard part.
But with patience, you will get the job done and you can enjoy that new feature you bought.
