Power rating of sigarette lighter plug

[pwven]

How many amps can be drawn from the sigarette lighter plug inside the car?
I want to run a small fridge/freezer from that plug on long trips.

 

[seanp1]

I don't think anyone has done this as of yet but I could be wrong. I would contact your dealer and ask them if it is possible to run the Fridge from the 12v accessory plug.

 

[stoopid]

Typically no more than 100W output unless it states otherwise on the cover for the outlet (I've seen higher ratings in SUVs and trucks).

This sounds about right:

Current output from Cigarette ligher - All About Circuits Forum

If we are to trust this info, about 10A max sustained output.

 

[sonic007]

I believe the fuse is only 10 amps. So it would be 144 watts using ohms law. I would pull anything near that because the fuse will blow. I would run wire from the battery just as you would for an amp.

 

[pwven]

Thanks for all the info. Will ask the dealer. The fridge/freezer booklet say that the amps is variable between 0,5 to 3 amps max. Looks as if it will work.

 

[severous01]

you can get aftermarket lighter adapters that plug directly to the battery or relay in up to 30a ratings. it's aheavy duty unit designed generally for ac/dc converters but can be used for anything. the fridge should come with a heavy duty cig lighter adapter on it if it's designed to fit into a lighter socket

 

[pwven]

you can get aftermarket lighter adapters that plug directly to the battery or relay in up to 30a ratings. it's aheavy duty unit designed generally for ac/dc converters but can be used for anything. the fridge should come with a heavy duty cig lighter adapter on it if it's designed to fit into a lighter socket

Thanks severous. Yes the fridge is fitted with a plug that fits into the sic lighter. I will try it next weekend and see that happens.

 

[ChrisJ]

I recently got a few things so I could run our steam boiler off of the Sonic incase of a power outage.

The inverter is 120W rated and I need around 12 watts, but the problem is the power socket (cig lighter) is only powered when the key is on so I went with alligator clips, 16AWG speaker wire (have a 1000ft spool of it) and the appropriate fuse (5A or so).

Still haven't put it together yet but I will in time. This will allow me to clip to the battery and run it down on the ground and into the house.

Will be pretty cool to have heat for up to 10 days off of my car while everyone else has either nothing or a loud generator going. :banana:

 

[RS Turbo]

I recently got a few things so I could run our steam boiler off of the Sonic incase of a power outage.

The inverter is 120W rated and I need around 12 watts, but the problem is the power socket (cig lighter) is only powered when the key is on so I went with alligator clips, 16AWG speaker wire (have a 1000ft spool of it) and the appropriate fuse (5A or so).

Still haven't put it together yet but I will in time. This will allow me to clip to the battery and run it down on the ground and into the house.

Will be pretty cool to have heat for up to 10 days off of my car while everyone else has either nothing or a loud generator going. :banana:

I would assume you are you just running a 12 watt pump?

 

[RS Turbo]

Power Outlets on vehicle are designed to run DC current and rated at 80% of the Max fuse allowed

10 amp fuse is designed to run at 8 amps safely for long periods of time. The other 20% cushion is for spikes in Voltage and Amperage during componant start up.

 

[ChrisJ]

I would assume you are you just running a 12 watt pump?

On a steam boiler?

With steam, we don't need no stinkin pump!

I need 24V AC to open the gas valve, open the flue damper and operate the electronic low water cutoff. This is the reason for the 12V to 120V AC inverter. All of the above consumes approx 12 watts not counting inverter losses.