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Lighter sockets


Guest Notorious

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I am planning on installing 2 lighter sockets in the back part of the cockpit so i can plug in 2 coolboxs as im doing a fortune in ice trying to keep my beer cold :)

So,, Can i run straight from the battery? I'm thinking a direct line would be easy, Just put a fuse between the socket and battery?? I would have run it from the main console but cant find a way to run the wires behind the bulkhead.

Also how much juice would 2 coolbox's take out of the battery? Would it be worth getting another battery to put into the engine bay? I'm just wondering if 2 coolbox's running 24/7 would zap what i have dry. ( 2 for domestic)

Andy

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Andy Yes you could run straight from the battery but this would bypass your battery switches which should not be a problem. For two cool boxes you will be drawing about 10 amps continuously. If you have a 110 amp hour battery and drain 50% so as not to damage the battery this would give you 5 hours use approx. None of this would be a problem when running or on shore power if your charger is up to it or you could use 240v coolbox adaptors.

Jonathan

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Thanks Jonathan

Thats good to know. I think ill switch them off over night when no shore power. i didn't realise they would use so much juice.

I was aware about bypassing the battery switches but wanted to know if it was safe to do.

Thanks again cheersbar

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Hi Andy,

Just a short note regarding fuses and safety. If you plan to run the power for the cigar lighters directly from your batteries, please make sure that you install the fuse in the supply cable as close to the battery as you can. By doing this you not only protect the sockets against potencial overload but also the majority of the cable run against damage and possible short circuit.

cheers!

Andy

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Hi Andy and thanks.

I think its only about 3 feet total from battery to the position i want. Plus going to hide the wire behind the battery box so i cant knock it or catch it and also case it in a protective covering of some sort. So fuse right next to the battery. Got it..

cheers.

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We bought a cool box to stick in the lazarette before Whitsun. I managed to run a cable from the main panel where there was a spare Aux fused switch. They do draw a fair bit of current, but they are a bit noisy so you will probably need to turn them off at night anyway. We had no problems with battery drain even being without shore power for 3 days and only doing short cruises before we got to Southwold!

One thing to bear in mind is that the cool boxes ain't fridges! They only cool to about 15-20 degrees below ambient temperature, and ours sat at about 8-10 degrees. Fine for beer, but not for perishables.

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Purely for been and ice :) My fridge works off the batteries too so ill have to be careful i dont over use the boxs or get an extra battery. Cant be running out of cold ones :)cheers

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Too right Andy! Can't be having nothing to supp when trying to figure out how to start the engine with a flat battery :lol:

Was speaking to Robert and he has pointed me in the direction of a battery preserver thing which goes between the socket and coolbox that cuts off if the battery gets low. I'm not sure what one is called but am off to Halfords tomorrow to see if i can find one.

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Too right Andy! Can't be having nothing to supp when trying to figure out how to start the engine with a flat battery :lol:

If you had a MT17 fridge you could wake up in the morning with a hangover, start the engine (I had forgotten how loud that is) and reached for a frozen can of beer.....

OK so a MT17 is not a good idea :naughty:

Ian :Sailing

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hi,

do halfords do waterproof 12v sockets these days?, just a thought it gets very damp in winter ,it may be better to buy a marine socket with a dust /moisture cap :wave

I got my last one from wards so will be going there again. They have the rubber cap so all is good :)

When i said Halfords it was for the guage to read the battery and cut the coolbox off if it gets too low :)

It plugs into the socket and the coolbox plugs into the other end. cheers

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Would anyone know what the thing is i'm after? I went to Halfords and explained i wanted a thing that i could plug my coolbox into that then plugs into the lighter socket to read my batteries and if they get too low automatically shut off the toolbox. To me this was quite straight forward. But i was met with utter blankness from 4 different members of staff and i left there feeling a little lost.

I than phoned Norwich camping and leisure and was told i needed a regulated transformer but they didn't do them. So back to Google and i'm now completely lost.

So i was wondering if anyone had such a device could they please let me know where i can get one :) Huge thanks.

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Notorious is this what you are looking for?

Found it at www.mailspeedmarine.com Product ref. 12662 Waeco Low Voltage Protection.

Mobitronic Low Voltage Protection

Power & Power Management

Picture photo of Power & Power Management Low Voltage Protection Enlarge image

* More Power & Power Management

* More Mobitronic

* More Mobitronic Power & Power Management

Low-voltage protector integrated in the supply cable.

50U:For 12-V applications with cigarette lighter socket as output. Enables automatic cut-off at low battery voltage and cut-in at normal voltage

£19.99

Low-voltage protector integrated in the supply cable.

50U:For 12-V applications with cigarette lighter socket as output. Enables automatic cut-off at low battery voltage and cut-in at normal voltage. Status indicated by LEDs.

Regards

Ken

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