12v plug wiring

[daniel09128]

I was wondering if anyone can help me and tell me the best way to hook up a dual 12v/ cigarette lighter point in my tray. I will be running my fridge off it. Is it wirth having a rocker switch in tge cabin or not. I was thinking of running the wires straight to the 2nd cranking battery on a d22 2011 model. Any advice would b great

 

[Navmania]

I was wondering if anyone can help me and tell me the best way to hook up a dual 12v/ cigarette lighter point in my tray. I will be running my fridge off it. Is it wirth having a rocker switch in tge cabin or not. I was thinking of running the wires straight to the 2nd cranking battery on a d22 2011 model. Any advice would b great

Hi Daniel
You can run a heavy gauge power cable from the second battery no problem just make sure you have a inline fuse just incase it rubs thru and shorts out. I would run that cable to a fuse distribution box that way you can have extra outlets if you ever need them. Make sure you run a earth lead from the tub to the chassis as well because the tub isn't earthed that well and will give you problems if you run your earths to the tub. Make sure the cable you run from the battery is a good size to, that way you will get the current you need to run all your accessories. Jaycar sell everything you need to get this done, they have everything from the cable to the fuses, distribution box and even the plugs and sockets. I would use a Merritt or Anderson plug/socket over a cigarette plug/socket to. They can handle more current and are more secure to. Hope this helps

Cheers

 

[Timmo_821]

Im looking at getting some power to the tub also, any ideas on the best way to run the power cable from the batt through to the tub? I was thinking to run it along the chassis rail. Im just trying to get some ideas from others that have done this already.

Cheers
Tim

 

[Old.Tony]

+1 on Navmania's advice. Heavy cable, MUST be fused near the battery, forget the cig lighter plug it'll fall out on the third pothole and you will hit 10,839,456,382 more just on the stretch between Cessnock and Kurri Kurri, let alone any decent trip. By the time you arrive your butter will be oil and your milk will be yoghurt.

Heavy cables reduce the voltage drop that ALL wires experience, so the bigger the better. Protecting them is paramount - INSIDE the chassis rail if you're game, or cable-tied to the top if you can manage. Even on the road, you can snag a stick at a bad angle, flicking it up with enough force to tear through the wire, connecting positive to chassis. Protecting the cable from that is important, and protecting the car from fires with the fuse is even more important.

You might consider a voltage sensitive relay (VSR) so that if the battery voltage drops too low, power to the fridge will be cut out. I have a Waeco in the caravan and before I beefed up the cable size, there was enough voltage drop to make the fridge think the battery was nearly dead whenever the compressor started. It would switch off, and 30 seconds later try again. It did this so much at night it would kill the battery before morning with its attempts to start the compressor (heavy electrical load starting the motor, despite it being a "soft start").