maximum power thru fag lighter?

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barmatt

barmatt

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LZIR Despatch Agent
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Location
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With my blower motor packing up I am gonna get a 12v heater for the mornings till I source a new one and get the time to fit it.

So what's the highest power (wattage) that can be safely put through the fag lighter or would I be better off getting a heater run directly off the battery?
 
Direct off the battery is far far better.

Check what the fuse is, i think 15A is common for the 12v socket, calculate as follows:

P = V x I

where P = power, V = Voltage and I = current

So:

P = 12 x 15

P = 180W

Though note continously drawing the full 15A through a 15A fuse will, eventually, cause it to blow. Equally though, you can draw 20A through it for a short period of time, for example, when an invertor first powers up.
 
Bump said:
Direct off the battery is far far better.

Check what the fuse is, i think 15A is common for the 12v socket, calculate as follows:

P = V x I

where P = power, V = Voltage and I = current

So:

P = 12 x 15

P = 180W

Though note continously drawing the full 15A through a 15A fuse will, eventually, cause it to blow. Equally though, you can draw 20A through it for a short period of time, for example, when an invertor first powers up.
Click to expand...


Cheers Bump,

really useful info there mate,

might go for the direct from the battery type as I'm sure it'd heat up a lot quicker and be better in the long run.

Thanks again.:)
 
Good choice to ignore the ciggie lighter route. I was reading some satnav literature ages ago and I'm pretty sure it said that typical ciggie lighters don't like to give out more than 1 amp.
 
steviebabes said:
Good choice to ignore the ciggie lighter route. I was reading some satnav literature ages ago and I'm pretty sure it said that typical ciggie lighters don't like to give out more than 1 amp.
Click to expand...

Just watched the weather forecast and bought this eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

Heard good things about the roadpro heaters, so hopefully a toasty warm winter ahead of us.
 
Don't expect miracles - 300W is only 3 light bulbs.
A decent Landy Heater matrix / fan gives out sommat like 2500W when it's warmed up.
 
Trewey said:
Don't expect miracles - 300W is only 3 light bulbs.
A decent Landy Heater matrix / fan gives out sommat like 2500W when it's warmed up.
Click to expand...
I realise it's not gonna give out ****loads of heat, I mainly want it for defrosting the inside of the car in the mornings as the normal heater takes ages to get up to temp and now my blower has given up I need summat to defrost the screen.
 
I bought one of them cermic jobbies and it was at best a waft of slightly warm air, I thought it was faulty and told the supplier who sent another one out which was exactly the same, so in the winter I get the extention lead out and put a mains powered electric heater in while I get a shower and get dressed.

Apart from that the only way to hear up the car is to drive it, doesn't really heat up unless you leave it running for a looong time.

New thermostat and no fan attached in the engine, just well cooled I guess
 
stretchie_ said:
I bought one of them cermic jobbies and it was at best a waft of slightly warm air, I thought it was faulty and told the supplier who sent another one out which was exactly the same, so in the winter I get the extention lead out and put a mains powered electric heater in while I get a shower and get dressed.

Apart from that the only way to hear up the car is to drive it, doesn't really heat up unless you leave it running for a looong time.

New thermostat and no fan attached in the engine, just well cooled I guess
Click to expand...
OK, as mentioned before somewhere, my heater blower had ceased big time, made worse by a daughter trying it on cold one hot summers day, only to phone me to say "dad, your landies on fire" !!!
turns out the bigger than norm fuse had let wires to heater act like the old fashioned bar heaters = HOT..
so being "diverse" I took all the panels of to locate heater & wiring, said sod it and cut most of the wires to heater, kept a live feed out of heater going to 2 ex computor cooling 12 volt fans, 1 in each screen demist pipe, I epoxy glued 2 pieces of plastic pipe from an empty silicon tube, glued to each side of mini blower, then cut into demist pipes, placed little blowers into pipe held in with cable ties, then wired to remaining heater switch...not powerfull, but blows more than you expect when moving along the road..
am I also right in saying you need power to the heater to operate the air valve flap = fresh air/recirculating flap valve thingy?
Oh, still got half the rad covered off with cardboard from that cold snowy winter we had a couple of years ago...must get new thermostat...no really must now eh..
sorry, I`ve got a 200dti on a J plate - no aircon rubbish..
 
Last edited:
steviebabes said:
Good choice to ignore the ciggie lighter route. I was reading some satnav literature ages ago and I'm pretty sure it said that typical ciggie lighters don't like to give out more than 1 amp.
Click to expand...

I'd expect them to give out more than 1 amp... i've never found a car that my baby inverter struggles with and that draws more than 1amp.

But, your right, look at the wiring to a 12v socket and its tiny... look at the wire on the inverter and its really thick...
 
barmatt said:
Just watched the weather forecast and bought this eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

Heard good things about the roadpro heaters, so hopefully a toasty warm winter ahead of us.
Click to expand...

I have one of them.

It used to defrost the windscreen on my previous 110 ok. I had it mounted at head height on a solid wooden bulkhead behind the front row of seats.

I use it in my current 110 and it keeps the interior warm when on tickover and does aid in heating it up initially but due to its location it isn't as effective at clearing the front screen.
 
ratty said:
I have one of them.

It used to defrost the windscreen on my previous 110 ok. I had it mounted at head height on a solid wooden bulkhead behind the front row of seats.

I use it in my current 110 and it keeps the interior warm when on tickover and does aid in heating it up initially but due to its location it isn't as effective at clearing the front screen.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of building it a stand behind the cubby box facing forwards so it'll hopefully defrost screen and keep us a bit warm.
 
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