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wiring constant power to relay for

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Relays
Forum Discription: Relay Diagrams, SPDT Relays, SPST Relays, DPDT Relays, Latching Relays, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=137490
Printed Date: April 28, 2024 at 4:05 PM


Topic: wiring constant power to relay for

Posted By: generalgoomz
Subject: wiring constant power to relay for
Date Posted: October 20, 2014 at 11:15 PM

Hey I want to add a 2nd power outlet in my car and wire them to constant power. I am not sure if I should wire a relay to do this? I was thinking of wiring it 86 and jumping it to 30 to the ign harness constant wire, 85 to chassis ground and 87 to both cig pos wires. Now I heard a relay powering something 24/7 can drain a battery...but what if it's just energized, with nothing connected to either cig port at night to draw any power? I'm trying to use a plug in power inverter for 2 laptops chargers without needing to turn the ignition at all. And i don't want to blow any fuses. Is it safer if I just run a 12ga fused wire to both cig wires from the constant ign harness wire in the car? If so would a 20a fuse be too much?



Replies:

Posted By: generalgoomz
Date Posted: October 21, 2014 at 12:00 AM
Or I have a switch from a remote start...its rated for 6amps is this strong enough to turn the relay on and not burn out if activated from the ignition harness to the relay coil?




Posted By: oldspark
Date Posted: October 21, 2014 at 3:15 AM
If you have nothing connected to the power outlet then there is no drain.
You only use a relay if you want to switch the feed on or off - ie, to ensure things are off when not charging or with IGN or ACC or manual switch off etc.




Posted By: howie ll
Date Posted: October 21, 2014 at 5:12 AM
No relay but keep the 20 amp fuse.
Suggest you only use it to charge the laptops when the engine is running.

-------------
Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.




Posted By: oldspark
Date Posted: October 21, 2014 at 3:39 PM
Added note - tho the Euro aka Merit etc sockets are rated for 20A (and AFAIK will handle that), traditional cig sockets are only rated for up to 15A - and many won't handle more than a few Amps.

12V fridge manufacturer Engel use 10A thermal fuses in their cig plugs - even for fridges with a max draw of 2.5A. Isn't that nice - an accessories manufacturer that provides safety protection for a fault that is not theirs. I can only assume they have a great community concern, or they found the thermal fuse was cheaper than being blamed for flamed cars & campers.




Posted By: generalgoomz
Date Posted: October 21, 2014 at 11:38 PM
Thanks guys I ran a fuse it seems to be working great!





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