How much power does an inverter use?
In our Casita travel trailer, I have one 12V outlet. I have two inexpensive inverters (Walmart) that plug into the 12V outlet: one inverter is 100W, the other 400W. My laptop needs 90W to charge. ...
Forum Discussion
A word of caution in using the 12V power source. They are fine for light duty use, charging a phone and other small devices.
These outlets rely on a 2 contact plug to get power. The tip typically has a little spring loaded contact that touches a metal plate for connection. It is iffy at best, ok for small stuff.
The heavier the load, the more demand placed on the surface to surface contact point. Over time, a bit of surface corrosion can build up and increase resistance. Increased resistance = increased heat, which can lead to failure of the socket, and possibly fire.
The original design of these things was to power a cigarette lighter, which does draw hard, but only for a few seconds.
Running heavier draw devices for long periods of time is risky. Be careful. A good plan would be to hard wire an inverter in there.
I had a triple plug that operates off a single outlet in my truck. I ran 3 things in there, all light duty, GPS, dashcam, phone charger. The unit started giving me trouble, and I smelled something burning. The triple socket got so hot that the plastic was melting. So much for that....
These outlets rely on a 2 contact plug to get power. The tip typically has a little spring loaded contact that touches a metal plate for connection. It is iffy at best, ok for small stuff.
The heavier the load, the more demand placed on the surface to surface contact point. Over time, a bit of surface corrosion can build up and increase resistance. Increased resistance = increased heat, which can lead to failure of the socket, and possibly fire.
The original design of these things was to power a cigarette lighter, which does draw hard, but only for a few seconds.
Running heavier draw devices for long periods of time is risky. Be careful. A good plan would be to hard wire an inverter in there.
I had a triple plug that operates off a single outlet in my truck. I ran 3 things in there, all light duty, GPS, dashcam, phone charger. The unit started giving me trouble, and I smelled something burning. The triple socket got so hot that the plastic was melting. So much for that....
