Hi. I have a standard inverter i've been using in my car but for some reason my car's cigarate lighter has been burning the plug and making it start smoking after it's only been on for a few minutes. My inverter is made to only be plugged into a cigarette lighter but my dad said I'd be able to cut up an extension cord or two(for extra length) and wire them to the positive and negitive wires that connect to the inverter's plug and then run the positive and negitive wires to the battery.

1st: Would I be able to use just a home extension cord just cut and stripped to connect to the battery and also connect to the inverter?

2nd: Would I have to wire up a fuse somewhere in the line?

3rd: If possible how would I wire it so that it doesn't use the battery while the car is turned off or is the inverter switch set to off good enough so it won't be using the battery at all?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

First, yes, the fuse is a must for any homemade application, second, the only problem with wiring that direct to your battery, if you happen to accidentally ground it out, you will drain your battery overnight. I personally would NOT do what you plan on doing, mainly because there are plenty of switched 12v wires running through you car, that once the car is shut off, it also will cease function, thus saving your battery, that you could wire it to instead...

Also the reason it may be smoking, maybe the inverter's connector is not that high quality, OR the load that you are putting on the little inverter is demanding too much from that little cigarette lighter.

Also, if I were going to do that, which, I say again, I WOULD NOT, I would use the correct Gauge wire for wiring direct from your battery (14-10 gauge)

-Keegan

 

Yeah it's probably the fact that I'm pulling alot of power for it. But I've changed the plug on it 4 times already and they all keep melting. Thats why my dad said to wire it to the battery.

 

What size inverter are you running? If I was you I would find your accessory wire,( usually behind the glove box) and wire into that. It should be fused for 10 amps. If not, refuse just in case. If you can't find this wire go to your fuse box and find a source that only has 12v with the key in the on position. Buy a vehicle relay and wire your 12v ACC wire you found to the coil of the relay(relays only use a amp or 2 when energized). So now when your car is on the relay is energized and off when your cars off. Now you can run a wire from your battery,(MAKE SURE YOU FUSE THIS WIRE RIGHT OFF THE BATTERY POST, so that if it does short somewhere in the future it will just blow the fuse since its next to the battery.) Run that wire from your battery to the front contact of the relay, and another wire from the heel contact of the relay to the inverter. Now you will have a professional connection and everything should work as you want.

Make sure, like explosive sounds said, that you use proper guage wire. The thicker thebetter if your not sure. Also, get a relay that has 30 amp contacts. And same with the fuse on the battery. This should work if your inverter isn't too big. I wouldn't go over a 300watt inverter either. Otherwise you'll need bigger fuses/wire. Hope that helps.

 

It says 225 watts, 450 watt peak. My dad said he got it for like $30 a while ago.

 

That should work then. Those relays are only 10 bucks. I'll find the website I got mine on and get back to you, but I'm sure autozone or equivilant would have something.