can I just attach my battery charger to the 12 volt socket and charge from there

dylanwinter said:
can I just attach my battery charger to the 12 volt plug, shove it into the cigar socket and charge from there?

the socket is easy to reach - the batteries are buried under the berths.
Click to expand...

As long as the wiring can take it you should be fine. I'd expect a cigaratte lighter socket to be good for 10A, but I'd have a jolly good look at the wires before squirting that much down it, just in case. Perhaps the last owner moved the socket and, since he only ever used it to charge his phone, put in some skinny stuff ...
 
dylanwinter said:
can I just attach my battery charger to the 12 volt plug, shove it into the cigar socket and charge from there?

the socket is easy to reach - the batteries are buried under the berths.

D
Click to expand...

They usually make pretty unreliable contact.
If the wiring is heavy enough to take the charging current replace the standard cigar lighter socket with one into which the plug reliably locks in position.

IMO far more sensible to make provision to connect directly to the batteries. A decent fused socket close to them, but accessible, perhaps.
 
I'm obviously missing something, but it sounds like you're trying to charge the battery from itself. I don't think that will work!:confused:
 
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I have tried this. It's my ole Dads Halfords charger so it probably kicks out 2 amp'les at best. My system also now incorporates the excellent Nasa battery monitor which I consult a lot and find generally more interesting than television.
Anyway, when I put the charger through the plug socket the charging current is halfed down to .7 amp or some such. I assume this is due to the number of dodgy contacts in the link. Sometime I will clean up each contact and see what happens.
 
1 Is the 12v socket fused?
2 What size fuse?
3 What current is your charger capable of supplying?
If 3 is > 2 then you risk blowing the fuse, but If your wireing is upto it, you could increase the fuse rating, but to no more than about a 5 amp fuse as things will start to get warm, if not hot!
 
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LadyInBed said:
1 Is the 12v socket fused?
2 What size fuse?
3 What current is your charger capable of supplying?
If 3 is > 2 then you risk blowing the fuse, but If your wireing is upto it, you could increase the fuse rating, but to no more than about a 5 amp fuse as things will start to get warm, if not hot!
Click to expand...

thanks for that

I will have a look at it next time I am down

actually there is a sort of two pin socket beside the cigar lighter

I will take a snap next time I am aboard and see if I can find a plug that fits in it
 
It sounds like he wants to connect a mains powered battery charger to his battery via the 12 v socket, rather than directly to the battery. whilst it might work, it could be very risky, how many other sockets are connected to this 12 v socket.

Steveeasy
 
There are other considerations apart from simply will the cable, terminals, fuse and cig lighter take the current without damage. Whilst even 1.5mm2 will handle 10a, the voltage drop dependant on length and quality of terminals / contacts etc may well be sufficient to mean that the charging is grossly inefficient.
 
prv said:
I'm always bemused by how many people seem to think that wires have one-way signs on them :p

Pete
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That is true

but wiring systems are generally designed to work in one direction.

I guess it is time I bit the bullet and put in some sort of permanent mains jobbie rather than strewing wires all over the saloon all day.

First question

where is the best place to put the big socket on the outside of a Centaur cabin.

Once I am inside the battery locker I can just put the good battery charger in place and put one socket in the boat

Another Centaur owner must have done this at some stage

any suggestions and snaps of your installation would be good to see

I am going to be in Mylor Harbour until January so it is probably a job worth doing

D
 
prv said:
I'm always bemused by how many people seem to think that wires have one-way signs on them
Click to expand...

High-end hi-fi enthusiasts -or "gullible saps", as they are correctly known - often believe that the most expensive and therefore the best speaker cables are unidirectional, and work better with the current flowing in one direction. The AC current.

Naim-NACA5-directional.jpg
 
dylanwinter said:
can I just attach my battery charger to the 12 volt plug, shove it into the cigar socket and charge from there?

the socket is easy to reach - the batteries are buried under the berths.
Click to expand...
You might but I wouldn't risk it you might start a fire in the wiring. Take the leads under the berth and clip them directly to the batts to be safe. Though in fairness, if the wire in the leads from the battery charger is thinner than the wire leads to the socket you might be OK so long as the socket is a gold plated one in good condition.

Boo2
 
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Boo2 said:
You might but I wouldn't risk it you might start a fire in the wiring. Take the leads under the berth and clip them directly to the batts to be safe. Though in fairness, if the wire in the leads from the battery charger is thinner than the wire leads to the socket you might be OK so long as the socket is a gold plated one in good condition.

Boo2
Click to expand...

I will have a look

so is that true - there is a pretty good correlation between the size of the leads and the power carrying capacity

D
 
Dylan I think you should give it go using the socket fitted. What is really important with battery charging is knowing just how much current is going in. So many chargers don't give any indication of how much is going in. They tend to work on measuring the battery voltage under charge to try to limit current when the battery appears to be charged. Use your multimeter on 10 amps or similar range in one charger lead.
You have not indicated at any point (or did I miss it) just what the rating of the charger is. Though more important is the actual charge current. A small charge 1 or 2 amps of actual current should be no problem. If you start to get 10 amps or so in then. Plug contacts fuses and wiring capability become a concern. My guess is that you have in mind fairly long term charger connection so low current will be the order. Just be careful if the batteries become very flat when current will be high. good luck olewill
 
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