12v outlets

Does anyone else have these?* I have a set in each bathroom.* Since I have no cigarette lighter adapter, I rigged a cigarette adapter to plug into the outlet and a small inverter to use the outlet but I'm terrified about plugging it into the wrong one.

Has anyone replaced them with a standard cigarette adapter?

Baggiolini wrote:
Does anyone else have these?* I have a set in each bathroom.* Since I have no cigarette lighter adapter, I rigged a cigarette adapter to plug into the outlet and a small inverter to use the outlet but I'm terrified about plugging it into the wrong one.

Has anyone replaced them with a standard cigarette adapter?

I've never seem a 12 volt outlet like that but it doesn't matter what I've seen.* There's no reason you couldn't replace them with standard 12 volt DC outlets.

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-- Edited by rwidman on Thursday 2nd of February 2012 06:23:52 PM

Yep, I've got lots of them. There's not enough space in the box to put a lighter socket in mine. I have a coupe of pigtails made up for cell phone chargers and such that I want 12v for.

Maybe the best idea I've seen for them is a boat that had child protector plugs in all the 12v plugins with a label clearly stating 12v. You had to take out the kiddie plug to put in a 12v one. And, for things that need correct polarity one side of each plug in had red paint, nail polish I suspect on the positive side. Just a small hald circle that was covered by the kiddie plug. The male plug on the portable fans they had had a red dot on the correct side also.

I have several next to 110VAC outlets, no polarity markings. It's a new-to-us boat and I haven't decided what to do with them.

Got five pairs of 110VAC outlets (bathroom, pilothouse, and three in saloon) as well as two "cigarette-lighter style" 12VDC outlets (pilothouse and saloon).* Haven't used the DC plugs yet in 8 months, but use the AC for heater, charging phones and such, and for power tools.

The simplest way to power 12V or 24V DC goodies is with a std small 240V plug and socket set.

Rated at 15A or 20A if you buy the better grade and polarized , so the gear will get the proper polarity.

These clean them selves on insertion and do a far better job at powering DC than the cigar lighter style.

The standard in off grid homes for 3-4 decades.

Thanks all. Didn't even think about a fan, that's a great idea. I'm off to the depot today to look at 240 plugs and tp pick up some of the kiddie safety plugs.

240v plugs and sockets are identical to 120V , the difference being the angle of the pins.

AS usual the better ($6.00) sockets are far more user friendly than the cheap "contractor " grade.

For the contractor grade you will need to install a crimped terminal, and then install it under a screw terminal.

The better grade simply required slipping the end of the wire in a hole and tightening a screw which crushes the wire.

Bending tinned or bare multistrand wire to capture it under a screw is poor workmanship.

The 240V plugs have a long good history with DC , you will never pull out the plug and feel warmth , wasted energy, as with cigar lighter plugs.

Before changing the 12 v outlets to the 240v standard, We had our 12v freezer plugged into the 12v with the 2 prong, the three prong is for 120v, right? Well, guess what 120v does to a 12 v freezer.

koliver wrote:
Well, guess what 120v does to a 12 v freezer.

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Yep. If you have this system on board sooner or later it will happen. Does nasty things to scientific equipment too.

Sounds downright dangerous to me. I'd go for cigar lighter plug any day for 12v DC appliances frequently moved about - no possible mistake there. That or wired in, so the 12v appliance can auto switch from 12v DC to 120v AC (or in our case 240V AC), like frigs etc.

We had our 12v freezer plugged into the 12v with the 2 prong, the three prong is for 120v, right

NOPE,

both 120v and 240v plugs and sockets are 3 prong.

That causes them to be polarized , which is the point!

Anything that needs to be plugged into a specific voltage or polarity simply needs a correct plug.

About $3.00 at a box store.

Another option for 12 volt plugs and sockets, are the trolling motor and/or electric fishing reel plugs and sockets you will find at marine and sports stores.