SWMBO's car fridge melts its connector...

Eh? In the *boot*?? You have a cigarette lighter in the BOOT??? Whatever for? Do many of your supermarket purchases[1] request permission to smoke?

Puzzled, of Wales.

[1] Well, that's mainly what I use my boot for...
Reply to
Fran
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She's only gone and bought one of those mini-fridges which you stick in the boot, hasn't she..? Sheesh. Anyway, we took the thing with us on a recent camping trip, plugged into the "cigarette lighter" socket [1] thoughtfully provided in the boot, and when we got home, found that the plug had overheated and basically melted. Bit concerned as to why this happened (especially as the socket is inches away from the fuel tank). I checked the rating of the fridge and the max rated output of the car socket, as provided by the mfr, and it was fine (I forget what the figures were; something like

50W and 100W respectively?).

I'm thinking the electrical connection may not have been great, and that sparking caused the problem; is that all it's likely to be (in which case I can just replace the plug and try again - carefully). Or something else? Any diagnostic tests I can try first? The fridge works fine in 240V mode, by the way.

Thanks David

[1] Why is it that the car cigarette lighter has by default defined the international standard for low voltage appliances intended to be powered from a car battery? Nobody smokes any more, yet these appalling sockets are found on every car (and now in the boot as well, for heaven's sake) - why don't the manufacturers agree on a compact, robust socket/plug system which would do the job far better? There are plenty already in existence that would work fine. Whinge over!
Reply to
Lobster

as you have found, cigar lighter plugs are usually dire, and high resistance which leads to heating and subsequent meltage!

Get a proper low voltage panel mount socket and matching plug and install in the boot especially for the fridge.

Not exactly for such a purpose, but I've used these XLR's for low voltage use afew times- obviously in an envoironment where they wont be confused for anything else. They are rated at 16amps:

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Tim..

Reply to
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.

Oh yes. The general idea is that if someone travelling in your vehicle has the temerity to want to light up, they can only do so while locked in the boot.

(Alternative explanation - the manufacturers now term them 'electrical accessory sockets', and my Zafira does indeed have one positioned in the boot as standard. Vauxhall also flog a customised in-car fridge as an extra, presumably for a few more sponduliks than Poundstretcher charged SWMBO for hers)

David

Reply to
Lobster

Can't be bothered to unwind that URL(*) but there is a "standard" for using 4 pin XLRs and 12v DC. Extremly common on broadcast circles.

(*) Hint, try

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Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Hi David,

So at 50W you are drawing a good 3.6A .. through, as you say, a rather nasty high contact resistance (especially the 'tip' of the plug) and probaby why it got hot?

I doublt it was 'sparking' .. just a high resistance contact ..

is that all it's likely to be (in which case I

I'd go for the latter ;-)

None that I can think of .. other than check the socket for heat damage. If it got hot enough to melt the plug than you may of lost some tension in any 'springy' components?

Because it is 'international' (afaik) and adequate for the purpose it was originally designed, heating a ciggy lighter coil for 10 seconds?

Nobody smokes any more, yet these appalling sockets are

I suppose they might, in time? Sometimes the advent of a new 'thing' (peltier fridges for instance) may drive some to provide an alternative .. (but I doubt it). Most BMW motorbikes are also fitted with a similar socket (infact you can get a plug that fits BMW and std ciggy).

There are plenty already in existence that

Personally I don't bother with the ciggy socket for the very reasons you mention David and run a fused heavy duty fused twin core cable directly from the battery and through inside the car, often exiting behind the centre console and by the drivers seat. I terminate this cable with a pair of 'power pole' connectors (as used on model electric racing car batteries / motors (not the white Tamiya ones, they melt just as badly)).

These cost about 2 quid for two pairs and can easily carry the sort of current we are talking about with a mini fridge (or my big absorbtion one). The separate parts (1 red for +ve and 1 x black for -ve or gnd) clip together to form one plug / socket, they have 'self cleaning' contacts and pull apart easily if you try to carry your fridge away without unplugging first! I've never melted a pair yet .. ;-)

I have fitted these on all my low voltage (12V) systems (caravan battery 'end', charger, solar panels, battery charger, low voltage fridge cut off etc.

There is a beautiful site (I've just Googled to) that covers your point (and my solution) exactly! ;-)

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the best ..

T i m

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Reply to
T i m

Must be a common problem, as that happend to my boss' A4. Audi wanted over

300quid to get it fixed as it was a dashboard out job... couldn't of happened to a nicer bloke!
Reply to
Scott Mills

Ah, the British obsession with fuses :-)

A sparks was recently onsite; he was asked to supply some multi-way socket extensions. He said that if he supplied them, he would have to supply ones with every outlet individually fused. That is in addition to the fuse on the individual plugs, the one on the multi-way itself, the one in its plug, the one in the distribution board and the main board fuse :-)

Guy

Reply to
Just zis Guy, you know?

Cigar lighter sockets belong in the past - they are really poor.

A proper plug and socket should be developed as an industry standard - with an integral fuse and decent silver contacts.

Reply to
John

Yeah, seems to happen. As to why, I dunno, you'd think they'd spot this during design, but hey ho.

The easiest solution is to chop the wiring and use one of those screw down connectors that they use in house electrical wiring and the like, to join the cable from the fridge to the wiring loom.

You can't lose the lead to the fridge as it's permanently connected to the car loom (if you *must* move it to some other car then keep the (now molten) plug and use another block to join the halves of the lead back together. But you probably won't need to do this all that often.

Properly connected, the fridge will now have to melt the wiring loom / lead, and it didn't do that last time. A fuse isn't a bad idea, even so, but there should be one already.

Reply to
Questions

How curious. Everything I've seen that is later than the 1980's has circuit breakers instead of fuses.

Reply to
Questions

I'd not bother with 4-pin XLRs for this. 3-pin are much cheaper and handle more current - as well as being more readily available. Not much chance of them getting confused for an audio circuit in a car.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

These outlets are rated at 10 amps, but the plugs seem only to have this as a peak rating. Their continuous current is rather less. Not surprising given the way they make contact - just about every other power plug has a larger contact area which is also under more pressure.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

In message , "Just zis Guy, you know?" writes

If the OP's plug had had an (appropriate) integral fuse, he wouldn't have had melted wiring would he ?

A fuse is meant to protect the wiring downstream if it. A fuse is a much cheaper alternative than having to repair the consequence of overloading an electrical circuit

Reply to
raden

In message , snipped-for-privacy@quickwatchsales.com writes

In a budget 12v circuit ?

I don't think so

Reply to
raden

Why not ? By the sound of this thing it was the _connector_ that overheated, not the cabling. The current was almost certainly within spec for the appliance, and very probably the designed load of the circuit ("cigarette lighter" sockets in the boot are usually rated much lower than those in the passenger compartment). A fuse won't protect you against a connector going high-impedance in a high-current circuit.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Yes, the overheating was almost certainly due to a high resistance contact, not to the 'fridge taking too much current.

Reply to
usenet

I don't think any country in the world has budget 12v building wiring.

Reply to
Questions

If you're going to hack about the wiring, why not just fit the standard

1/4" blade connectors made for the job? They can be unplugged occasionally and are well up to handling 10 amps.
Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

thoughtfully

Now *that* is a brilliant idea, why didn't I think of that? We only use the fridge on that vehicle, so that solution will be perfect. The car even has a little stowage compartment where the ciggy lighter is wired in, so the flex will stash neatly in there when not in use.

Cheers David

Reply to
Lobster

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