Lighter outlet blowing fuses

[tarkio]

Hello all. I have a new-to-me 97 1900 open bow. I tried to plug in a power supply for my handheld gps. No luck. Tried to plug in a charger for my cell, no luck. I started looking yesterday and came to the conclusion that there is power there, but the lighter outlet has blown fuses on both those chargers.

Help me out here. Let me say that I am not very electrically handy so step-by-step would be great. I will say that my voltmeter says 12 volts when I checked the outlet.

Thanks in advance.

[shrew]

If the fuse is blowing, then this isn't a voltage issue, it's an amperage issue. While the devices you're using are all 12V, they are pulling more amps than the fuse you're using can support. A 12 volt device that pulls 10amps is going to blow 5 amp fuses all day long.

The device is going to draw the amperage it needs. The fuse is set to burn out when the amperage draw exceeds the melt point of the filament inside the fuse. The idea is to protect the device from a surge in amperage and sacrifice the fuse before doing damage to the device.

I would verify the amperage requirements of the device(s) you intend on using with the outlet and then make sure the fuse in that slot will support the amperage requirements of the device. Admittedly I'm not an electrician and barely understand enough to be very dangerous. As with all forum replies, take them with a grain of salt and consider seeking out a qualified marine electrician who understand 12v marine electrical systems if you're still in doubt.

I recommend reviewing the ABYC site for a list of local ABYC Certified Marine electricians:

http://www.abycinc.org/

[tzshane]

I would check the polarity of the lighter. The centre should be positive. If it is reversed this can blow fuses in electronic equipment.

[seapuppy]

TZ.....welcome to the zoo


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