12 Volt Power/Chart Ligher Plug

[gnrboyd]

I am installing a power/chart lighter plug (cigarette lighter plug) at my console. (16' Alum Sea Nymph FM 160) I have a fuse block at the console in which I will be running my wires from. I will only need between 3 and 4 feet of wire to run to the adapter from the fuse block. My main use for this plug is to use a hand held spot light for navigating at night. The spotlight I have now is rated at 200,000 candlepower and it is about 20 years old. I know some of them today have ratings of 2 or 3 million. (I have a hard time believing they are 10-15 times brighter than my 200,000.) Anyway, I was thinking I'd use 14 guage wiring. Does that sound big enough for my purpose? I don't really know what the amp draw is on my light or any of the 2-3 million candlepower units. I'd like my wiring to be large enough to carry the load of one of the larger units should I ever need to replace my 200,000. Thanks for your help.​

 

[DJ]

Re: 12 Volt Power/Chart Ligher Plug

If it doesn't pop a 15 amp fuse, 14 ga. is OK.

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: 12 Volt Power/Chart Ligher Plug

I'm not really sure what size fuse my light would pop. (Or if I get a bigger light in the future) I guess the only way to know for sure is to go ahead and hook it up with the 14 ga wire and test it. (Although I'd rather not have to do that.)​

 

[DJ]

Re: 12 Volt Power/Chart Ligher Plug

I'm sure 14 is fine. I've never had 14 fail with normal accesories you can plug into a lighter/recepticle. If it works OK in your car/truck it will work OK in the boat with 14.

The light may show a max. amp. rating on it.

 

[raekmike]

Re: 12 Volt Power/Chart Ligher Plug

If your socket that your installing has a short pigtail of wires already attached Just make sure you use the same gauge of wire with the approriate fuse recommended by the manufacturer of the plug. If you pop fuses you know that your exceeding the amps of that plug...

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: 12 Volt Power/Chart Ligher Plug

The recepticle I am installing is a Taylor brand that I've had for many years. I had bought it for another boat and never got around to installing it before I sold the boat. It looks very similar to this.

http://www.iboats.com/Stainless_Ste...77466192--list_time.1202012197--view_id.39735

The wire it came with looks like around 18 ga. I would guess which I thought was pretty small. It is only about a foot long and that is why I was going to go ahead and use a bigger ga wire since I would have had to splice anyway. I never really thought about the recepticle being rated. I was only considering the wire. The lighter also has a map light built in. I'll never use the lighter part but the map light might come in handly on occasion. Otherwise, I'd just trash the lighter part. The recepticle was still in the package and there isn't any documentation that mentions anything about wire size or amp draw. I'm now wondering if this type of recepticle wasn't meant for other accessories other than the lighter/light combination. I'll probably go ahead and give it a whirl with the 14 ga and see what happens.​