Visit our Popular Forums

Damir36 · 27-04-2024, 08:54

Okay... I know i should have checked but it just never entered my mind....
This was 3 days ago...

I have a new sailing Dinghy (Dinghy Go) with an Inflatable bottom which needs 11 PSI air pressure and 2 SUPs who need 15 PSI. When you are nearing 60 the handpump is not really an option anymore, at least not for me. So I went and bought an electric pump (Itwitt) that produces 15 PSI max.

This pump comes with a standard plug for the cigarette lighter of a car or other 12V sockets.

So I went to the Store in the marina I was just in, bought a 12V socket, (Osculati I think) soldered some 4mm2 Kabels on it, connected it to the batteries and installed in in my port engine bay.
A fuse is in the plug of the pump so no worries.
I inflated the bottom of my dinghy and returned to the engine bay 10 min. later to see this stupid 12 V socket I just bought burning merrily and the PVE Board I installed it in with it.

Had to use the fire extiguisher to stop the fire. 10 minutes later and the boat (still in tightly packed marina) would have burned.

I looked at the packaging of the burned 12V socked and no mention of Amperes that thing can manage. Only after that I looked at the pump and it draws 15 Amps. After some testing i meassured 16-17 Amps.
Went to the shop and they told me that they think that this plugs are rated 5 Amps.

OK, I should have looked and I learned my lesson, but am i just naive or what? If I had plugged this in my (older) car, I would have had no chance of this working and over 15 Amps on a 12 V socket? I never thought that this draws so much or that the sockets you can buy are that weak.
Why do they ship this with a 12V (car) plug and not with battery connectors?

I will never plug anything in again where I have not checked the Amps it draws....Seems to be logical but maybe somebody can learn from this.

Still a bit shocked

Ralph