This topic is not just for Portland appraisers, but for anyone who operates computers and multiple electrical devices in a car. For years, I’ve been a devotee of going mobile by setting up an office in the car with a computer docking station, extra tablet battery charging, GPS navigation, cell phone charging, Bluetooth charging, and so on. However, I have learned through experience that powering so many devices tends to be too much for the typical twelve-volt cigarette lighter or power outlet plug found in most cars.
In the past, my solution to power everything was to plug a three-way splitter into the car’s twelve-volt power outlet and then connect automotive twelve-volt plugs to power all the devices. My computer ran using a twelve-volt DC adapter but there are two problems with these multiple outlet twelve-volt cigarette lighter type plugs. The first is that the plugs tend to be low quality and, as a result of small wires and cheap materials, I’ve melted two of them. The other problem is that the twelve-volt sockets tend to become loose with time and then disconnect when jiggled or when not positioned just right.
To solve these problems, I first tried a Cyber Power Inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter and has an outlet for AC power and a twelve-volt outlet. This is a well-made device rated for 140 watts. (Higher wattage inverters usually cannot be plugged into car power outlets.) On paper, this inverter has plenty of power to run my computer and other devices, but eventually under heavy load and after continuous running of its noisy fan, it would get hot and shut off. Although some people have no problems with small inverters running laptops, I’ve read about similar problems with many other small inverters and I’ve concluded that this is not a Cyber Power Inverter problem, but a problem with too many things plugged in, too much current being drawn, and too much time spent in the car. Also, the Cyber Power Inverter still has the problem that it is plugged into a car outlet socket and can easily become loose over time. I felt that there had to be a better solution.
My final resolution was to purchase a 750 Watt Continuous/1500 Watt Peak CEN-TECH Power Inverter from Harbor Freight. This inverter must be hardwired directly to the car battery with a dedicated and fused power wire. A local stereo installer ran the power wire for about $50 and I easily hooked up the other connections and grounded it to a seat bolt.
Once installed, the hardwired inverter has two outlets, a USB charger, and far more than enough power to run as many devices as needed including any future electronics that I might add. I’m thinking that a 400 watt chest freezer could be added if I ever want to convert my appraisal mobile office into an ice cream car on the weekend. After several weeks of use, the new inverter has been trouble free. The very quiet cooling fan hardly ever needs to run. With this inverter, the car lighter outlet remains free for my GPS plug.
Have you had any similar problems with twelve-volt car outlets? Did I leave anything out or do you want to join in the conversation? Let me know in the comments below.
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