Blowing Fuses 12V Coleman Thermoelectric

+1 on the Powerpole connectors. I use them for everything. I have a fused 40A line running up from the battery, which I use for my cooler and various other devices.

Check the fuse for your CB; my Volvo has the CB binding posts fused at 20A. Before I had the direct battery connection, I ran my cooler (and CB) from those binding posts.

The lighter plugs we use today are a kluge from 50 years ago. The plugs are designed to handle at most 5A, which is fine for small electronics like phone chargers, GPSes, and your SiriusXM receiver. (Try touching the metal tip of the plug on a lunchbox cooker after it's been running for an hour.)

 

lighter plugs are rated for about 20A. The lighter took a lot to heat.

 

The *sockets* were fused at 20A. However, if you look inside an actual lighter socket, the actual positive terminal was a clip that the heating element was pushed into. The plugs that we use would touch the rivet that held that clip. (That clip would expand as the lighter heated; that's what caused the lighter to pop out when it was ready.)

The old fashioned lighters won't work in the "power outlets" that we have today.

 

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