Where to tap for 12 volts

Need to sleep in my car for two nights while on a trip. Use a CPAP breathing machine (cigarette lighter plug) but this particular car (1995 Tercel) has lighter disabled while ignition is off.
What's the best place to tap into the system to put in a fused 12v line?
Thanks.
Ivan Vegvary

Ivan Vegvary > wrote in
:

> Need to sleep in my car for two nights while on a trip. Use a CPAP
> breathing machine (cigarette lighter plug) but this particular car
> (1995 Tercel) has lighter disabled while ignition is off. What's the
> best place to tap into the system to put in a fused 12v line? Thanks.
> Ivan Vegvary
>



What's the draw on the CPAP machine? I suspect you'll run the car's battery
down if you use it all night with the engine off.

Get a separate battery pack for the CPAP, or just leave the engine running
all night. No harm will result from the engine running all night, but
you'll use a couple of gallons of gas.

--
Tegger

On Wednesday, May 7, 2014 2:06:24 AM UTC-4, Ivan Vegvary wrote:
> Need to sleep in my car for two nights while on a trip. Use a CPAP breathing machine (cigarette lighter plug) but this particular car (1995 Tercel) has lighter disabled while ignition is off.
>
> What's the best place to tap into the system to put in a fused 12v line?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Ivan Vegvary

Does your ignition have an accessory position? It should work there.

Chas

On 2014-05-07, Ivan Vegvary > wrote:
> Need to sleep in my car for two nights while on a trip. Use a CPAP breathing machine (cigarette lighter plug) but this particular car (1995 Tercel) has lighter disabled while ignition is off.
> What's the best place to tap into the system to put in a fused 12v line?

You'll need to determine the current draw of the device if you want to
pick an existing circuit. If you're adding a line with a fuse, and it
sounds as if you are, then you can just run the line right from the
battery or anywhere the positive cable of the battery bolts to. Ground
in a car is the body so that's of no issue.

As for having battery power to start the car in the morning you'll need
to figure out how much energy it's going to draw, current again.

Machine is rated for "3amp max. at 12V DC". Does that mean 24 amp hours for eight hours sleep? Seems like battery capacity should be ample?

"Ivan Vegvary" wrote in message
...

Machine is rated for "3amp max. at 12V DC". Does that mean 24 amp hours for
eight hours sleep? Seems like battery capacity should be ample?

You can still use the cigarette lighter outlet. Just stop the car, turn off
the engine, then turn ignition on without starting it.

mg

"MG" > wrote in
:

>
>
> "Ivan Vegvary" wrote in message
> ...
>
> Machine is rated for "3amp max. at 12V DC". Does that mean 24 amp
> hours for eight hours sleep? Seems like battery capacity should be
> ample?
>
> You can still use the cigarette lighter outlet. Just stop the car,
> turn off the engine, then turn ignition on without starting it.
>
> mg
>

now thats some really bad advice. dont just turn the key on without the eng
running for any peroid of time. KB

>
> now thats some really bad advice. dont just turn the key on without the eng
>
> running for any peroid of time. KB


It's not going to hurt anything with newer cars.

Back when cars had points you couldn't leave the ignition on or you would burn your points up.

With today's cars it's no big deal.

Ivan Vegvary wrote:
> Need to sleep in my car for two nights while on a trip. Use a CPAP
> breathing machine (cigarette lighter plug) but this particular car
> (1995 Tercel) has lighter disabled while ignition is off. What's the
> best place to tap into the system to put in a fused 12v line? Thanks.
> Ivan Vegvary


I know lot's of folks who use CPAP while traveling/camping. The common
method for folks with tents or small campers is to use a jump box to
power the pump, then let it charge back up the next day.
Folks with bigger RV's just run off the house batts.

--
Steve W.

"m6onz5a" wrote:

> >
> > now thats some really bad advice. dont just turn the key on without the eng
> > running for any peroid of time. KB
>
>
> It's not going to hurt anything with newer cars.
> Back when cars had points you couldn't leave the ignition on or you would burn your points up.
> With today's cars it's no big deal.

Yeah, all those other systems that "come alive" with the igniton on don't draw any current at all.
Did we forget that he doesn't want 20 minutes of power, he wants 8 hours?