12V Power rating to run curling iron

[kernwig]

My wife really wants to plug her curling iron into portable car inverter, itself into the 12V socket at the foot of our 21C bed. I have concerns.

The curling is labeled to draw 125 watts. So about 1.1 amps, or 10.4 amps at 12 volts.

What I don't know is the fused rating for that circuit, and more importantly the wire gauge and distance. (These are the right questions, yes?)

I don't think it matters, but the trailer runs on dual 6V AGM batteries and the factory electrical converter.

Aside: I'm laid up after foot surgery so can't go looking at fuses and measuring wires right now. I'm also a novice electrician; I know there are much more knowledgeable people are in this forum.

[Donna D.]

Christmas is coming. Buy her a 12 volt curling iron. Or one that has a rechargeable battery... through a USB.

[Bill and Earline]

For starters you"ll want to look at the "car inverter".
I've seen them rated from 75 watts to 400 watts, with 400 being deemed the most you'd want to try to get from a normal car plug-in. If it's not at least 150watt output, don't try it. If it is 150 or more, give it a try.

Second topic: you mention 2 AGM batteries and "the factory electrical converter".

If you mean the factory electrical INVERTER, just turn that on and use a normal 120v
plu-in.

[kernwig]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Christmas is coming. Buy her a 12 volt curling iron. Or one that has a rechargeable battery... through a USB.

Did a quick search and didn't find 12V irons, and that wouldn't change the risk of overloading the wiring. USB is interesting, as it would also let her use it in front of the bathroom mirror, which is what she really wants. What I have found with batteries are tiny 3-inch irons though. If someone knows of a good unit though, this would be an ideal solution!

My search did turn up butane-fueled curling irons. That's interested, but we aren't into wasteful disposable fuel cartridges.

Originally Posted by Bill and Earline

If it's not at least 150watt output, don't try it. If it is 150 or more, give it a try.

Yes, the wife picked up a 150W unit at Costco without even knowing what the iron needed. Turns out to be sufficient.

Just trying it is absolutely what I don't want to do without more information, and thus my questions. If it's too big of a draw...

- Best case scenario, the fuse melts.
- Worse, the wire melts somewhere and now the USB and 12V aux ports no longer work.
- Worst, the melting wire starts a fire.

Originally Posted by Bill and Earline

If you mean the factory electrical INVERTER, just turn that on and use a normal 120v
plu-in.

No, I do mean the WFCO converter. I offered to install a proper inverter, but that has to be next to the battery in the back of the trailer. She wants to curl her hair by the bed (well, ideally in the bathroom) at the front of the trailer.

[Hawkeye Ed]

Here's the problem. Devices that produce heat draw a lot of power (Watts). A typical 15-amp household electrical circuit can run a 1500 watt hair dryer or space heater as it is fused for a load of 1800 watts (120 volts X 15 amps = 1800 watts). A 150 watt hair curler would be no problem at all.

On the other hand, a 12-volt circuit fused at 15 amps can provide a maximum of only 180 watts (12 volts X 15 amps = 180 watts). And since most electrical references say you really ought to draw no more than 80% of a circuit's rated capacity, you're down to only about 150 watts for a 15-amp, 12 volt circuit.

Given the built-in inefficiencies of DC to AC inverters, you're probably going to overload a 12-volt circuit trying to run an inverter that powers an AC hair curler. The result will either be a blown fuse or more probably a hair curler that can't get hot enough to be any good.

There are apparently 12-volt DC hair curlers for sale. Whether they work well enough to be useful is To Be Determined. They would produce about the same amount of heat as those little DC plug-in heaters that you dunk into your cold coffee cup to heat it up. Good luck!

[HABBERDABBER]

Propane, baby.

https://www.amazon.com/ThermaCell-Co...9232643&sr=8-5

Dirt cheap to boot. The propane cartridges are widely available.

As you posted:

"My search did turn up butane-fueled curling irons. That's interested, but we aren't into wasteful disposable fuel cartridges."

As to your environmental waste concerns, you're missing a point. You do vastly more harm to the environment by hauling your rig somewhere than you do by infrequently tossing a dinky plastic propane container. Vastly.


You (and me) produce 20 lbs of CO2 green house gas for every gallon of gasoline we use. 20 lbs., versus a 1 ounce plastic cartridge once in awhile. Every gallon of gas. Every trip. Do some math.

Your concerns are well founded, but a bit misplaced, in my rank opinion.

[Mike G]

Hey kernwig, you must still be in pretty good shape! Otherwise you could just remove your clothes and the sight would curl her hair... I tried plugging my ebike charger into a 400W inverter; the inverter screamed bloody murder and didn't power the charger adequately, but the fuse never blew on the trailer circuit. I wound up attaching to the 2 Trojans directly, and it worked. But I doubt she wants to stand outside with a curling iron, right?

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by kernwig

Did a quick search and didn't find 12V irons, and that wouldn't change the risk of overloading the wiring. USB is interesting, as it would also let her use it in front of the bathroom mirror, which is what she really wants. What I have found with batteries are tiny 3-inch irons though. If someone knows of a good unit though, this would be an ideal solution!
...

Look at this one: USB rechargeable, active heated length is 4.5 inches.
https://www.amazon.com/Aokitec-Cordl.../dp/B08NX1BK4K