photo of Marine-style USB power and battery monitor

Marine-Style 12 Volt Outlets in Our Teardrop

Jim, July 23:

One thing we learned on our trip to Big Bend, we needed more power outlets! With two smart phones, an iPad, a laptop, two cameras and other low-voltage doodads and geegaws, the two 12-volt and two 120-volt outlets that came with the trailer were simply not enough. Multi-outlet USB chargers helped, but added to the clutter in the cabin — especially at night. Also, the existing outlets were located on the aft interior and galley walls. Not convenient for charging while reading in bed.

photo of Galley outlets

Galley outlets

We had been working on a friend’s tiny house, and learned that the universe of 12-volt equipment has greatly expanded in the last couple of years. The tiny house was equipped with a marine power center, and offered 120/240-volt and 12-volt service. Just what was needed while at shore or underway. We equipped the tiny house entirely with 12-volt lighting, and easily found fixtures, light bulbs and other 12-volt outlets. With all the interest in solar power the number and quality of such devices is rapidly improving, and a trip to the Amazon store yielded several marine-style USB, cigar lighter and battery monitor fixtures.

photo of USB power outlet detail

USB power outlet detail

Fortunately, the Ambassador has hollow wood-paneled walls, so expanding the existing 12-volt wiring wasn’t too difficult. I simply replaced the two 12-volt cigar outlets with double and triple-gang devices on the back wall of the cabin and galley, while adding a pair of USB outlets on the forward wall under the cabin light. The marine system is nice because the 2 or 3 position panels can accept any combination of outlets and monitoring.

Now we can read in bed while charging our iPhones and other USB and cigar-lighter-based devices. Perfect!

3 thoughts on “Marine-Style 12 Volt Outlets in Our Teardrop

  1. John Roy Morgan

    I too needed to install these 12 volt ports. What I found out is that the blue lights and the constant voltage reading over time drained the battery. I installed off/ on switches to kill power to them when not needed…

    1. kerkhoff@mac.com Post author

      John, I measured the current drain on the 12 volt ports we used and it’s on the order of a few milliamps. In my experience, this will drain the battery at about the same speed it would discharge from just sitting, so I left ours connected. It is wise to put any lead acid battery on a battery maintainer (even without this small load) to ensure it’s ready for the next camping season. Thank you for sharing your experience!

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