[Solkuter]

Question and I'm clueless when it comes to this stuff so pardon the ignorance. In the Bose thread (exceptionally documented how one can upgrade behind rear seats) JMII pointed out the box for power to the outlet.
Any opportunity to replace that component with beefier unit?

 

[JMII]

Any opportunity to replace that component with beefier unit?

All kinds of inverters are available in the aftermarket, however based on the pictures I'd say the wiring in the SC is not beefy enough to handle such an upgrade. Can it be done? Sure... but only if you are very familiar with such things and upgraded all the wiring as necessary.

I just pointed it out because that box is not the amplifier for stereo. The stereo amp is under the driver's seat.

 

[BigDaddyMike]

How long do you think I could run a crockpot on warm during a tailgate without draining the battery too far?

 

[Phil75]

How long do you think I could run a crockpot on warm during a tailgate without draining the battery too far?

The 115 volt outlet on the Santa Cruz has an output of about 1.5 Amps., if I remember correctly. That is not enough to brew a cup of coffee, let alone run a crockpot. It will light three 60 Watt light bulbs. That is all. If you are asking, “Why, then, is it offered?” you are not the only one asking that question.

 

[GTAcruz]

list… 150W for SC

Maybe a Dremel rotary? 🤪

 

[Mjordan44]

I used it to run my 12v fridge using a110v adapter. It worked great for me. I'm going to install a 12v power point next to the 110v so I won't need an adapter next time.

I ran the fridge for roughly 7 hours but there was driving involved, so it wasn't off the battery most of the time.

 

[Mike_TX]

I used it to run my 12v fridge using a110v adapter. It worked great for me. I'm going to install a 12v power point next to the 110v so I won't need an adapter next time.

I ran the fridge for roughly 7 hours but there was driving involved, so it wasn't off the battery most of the time.

What is the amperage draw of that fridge (and wattage, if applicable)?

 

[AndyJones]

The typical power consumption is just a guide. For an accurate number you could measure the power usage with something like a KillAWatt meter. Those things are neat. Measure on commercial power to decide if it is safe for the inverter.

 

[Mike_TX]

So here's a question: Say you accidentally overload the outlet by plugging in something it can't handle. What happens? Does it blow a fuse you have to track down? Does it reset itself after a minute? What does it do?

 

[Phil75]

So here's a question: Say you accidentally overload the outlet by plugging in something it can't handle. What happens? Does it blow a fuse you have to track down? Does it reset itself after a minute? What does it do?

From what little I have read, inverters are made to protect themselves and stop functioning until the overload is removed. I have not overloaded one, though.

 

[Myth]

From here: Road Trip ? Crockpot is 265W, 120V and my inverter is ...

"A typical car battery is 42 amp -hours. If your crock pot draws 265 W you can figure 50% efficiency from the inverter or 530 W . Dividing by 12 volts, gives you a draw of about 45 amps. So that means you can run the crock pot for 42/45 ~ 1 hour. But your crock pot does not draw 265W all the time. It cycles on an off. Figure it is really on only about ⅓ of the time so it will take 3 hours to draw the battery down." So after tailgating you're going to have a dead battery.

Anything the creates heat from electricity draws a LOT of power. You'll either need to keep the vehicle running or use a secondary auxiliary battery.

For tailgating, camping, etc. you really likely want something like this: Power Station/Solar Generator Buyer's Guide (Minimum 300W power station I'm guessing - 500W to be happy - and that's for just keeping things warm in a crock pot for a few hours - if you want to cook for 4+ hours you'd need 1000W.)

 

[rrbhokies]

Once again, another SC feature that was poorly executed. I sense a quite a few mid-cycle refresh updates to this truck.

 

[Phil75]

How long do you think I could run a crockpot on warm during a tailgate without draining the battery too far?

There are alternatives to heating food by drawing electrical power from the vehicle battery. If you are tailgating, the vehicle is likely parked. How about supporting the stoneware liner from the crockpot over a can or two of sterno? Once it was popular among some to wrap food in foil or a suitable container and use engine heat while driving for cooking or warming food. Cookbooks for such things are even available. One is called Maniford Destiny.

 

[BlazerMarc]

Anything the creates heat from electricity draws a LOT of power.

The 150w is good for charging cordless power tool batteries, or even powering a 60" LED TV, but not for cooking or a coffee maker or an electric blanket or a hair dryer!

I've heard the Ridgeline's power outlet is 400w only when the engine is running, and 150w when the engine's off. Anybody know if the same is true for the Santa Cruz?

 

[Mike_TX]

So what happens when you plug a 500w inverter into the outlet? That's an inverter on top of an inverter.

I'm sure it depends on the amperage draw of that (second) inverter, but it would be nice to be able to squeeze a little more power out of the outlet!

 

[Drago15]

Wondering what people have used the bed socket for so far and if anyone has overloaded it?

 

[Oldflyer]

I have And mine is dead as a doornail. I knew it didn’t provide much power, so I plugged in a variable-speed drill, so I could start with a very low draw and watch and listen to see how cooperative it was. Almost immediately a red light showed (out of the corner of my vision) and the supply shut down. This was with only a barely moving drill motor with no load. I figured, "ok, that didn’t take much!" I’ll just replace the fuse and not try that again. NOPE. Seems there is no fuse, and I read somewhere that if you overload the circuit it shuts down and has to be reset by a shop! Haven’t asked the dealer to correct it. It has such a low capacity I can’t imagine anything I would ever want to use it for. If you could go to a big box and cut a few 2x4s in half with a small jigsaw so you could load them into the bed it would be useful, but as it is, I don’t think I’ll even try to fix it. Should have read the details about it’s limits and checked them against my tools draw before testing, but I figured the fuse would just blow if I over-drew it. Guess not!

 

[ToadVine]

... I read somewhere that if you overload the circuit it shuts down and has to be reset by a shop!

So, instead of a fuse, it has a circuit breaker. We just need for someone with a shop manual find out where it's located... maybe it's right on the inverter.

Of course, that doesn't fix the original problem: that it has little practical use.

 

[CaseyH]

Just need to get all cordless tools and just use the in-bed outlet to run the cordless tool battery charger.

 

[Oldflyer]

It didn't have a high value for me to begin with, which was why I was willing to push my luck to test it. Would like to know what level of power is supplied in "real trucks."