Electrical Guru's - Additional 115v AC Outlets

[wkeryder4]

Hey all you electrical guru's,

I've been racking my brain for the past few weeks on a project that I've been wanting to do and can't figure out the best/safest way to do it. What I want to accomplish is to install an additional AC outlet in the rear of the vehicle that will still be controlled through my AC switch on the dashboard. I have already converted my 115v to be constant and work with the switch but I'm not sure how to wire in an additional outlet to work with them. My initial plan was to just tap into the factory outlet and run the wiring back to the outlet in the rear but I don't want to run the risk of shorting something out and I don't know enough about electrical systems to be confident in something like that. Would that be safe or should I look into installing an additional inverter in the back and somehow wiring that into the switch up front? I know that I could always just get an inverter and plug it into the DC outlet back there but I'm looking for something a little more permanent. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Asmara]

Hey all you electrical guru's,

I've been racking my brain for the past few weeks on a project that I've been wanting to do and can't figure out the best/safest way to do it. What I want to accomplish is to install an additional AC outlet in the rear of the vehicle that will still be controlled through my AC switch on the dashboard. I have already converted my 115v to be constant and work with the switch but I'm not sure how to wire in an additional outlet to work with them. My initial plan was to just tap into the factory outlet and run the wiring back to the outlet in the rear but I don't want to run the risk of shorting something out and I don't know enough about electrical systems to be confident in something like that. Would that be safe or should I look into installing an additional inverter in the back and somehow wiring that into the switch up front? I know that I could always just get an inverter and plug it into the DC outlet back there but I'm looking for something a little more permanent. Any advice would be appreciated.

If I was doing it I would probably tap into the DC line before it reaches the inverter and is converted to AC. That will keep the voltages lower (although it is current that kills) and I think make it much safer. The biggest thing you should do is take a look at the wire gauge for the DC portion of the circuit. Run something the same size or larger to the rear and use a separate inverter. That will give you the switch control you want.

You could run the AC to the back but I don't think it would be the safest thing to do in a vehicle where everything is expected to be 12 VDC.

 

[A/V1]

You could easily use the same main instrument panel switch to control a second inverter (which is how I'd do it).

I've drawn up a simple diagram for adding the second inverter to the original system.

Original diagram:

View attachment 2003 4Runner Power Outlet 115 VAC.pdf

My diagram:



Be sure to get power off something that offers plenty of power, such as the tow brake provision, which offers 30amp fused power. Also use proper sized wire for your inverter. You may want to be careful with too many things running on constant power or you'll wind up with a dead battery when you least expect it!

 

[wkeryder4]

You could easily use the same main instrument panel switch to control a second inverter (which is how I'd do it).

I've drawn up a simple diagram for adding the second inverter to the original system.

Be sure to get power off something that offers plenty of power, such as the tow brake provision, which offers 30amp fused power. Also use proper sized wire for your inverter. You may want to be careful with too many things running on constant power or you'll wind up with a dead battery when you least expect it!

Thanks, this is great info! I do plan on installing a secondary battery in the future but I really just want to have the ability to plug something in in the rear of the vehicle instead of running an extension cord from the center console. I don't plan on having anything pulling constant power. That's why I wasn't sure if a second inverter was really necessary.