Storage ? for electricians
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 428
Likes: 0
From: Eagle River AK
St. Jude Donor '10, '13
Storage ? for electricians
I store my vette's (C3 & C5) in a storage facility during the winter or when I need garage space for projects, and they have no electrical outlets. My question is do you think it would be safe to connect a CTEK 3300 battery charger to a light socket adapter (Rated at 125v / 660 watts) in order to keep my battery charged during storage? I haven't done it yet, but it is something I am considering instead of pulling the battery and keeping it hooked up at home. Thoughts / opinions welcome.
Thanks,
Steve
Thanks,
Steve
Pro
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 613
Likes: 1
From: Salt Lake City Utah
I'm not an electrician, but have dabbled quite a bit including basements and my garage. There shouldn't be any problem at all doing that. The current you are drawing with the trickle charger is nothing compared to what the light is pulling.
Unless you were plugging an A/C unit or a welder into it you should be good to go
Unless you were plugging an A/C unit or a welder into it you should be good to go
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,149
Likes: 6
From: NCCO Oklahoma
SCS Red80,
It shouldn't be a problem. Most lighting circuits are rated at 15 amps, and I would bet that the adapter has a similar specification.
The battery charger specifications (125V/660 watts) is less than 6 amps. Understand that the battery charger rating would be when the battery is completely dead and needed a full charge... which isn't the case for you storing two cars.
You might want to consider buying two small chargers. I recommend the Deltran Battery Tender Jr's, one for each car. You can get them locally at Batteries Plus (I-240 and Santa Fe) for $30 each, or on the net for a little cost savings. They are good little chargers, nice for long-time storage.
I have one on my Suburban with a Optima Red Top and it's been real decent. Hope this helps
Mark
It shouldn't be a problem. Most lighting circuits are rated at 15 amps, and I would bet that the adapter has a similar specification.
The battery charger specifications (125V/660 watts) is less than 6 amps. Understand that the battery charger rating would be when the battery is completely dead and needed a full charge... which isn't the case for you storing two cars.
You might want to consider buying two small chargers. I recommend the Deltran Battery Tender Jr's, one for each car. You can get them locally at Batteries Plus (I-240 and Santa Fe) for $30 each, or on the net for a little cost savings. They are good little chargers, nice for long-time storage.
I have one on my Suburban with a Optima Red Top and it's been real decent. Hope this helps
Mark
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
From: Fort Wayne Indiana
from two electricians discussing at GM
For a 15 amp circuit the wattage max is 1440 watts. As long as you don't exceed 13 amps (to be safe) you are ok. You don't want to use more than 80% to be safe. 120 volts x 15 amps x .8 (80%)= 1440 watts. You could plug two of them in if you want. A 20 amp circuit is good for even more of course= 120 x 20 x .8= 1920 watts.
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Brett Foote
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,150
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From: South Western Ontario
The specs for the CTEK 3300 say 120VAC, 0.6A which is 72W. Obviously, that's less than a 100W light bulb and much less than the 600W the adapter is rated for. You will be fine with a 600W connection even if you are running a 100W light bulb at the same time.
Peter
Peter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 749
Likes: 2
From: West Yarmouth MA.
For a 15 amp circuit the wattage max is 1440 watts. As long as you don't exceed 13 amps (to be safe) you are ok. You don't want to use more than 80% to be safe. 120 volts x 15 amps x .8 (80%)= 1440 watts. You could plug two of them in if you want. A 20 amp circuit is good for even more of course= 120 x 20 x .8= 1920 watts.
He knows his chit.