Away With The Phantom Menace September 14, 2018, 03:27:46 pm I don’t know how many 12 volt outlets are in other LD’s, but with the exception of the two dash outlets that run off the chassis battery our RB has one underneath the dinette table. Wayyyy underneath. Many 12 volt plugs have a tiny led that illuminates when powered up. It may not be much of a Phantom Drain but it’s enough for me to unplug the cord when not in use. Besides that, even with the longest cord available it really doesn’t reach too far. Today I received a “cheap fix” to this persistent problem-A 14 foot 12 volt extension cord. Although Amazon’s description of the item shows those pesky led’s on both ends of the cord, mine doesn’t have any. How exciting is that? 🧐Now I have a 12 volt power cord that can reach from the dinette to the dash, the RB or even out the door or window. All this with no Phantom Draw. I really don’t see why I can’t just leave it plugged in continuously so we don’t have to struggle crawling underneath the table each time we need power to charge our cell phones. Great price. Simple solution. A real win win right? Any concerns with this idea? Kent 3 Likes
Re: Away With The Phantom Menace Reply #1 – September 14, 2018, 04:27:40 pm "A 14 foot 12 volt extension cord."Wow! That's a very substantial looking power cord. Not that it would make a lot of difference in your intended use, but is there any loss, input to output?
Re: Away With The Phantom Menace Reply #2 – September 14, 2018, 06:11:25 pm Steve,Using my Milwaukee 2216-20 Multimeter I’m reading 14.5volts at the wall outlet and 14.5 at the end of the extension cord. Looks good to me.The nice thing here is that removing power cords from the 12volt wall outlet puts quite a physical strain on the outlet during cord removal. So if this extension can remain plugged in 24/7, this should put far less wear on the wall outlet. Just one less thing to go wrong later on down the road.Kent
Re: Away With The Phantom Menace Reply #3 – September 14, 2018, 06:22:30 pm Quote from: Kent Heckethorn - September 14, 2018, 03:27:46 pmI don’t know how many 12 volt outlets are in other LD’s, but with the exception of the two dash outlets that run off the chassis battery our RB has one underneath the dinette table. Wayyyy underneath. Many 12 volt plugs have a tiny led that illuminates when powered up. It may not be much of a Phantom Drain but it’s enough for me to unplug the cord when not in use. Besides that, even with the longest cord available it really doesn’t reach too far. Today I received a “cheap fix” to this persistent problem-A 14 foot 12 volt extension cord. Although Amazon’s description of the item shows those pesky led’s on both ends of the cord, mine doesn’t have any. How exciting is that? 🧐Now I have a 12 volt power cord that can reach from the dinette to the dash, the RB or even out the door or window. All this with no Phantom Draw. I really don’t see why I can’t just leave it plugged in continuously so we don’t have to struggle crawling underneath the table each time we need power to charge our cell phones. Great price. Simple solution. A real win win right? Any concerns with this idea? Kent"Some cords do suck vampire power even when nothing is plugged into them. Extension cords are an exception. Cell phone charger cords are an example of a cord that does draw power even when it is not plugged into the phone. One way to tell if a cord is using power is to touch the adapter where it plugs into the wall. If it is warm, it is likely using power."Chris 2 Likes
Re: Away With The Phantom Menace Reply #4 – September 15, 2018, 08:09:10 am A cord to trip over would not work for us. I don't know where or how many 12-volt outlets there are in RB, but if there is not one where you need want, they are simple to add. I have added both 12-volt outlets and dedicated USB ports in several places. The wires are in a raceway in the overhead bins. After you remove 200 staples the cover can be removed to access the wiring.Even simpler is to use USB port that fits in a 12-volt outlet. We have one that stays in one of the dash outlets for phone charging.The 12-volt outlets LD uses are not the best grade, but after 11 years of use we have not had one fail. Bosch makes an excellent one and many marine grade ones are of good quality.
Re: Away With The Phantom Menace Reply #5 – September 15, 2018, 10:37:45 am Don,I agree that adding additional 12 volt outlets would be a great idea and Steve has outlined some wonderful upgrades in this regard. For a purely “fast and easy” and inexpensive fix (no staple removal or cupboard disassembly), the extension cord works for me. The RB has the one outlet under the dinette and while I do take advantage of the dash outlets, in the evenings they remain idle in fear of my forgetful mind. As for now, the new cord will remain tucked away on the dinette seat ready for action out of the way until the need arises. The pliers will stay in the tool box and I’ll just have another cup of coffee.Heading back to Big Bear in the morning to enjoy morning bike rides around the lake.Kent 1 Likes
Re: Away With The Phantom Menace Reply #6 – September 15, 2018, 12:03:39 pm I keep a 12 volt cord plugged in to charge phones and it has a light on it but I kind of enjoy it as a night light. Just enough light to not step on the dog as I'm making one of my old man nightly bathroom visits.
Topic: Away With The Phantom Menace (Read 246 times)
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Topic: Away With The Phantom Menace (Read 246 times)
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