110 Volt Outlet Help Needed

[Clusterliver1]

I have a 2015 Fusion SE Hybrid and while traveling Plug in a marine refrigerator/freezer. This unit runs well in the car and have had no problems. It uses what I call the cigarette lighter plug at the rear of the console. The problem comes when I plug in a heating pad using the two-prong outlet at the rear of the console. The heating pad will not heat up at all. I’ve disconnected the refrigerator thinking the system can’t support both at the same time. No heat in the pad. I’ve plugged the refrigerator into the two prong outlet and it runs fine. The heating pad operates fine at home and in hotels.

Appreciate any suggestions or ideas  you may have.

[bangster]

While they are usually less than the 150 watts that 110v AC power point supports, the manual says it doesn't work well for some types of items, including micro-processor heating pads/blankets.

Other appliances requiring an extremely stable power supply, for example microcomputer-controlled electric blankets or touch sensor lamps.

[Clusterliver1]

Thanks for the info! I think you’re spot on with it. I’ll have to find one of those old models with the click switch, if they’re still made!

[ClaveMan]

I would like to bump this.. 

 

Ford tells me the 110volt outlet should be putting out 99 volts -- which is useless (right?)

 

I have a 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum which I love dearly.  While shopping I noticed the Platinum trim came with a 110volt A/C two prong outlet.  I thought it would be great for charging my laptop, but it never worked (see complaint in service request below).

 

After 4 years (as I stared at my dead laptop in the passenger seat) it dawned on me that my outlet might be defective.  

"This might be covered under that super expensive top-end extended warranty I bought.  genius!"  

 

Nothing to lose, right?  

 

After two hours the Ford dealer service desk tells me all is well.  "No problem!  The outlet is putting out right at spec.  99Volts!"  

We will have to charge you your $50 deductible for the investigation.  Have a great day!"

 

Any thoughts?  What am I supposed to do with 99 volts? 

 

[andyross]

Very often outlets powered from 12V do not output true AC, but some form of stepped wave or even a square wave. Some power supplies do not like that, especially those that are high-efficiency. It's a similar issue with UPS's you can use with computers/electronics. Some computers will shut down unless you use a true sine wave UPS.

[ClaveMan]

Thanks for your reply.   What was Ford thinking?  

We're talking .5 Amps for my 60 watt laptop charger. 

 

I'm not plugging in a finicky flat screen or 1200 Watt Home Theatre Amp here (where power quality is super important).

 

What device labeled 110v A/C will anticipate 99.3 volts?  No wonder my laptop didn't recognize it.

 

I am guessing a 5 watt 110 volt USB charger might work..  

Just expected more since everything else is so well done.

[andyross]

Without hooking up some form of oscilloscope to view the waveform, it's hard to tell what the real issue could be. That said, some power supplies are rated 100-240V, as I believe Japan typically uses 100V, not the 110-120 we use. The voltage could actually be correct, but some meters cannot properly display the voltage on a non-sinusoidal waveform.