I’ve a 12v jet washer with only a car cigarette lighter plug. Best time to wash my bike is when the other half is out, so I need a way of plugging it into the mains rather than the car. Trouble is, it’s 180w / 15A which is way over the output of every adaptor I can find. This seems silly, is there a cheap solution?

A 12 volt motorcycle battery and
some jump leads
or a battery charger
or a cheap mains powered washer
or a big industrial transformer.

Can you run it of a 12v car battery ?
If you have a spare battery and a charger this may be your cheapest solution.

By the way are them 12v power washers any good ?

180w / 15A

is pushing a cars 12v adapter for any length of time. Are you sure? Does it have a proper chunky cable / wire? Does the cable / plug get hot?

A mobi uses 6A.

You could use an old car battery – and a 12v socket and croc clips on the other end. Make sure its fused. Then charge up the battery after use.

And cheekyboy – yes they really do work. My ‘maintenance’ routine has improved massively since I got one – the bike doesnt go back in the car until its roughly cleaned and the chain has had a spray. That’s it til the next time it gets to see the light of day.

I use the Mobi mains adapter. Brought a generic one from Maplins but didn’t work, the bloke said it might not but refunded without hassle.

Thanks for the comments above.

I was also concerned about that much current. The cable is not that chunky, but the sticker on the back clearly states 180W. It works great when connected to the car, although it’s not as powerful as the water pressure was when I had an outside tap in our old place.

I bought Maplin’s £20 5A adaptor and the light flashes and the washer just chugs once a second so it’s clearly starved of power. As with poster above the Maplin adaptor is back in box to go back!

I might just get an outside tap fitted here, but as we are now in a rented place it’s a pain rather than a £15 trip to B&Q.

Washer is this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-4289-Volt-Pressure-Washer/dp/B001QFJRDY

It was quite a bargain (£35) and as per line above perfect, other than not being able to run it on mains.

I’d guess direct from a battery then 180w is fine. A starter motor uses way more (but that’s not fused #edit but real short term). The thing is that as the washer starts up it will draw a LOT of current.

BTW Our car as a 10A fuse for the 12v socket. The van 15A. Thus my Q.

Outwith the car – I’d go for a spare battery (still with a fuse though -maybe 20A – if you’ve ever seen a tractor battery go bang you wouldnt mess with 12v current too much).

##Edit 2 – I got a 140W heater as a present for my van for the 12v socket (It’s a real slow bugger to warm up on a frosty morning). The hottest parts of the heater are the plug and the cable. I dont use it as it doesnt seem good for the electrics.

I bought a Porta power pack to run my old dirtworker from. Works perfectly and means it is still completely portable rather than needing access to mains or car power. Pricey, but it’s been worth it.
This one:
http://www.nomad-direct.co.uk/index.php/Products/Other-Products/Porta-Power-Pack/p_20.html

Old battery and a cheap aldi 12v auto charger.