110 V Outlet

daselin · May 8, 2015

Hey there,

Looking for a little help on the outlet. We have a 2014 Sierra which is generally used for transporting our road / tri bikes tio races. When we camp at sites with no electric we will run the 110V. Obviously the power output has been well documented in other forums. We use it to power a very small plug in fan, Ipad charger, and Ihome radio. So my questions are this:

1) with the truck off, how long can one of these items run without killing the battery?

2) There seems to be housing on the driver's side for a second battery. Can one be installed and wired to this outlet as to not interfere with the main battery? If so (I presume yes) is this a large / expense task, less materials?

Thanks for any serious attempts to help. Also, thanks for any more latent and clever sarcasim. I understand it is ridiculous to have a truck and not know much about how it works.

thewhitestallion · May 9, 2015

yes you can put a battery in the front of the engine bay where the batteries used to be in gm trucks. as for wiring the 110v outlet to that battery i'm sure it can be done. but honestly don't think it would be worth it.

if your doing this a lot what I would personally do is place a second battery in that spot and then hook it up to the alternator and use a power inverter that you can buy at wal mart or home depot. they make all different kinds of power inverters and they can power anything and everything you need and you don't have to worry about your truck no starting when you go to leave. we used to use a power inverter when we tailgated and it powered a large tv and stereo system without issues. GL

tbarn · May 9, 2015

Depends on total amperage draw and the reserve capacity of your battery/batteries.

The Reserve Capacity (RC) rating multiplied by 0.6 gives the approximate available ampere-hours (AH) from full charge to complete rundown. Somewhere between full charge and complete rundown, the battery will reach a point at which it can no longer start the engine, although it may still operate some of the electrical accessories.

Zachlovesfood · May 18, 2015

From what I understood in previous forums, you can buy a second battery and run it in parallel with your stock battery. It's recommended that they're matching. I'm not savvy on the specifics, but I do know there's a part you can install that will preserve one of the batteries to start the engine, while using the other battery to power your accessories/auxiliary outlets while the engine is off... I've read many who stated they did not need to upgrade their alternator, that the stock powered both batteries just fine. All you need is a second battery, the wires, and a smart relay to separate the batteries accordingly. Hope this helps!

txchevy4ever · May 18, 2015

From what I understood in previous forums, you can buy a second battery and run it in parallel with your stock battery. It's recommended that they're matching. I'm not savvy on the specifics, but I do know there's a part you can install that will preserve one of the batteries to start the engine, while using the other battery to power your accessories/auxiliary outlets while the engine is off... I've read many who stated they did not need to upgrade their alternator, that the stock powered both batteries just fine. All you need is a second battery, the wires, and a smart relay to separate the batteries accordingly. Hope this helps!

Use this...http://www.atct-guardiansys.com/guardian-battery-backup-sys-wwireless-remote.html

Zachlovesfood · May 18, 2015

Txchevy, I like that option too. Seems there's more than one option!

Here's the link that first caught my eye. It explains slightly in depth also.

http://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/dual-battery-upgrade-chevy-gmc-1500/

Dusty12787 · June 6, 2015

Mine doesnt even work if the truck is off..,

Debra in Cali · June 6, 2015

My hubby is an electronic genius. He put a second battery in my old vehicle that served multiple functions. He installed a 110 V for a computer game set up for long trips. It was also ran an inverter. With the flip of a switch I could start my vehicle from the second battery. It also gave me the option to charge both batteries. And lastly we could pigtail to our trailer if we killed the battery in our trailer, but we had to remove the fuse between the dead battery and the 2nd battery, so that it didn't draw down on it.

GMC-AT · June 7, 2015

my plug doesn't work with the truck off as well.... is this by design? totally worthless to me..

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · June 7, 2015

Ya it's by design. I can understand the 110 plug doing that so you don't drain the battery, but I don't like that the 12 volt plugs also don't work unless the key is in the on position rather the truck is running or not. I sometimes use the truck to charge my phone some while not in it so I can't do that with this truck.

chuckl1218 · June 7, 2015

Ya it's by design. I can understand the 110 plug doing that so you don't drain the battery, but I don't like that the 12 volt plugs also don't work unless the key is in the on position rather the truck is running or not. I sometimes use the truck to charge my phone some while not in it so I can't do that with this truck.

There are some Accessory Power Outlets (APOs) that are battery power according to the Owners Manual, page 9-29...

The APOs in the console or center seat position are powered by RAP.

They will continue to work for up to 10 minutes after the key is turned from ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF, or until

the driver door is opened.

The APOs on the center stack come from the factory powered directly from the vehicle battery, and supply

accessory power at all times, regardless of ignition key position.

If electronic items are left plugged into these APOs for long periods of

time with the vehicle off, the vehicle battery could be drained. The vehicle may not start if the battery is

allowed to drain for an extended period of time.

Power Outlets

Accessory power outlets can be used to plug in electrical equipment, such as a cell phone, MP3

player, etc.

Vehicles with a Center Console

. One or two in front of the cupholders on the center console.

The vehicle may have up to four accessory power outlets.

One inside the center storage console.

One on the rear of the center storage console.

Vehicles with Bench Seats

. One on the center stack below the climate control system.

One or two in the storage area on the bench seat.

The power outlets on the center stack and in front of the cupholders

are powered at all times. The power outlets inside the storage area and on the rear of the console are

powered when the ignition is in ON/ RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY,

or when RAP is active.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · June 10, 2015

There are some Accessory Power Outlets (APOs) that are battery power according to the Owners Manual, page 9-29...

The APOs in the console or center seat position are powered by RAP.

They will continue to work for up to 10 minutes after the key is turned from ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF, or until

the driver door is opened.

The APOs on the center stack come from the factory powered directly from the vehicle battery, and supply

accessory power at all times, regardless of ignition key position.

If electronic items are left plugged into these APOs for long periods of

time with the vehicle off, the vehicle battery could be drained. The vehicle may not start if the battery is

allowed to drain for an extended period of time.

Power Outlets

Accessory power outlets can be used to plug in electrical equipment, such as a cell phone, MP3

player, etc.

Vehicles with a Center Console

. One or two in front of the cupholders on the center console.

The vehicle may have up to four accessory power outlets.

One inside the center storage console.

One on the rear of the center storage console.

Vehicles with Bench Seats

. One on the center stack below the climate control system.

One or two in the storage area on the bench seat.

The power outlets on the center stack and in front of the cupholders

are powered at all times. The power outlets inside the storage area and on the rear of the console are

powered when the ignition is in ON/ RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY,

or when RAP is active.

The 12 volt one in the center console (I have the 3 cup holder 3rd seat one, not the flow through) cuts off like the 110 volt plug so I guess I must have assumed the 12 volt plug above the 110 volt plug cut off like that also. That or I forgot that the 12 volt above the 110 volt acts as a normal 12 volt and is always on. I tried it today and saw the one above the 110 volt plug does stay on constantly, so just the 12 volt in the console shuts off like the 110. I wish the one in the console would stay on all the time though so I can easily hide my phone if I leave it in there to charge. It wouldn't be hiding it to see a charger going from the dash to the inside of the console lol. I do have an auto trashcan I bought from Walmart which I keep right in front of the console and middle seat and I guess I could put it under there and it would just look like the charger cord was hanging.

Debra in Cali · June 15, 2015

yes you can put a battery in the front of the engine bay where the batteries used to be in gm trucks. as for wiring the 110v outlet to that battery i'm sure it can be done. but honestly don't think it would be worth it.

if your doing this a lot what I would personally do is place a second battery in that spot and then hook it up to the alternator and use a power inverter that you can buy at wal mart or home depot. they make all different kinds of power inverters and they can power anything and everything you need and you don't have to worry about your truck no starting when you go to leave. we used to use a power inverter when we tailgated and it powered a large tv and stereo system without issues. GL

Where did you put your inverter? I had one in my old vehicle and we used it a lot when we went camping. But in my new Silverado, I am at a loss as to where to put it. The best place that hubby and I could come up with that we think will work is under the front passenger seat. But even that is iffy.

thewhitestallion · June 15, 2015

Where did you put your inverter? I had one in my old vehicle and we used it a lot when we went camping. But in my new Silverado, I am at a loss as to where to put it. The best place that hubby and I could come up with that we think will work is under the front passenger seat. But even that is iffy.

I don't have a power inverter on my truck right now. I was under the assumption that they would be needing power when parked. when I did use one when tailgating we would just leave it under the hood with the hood closed but not latched. I would then just run a power cord from the inverter to whatever needed power.

as far as using the inverter while driving I have no clue where you could put it. I would say somewhere up front behind the left headlight where the extra battery tray is at (that is if you don't have an extra battery in that spot). although I would make sure that the inverter can handle high temps because it obviously gets pretty hot under the hood, which could cause the inverter to overeat.