Most car users who like smoking tend to have a cigarette lighter in the car. At first, the car cigarette lighter is used for lighting a cigarette, but later, the cigarette lighter socket is also used for charging electronics. Though it is simply designed, it may cause big safety hazards if improperly used. how to use the cigarette lighter in the car? Here are some questions you may encounter in life.

Question one: what should I do when the cigarette lighter doesn’t work?
It is easy to use a car cigarette lighter. But sometimes it doesn’t work. When this situation occurs, you can check it according to the following points:
1. Check whether it is poorly connected. If the lighter is always loose, it won’t break down. If it is due to a poor connection, just take the socket several turns and try it again.
2. Open the fuse block and check where the fuse is. Find it and replace a new fuse.
3. Use the cigarette lighter in another car to check whether it is broken. If it is still useless, then the heater strip may be broken. Just get a new cigarette lighter for your car.
4.If the fuse isn’t broken, then it may because you connect GPS or other devices. If so, just try to extract its head a little bit.

Question two: how can I use the cigarette lighter to charge electronic devices or appliances?
If you want to use electronics or appliances, you can connect a power inverter which can convert car battery DC 12V, 24V or 48V into household AC current for usual appliances and electronic devices. Some cigarette lighter socket has USB ports so you can use it to charge cellphones, iPad and other mobile devices. But every power inverter has its max output power and current, remember not to overload when charging appliances.

Question three: is it safe to use it to light a cigarette?
If you use it properly, usually you can feel safe. But you’d better not light a cigarette too casually. When lighting a cigarette, the cigarette needs to touch the heater strip, so save your energy and let the strip relax. If there is pipe tobacco falling into the heater strip, clean it up quickly, or it may shorten the lighter’s life.

Question four: is single outlet lighter better or multi splitters better?
Both the two types are useful and you can choose the better one based on your own requirements. If you just want to use it for smoking, then a single cigarette lighter is enough. If you want to power up some electronic devices in a car, then choose one with USB charging ports. Some car cigarette lighters are designed with more than one USB ports so that you can charge multi devices simultaneously. But you need to check whether the USB interfaces are suitable for your devices. If you want to use appliances, then you need a power inverter as well which has a cigarette lighter socket. There are cigarette lighters with two, three or lighter sockets. Though a lighter with multi sockets can allow you to charge more appliances at the same time, the more connectors you use, the hotter the lighter will become. To avoid safety hazards, just choose one with suitable sockets.

Question five: can I use it for a long time?
You’d better not use it for a long time. If it is used for a long time, the jump ring inside the cigarette lighter is easy to be broken and can’t heat up the heater strip. Besides, some people think when the car stops, the cigarette lighter also stops working. Actually, some cars still have power, so it is not wise enough to use it or connect with external devices for a long time. You’d better plug it when you need it and unplug it when there is no need.

Question six: what appliances or electronics can I use with a cigarette lighter?
Though cigarette lighter is a reliable power provider for people when going out by car, you can connect with a power inverter and start to charge electronics and appliances freely. But don’t think a cigarette lighter or a power inverter is a magical and feel free to charge any mobile devices or appliances like in-car refrigerator, GPS, air pump, or even induction cooker. 

Question Seven: how long does a car cigarette lighter take to heat up

The cigarette lighter can heat up very quickly within a couple of minutes once you plug it into the socket. It only works when the car is on. When you drive, be careful to use the cigarette lighter, because of the power cord that may get wrapped around your steering column.  And remember to unplug it when you don't need to use it because it can also waste the battery as long as it is connected to the car. 

First, you should know that not every mobile device is suitable for USB ports. Cellphones, tablets, iPods, music players and so on, may need different charging interface, so check the ports first before using for charging. Commonly, a car battery can provide DC 12V, 24V or 48V current, so some people use a power inverter to convert the current for household appliances while neglecting that a cigarette lighter also has its rated power. The most cigarette lighters in the market can only provide DC 12V, 5A current and max 120W, so if you choose it to charge appliances, check the rated power of the appliances. Besides, a power inverter also has rated power, so no matter what devices you want to use in your car, remember not overload. 

The cigarette lighter is a traditional but useful device in a car, not only for lighting a cigarette but for charging electronic devices and appliances. Sure you can know more about how to use a car cigarette lighter with the above questions. 

One car cigarette lighter splitter recommended here for you to check on website and Amazon.