Aux Light wiring question

[KC HiLiTES]

Hello,

The snow is coming!! so I need some amber lights. I ordered a cheap set from Amazon https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/members/110031/, so I can have them tomorrow It is a 120w set and they include a wiring harness with a switch and relay, but I'm going to wire them to one of the factory 15a aux switches. So finally the question. Confirming that I do not need the relay or harness. I can just run a wire from the factory aux harness directly to the lights, ground and be good to go, correct?

Thanks,
Gary

I would check the current draw of the light and add an additional 5 amps as a safety margin per Ohm’s law. If the total is under 15 amps, the relay can be removed. However, if the draw is 15 amps or higher, the relay should remain in place to protect both the lights and the OEM AUX switch system.


Keeping the relay inline also allows the lights to be triggered by a lower-amp AUX switch, preserving the higher-amp switches for accessories with greater current demands.

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[TrustWonUSA]

Those wires are puny, i dont think they are properly rated. Keep the relay

 

[ASSFROW]

Nope you’re right. I can’t think of a reason for two relays, but I’ve been wrong at least once before

Just for futureproofing if I decide to add more lights to that switch.

if that's truly 120W per light, that 15A circuit won't be adequate.

if that's 120W per *pair*, or (more likely) one of those "120W equivalent" Marketing BS ratings, that 15A circuit will probably be enough by itself.

can't tell what lights we're talking about since the link provided goes to a members profile, not to any lights.

I fixed the link, not sure what happened, they aren't even their lights.

The lights are advertised at a total of 120w, so 60w each, but they actually draw 25w each based on reviewers that measured them.


Thanks everyone for the replies. I ended putting the watertight connects on the lights and harness Thursday night and only had last night after work to get them installed, so after mounting them and running the leads to the lights I couldn't easily find somewhere to mount the relay. The relay, extra wiring and the switch leg(I cut in down to a small pigtail) was just to much crap to stuff under the hood. I cut it all off and just used the run for the lights, there was plenty and wired it to the switch lead and a ground post on the firewall next to the battery.

And of course the Jeep had to be a Jeep. I mounted the lights in 2 of the bolt holes on top and front of the factory steel bumper, which meant I had to remove the unuts, which also meant I had to remove all of the bolts on top of the bumper to get enough clearance to remove said unuts. Anyone ever have a unut break? Yeah, what a pain in the dick to get removed. Lots of cussing and vicegrip antics.

The lights are mounted and work great, I'm ready for the snow tonight, tomorrow and Monday.

Oh and I was yesterday years old when I learned that some of the bolts for the bumper skin are different lengths! I am today years old when I learned it's the two in the front and I will be I dunno how many years old when I take out about 20 or so bolts to find the other long one.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Terrymo]

I would check the current draw of the light and add an additional 5 amps as a safety margin per Ohm’s law. If the total is under 15 amps, the relay can be removed. However, if the draw is 15 amps or higher, the relay should remain in place to protect both the lights and the OEM AUX switch system.


Keeping the relay inline also allows the lights to be triggered by a lower-amp AUX switch, preserving the higher-amp switches for accessories with greater current demands.

So just to be clear you’re saying in the scenario you’ve given, despite the factory auxillary switch already having its own relay, you would install the second relay?

 

[ASSFROW]

So just to be clear you’re saying in the scenario you’ve given, despite the factory auxillary switch already having its own relay, you would install the second relay?

If they're drawing over 15 amps, then probably a 30amp relay using the aux output as a trigger, but I coulda just used one of the higher amp switches.

 

[Nokones]

The light package is a pair of lights that are advertised with a combined lumens rating total of 12,000, 6,000 lumens each. The power draw for each 6000 lumen light appears to be about the same, 5 amps, as compared to a better quality built light with the same lumen rating as a Rigid 4 inch light.

If it was me, I wouldn't trust the manufacturer's power draw rating of these lights. It would be best to check the actual total load with these lights before I connect them to a 15 amp circuit just to be on the safe side to make sure they don't exceed an acceptable power draw for a 15 amp rated circuit to avoid problems. I'm not sure why the light device manufacturer would need to provide a relay for a pair of devices that are only rated for 10 amps. That just adds to the cost of marketing these lights.

 

[Nokones]

Hmm, I wonder why that the Engineers put a relay on each of the two 15 Amp Aux circuits and also they're each fused with 15 amp mini fuses. I wonder if there is some alternate control of these circuits to warrant a relay.

 

[ASSFROW]

The light package is a pair of lights that are advertised with a combined lumens rating total of 12,000, 6,000 lumens each. The power draw for each 6000 lumen light appears to be about the same, 5 amps, as compared to a better quality built light with the same lumen rating as a Rigid 4 inch light.

If it was me, I wouldn't trust the manufacturer's power draw rating of these lights. It would be best to check the actual total load with these lights before I connect them to a 15 amp circuit just to be on the safe side to make sure they don't exceed an acceptable power draw for a 15 amp rated circuit to avoid problems. I'm not sure why the light device manufacturer would need to provide a relay for a pair of devices that are only rated for 10 amps. That just adds to the cost of marketing these lights.

OK, so I'm not a lighting expert and I don't mean that in a douchie way. I can run wires, attach connectors and plug things in. I can also ask questions and follow directions, which is the extent of my expertise in wiring, then ask more questions if I plan the deviate from initial instructions. but......

There were reviewers that measured the draw of the lights and it was 25 watts each. While testing to figure out which switch wires to jump, so I could eliminate the switch I hooked them up to a 12v volt power supply for 15 minutes or so using a 10a fuse(one was included with the kit as well as several 15a fuses) and it did not blow. I know it was only short period of time, but the fuse didn't blow.

Why would they provide a relay? From what I have been told it is never a good idea to run full power through a switch, this kit included a lit toggle switch, so as far as I know running power for the lights through that switch in a no no.

Hmm, I wonder why that the Engineers put a relay on each of the two 15 Amp Aux circuits and also they're each fused with 15 amp mini fuses. I wonder if there is some alternate control of these circuits to warrant a relay.

If you're referring to the light kit, it has one relay and one fuse. If you're referring to the relay(remember my limited knowledge), There is one circuit(high wattage, triggered) to the lights and one circuit(low wattage, constant) to power the lit toggle switch.

As for adding cost, these were like $35 and I dunno why a retailer would want to unnecessarily add to their costs.

 

[Nokones]

OK, so I'm not a lighting expert and I don't mean that in a douchie way. I can run wires, attach connectors and plug things in. I can also ask questions and follow directions, which is the extent of my expertise in wiring, then ask more questions if I plan the deviate from initial instructions. but......

There were reviewers that measured the draw of the lights and it was 25 watts each. While testing to figure out which switch wires to jump, so I could eliminate the switch I hooked them up to a 12v volt power supply for 15 minutes or so using a 10a fuse(one was included with the kit as well as several 15a fuses) and it did not blow. I know it was only short period of time, but the fuse didn't blow.

Why would they provide a relay? From what I have been told it is never a good idea to run full power through a switch, this kit included a lit toggle switch, so as far as I know running power for the lights through that switch in a no no.



If you're referring to the light kit, it has one relay and one fuse. If you're referring to the relay(remember my limited knowledge), There is one circuit(high wattage, triggered) to the lights and one circuit(low wattage, constant) to power the lit toggle switch.

As for adding cost, these were like $35 and I dunno why a retailer would want to unnecessarily add to their costs.

My previous post was referring to the two factory 15 amp Aux circuits. Numbers 3 & 4. They also have relays. The more I think about it, it may be so the factory doesn't have to run a bunch of power to the dash and keep the loads out of the interior. If that is the reason, makes since to me and for a better distribution of power and the ability of using smaller, in wire size, runs to the dashboard controls.

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