Comment on Why is daisychaining multiple extension cords considered unsafe, even if only done to the length of a standard cable?

givesomefucks@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

“never plug extension cords into extension cords” is probably the most common piece of electrical related advice I’ve ever heard.

Same reason power cables outside are fucking huge and the cord to your TV is tiny.

Electrical loss generates heat, so the longer the cable, the thicker it needs to be before that heat is too much.

Don’t forget a filament in an old school light bulb is just really thin wite. The thinner it is the less energy required to make it glow, which is why there’s like a 200 year old light bulb still going, it’s just a thick filament and very inefficient

So I’d never plug two of those rinky dink indoor extension cords together, it doesn’t take much length before it starts “glowing” like a light bulb filament, which happens at the plug and can burn a house down.

But…

Growing up doing rural construction with heavy gauge extension cords we never thought twice about hooking multiples up as long as it was just something quick for a few minutes at a time. Then never left it plugged into the source when not in use. You’d never do it for like a radio even because eventually it’s gonna heat up back at the aource.

Someone else already mentioned not pulling it right, we’d “doughnut” the connection so that if it did get yanked accidentally it wouldn’t unplug, but obviously it can’t be under constant stress even like that.

source
Sort:hotnewtop