I have a 14 guage extension cord. I have a 600 watt light/ballast, a vortex inline fan rated I believe around 80 watts but maybe more because it is pushing through a 4" exhaust 12' and is pulling through a phat filter. I also have a med size oscillating fan that probably isnt alot, maybe 100 watts at most. I will have all this plugged into one 15', 14 guage extension cord. I realize I am under the max watts but I am not one to push the envelope. Lets just say I have 1000 watts running 18/6, does this seem safe?
power load/safety question
- Thread starter ScottNM
- Start date
fir3dragon
Well-Known Member
Well, I would find out if it runs warm. If the cord is warm, you need a thicker cord. I'm going to get 12awg cord for my 600w hps and one for my ac. I have my stuff on separate circuits to prevent fuse from breaking. I believe Home Depot has one with a 13 amp breaker built in which is a plus, but I was going to just get 12 awg to be safe
chronictre
Member
Never run extension cords for power to your grow room. Silly thing to do. Always follow the electrical code, as it's the minimum requirements of safety.
Run a dedicated feed. A nice 12/2 wire on a 20A breaker should fix you up.
Run a dedicated feed. A nice 12/2 wire on a 20A breaker should fix you up.
fir3dragon
Well-Known Member
Why is it silly? I'm no electrician but I don't fine anything wrong with running a 12 awg cord from another bedroom on another circuit to split things up.. Why is that different from a main line? I mean I got a house and only use one bedroom and I grow in my closet... I use extension cords to run my stuff in the other bedrooms because there's nothing on them.... Why is that silly?
droopy107
Well-Known Member
It's safe as long as your cord is in good shape and your overload protection on the circuit isn't greater than 15 amps. With the load you are planning you could still use the 14 awg cord even if you have a 20 amp breaker, but for piece of mind (and possible future expansion) I would suggest just buying a 12 awg cord of the shortest length practical and then rest easy at night. Where people generally get into trouble is trying to use an under sized cord or by using a 100 ft cord when a 25 ft cord is all they need. There is no practical difference in using a decent quality extension cord and running romex. Either way it all comes down to the load, the condition of the circuit and the length of the run. Whenever I answer a question such as this, I always take the opportunity to remind people to also take the time to inspect the condition of the wiring/ receptacle/ breaker that will bring the power to the extension cord you intend to use. It's every bit as important as the extension cord you will plug into it.
fir3dragon
Well-Known Member
I agree a overload is bad. I'm using 2 12 awg 50ft cords I go my 600w hps and all my fans and stuff in one room on a circuit then I got another in the other bedroom for my ac on a different circuit not exceeding the loads. I don't find this silly. Just my opinion.
JonnyAppleSeed420
New Member
Most extension cords are stranded and all house wiring is solid wire. The difference is one is meant as a temporary and one is permanent. Length of run and heat build up would be my concern. JAS
droopy107
Well-Known Member
Not true. Almost all commercial/ industrial wire is stranded. Stranded is used because it is more flexible and easier to pull through conduit or bend, in the case of heavy gauge wire. A no 12 wire is rated for 20 amps, stranded or not.
droopy107
Well-Known Member
I was referring to the OP in that response. You probably got that, but I couldn't tell for sure from your post. As far as your post goes, I see no problem with your method. The only critique I would give would be to always use the shortest cord possible, especially with the AC unit. You didn't mention the unit size, but I'm guessing by the built in breaker size you mention, It's in the 5000-8000 btu range. If it's a decent quality cord, you should see no problems with the 50 footer. The only reason I mention this is for others who may read this post and haven't bought a cord yet. Shorter wire length=lower resistance=less heat=less overall risk. I wire for a living and that's a good rule of thumb. For what it's worth to you, I wouldn't run anything else along with the AC, on that circuit. It's good practice to de-rate the continuous load on a circuit by 20% when the load is running for long periods of time. A de-rated 20 A circuit comes out to 16 amps. The unit may be electrically rated to use only 13 amps once the compressor is up and running, but an AC compressor kicks on an off frequently (just like the AC in your car) and the starting in rush of current of the compressor will be much higher than 20 amps for very short periods of time. Taking this into account you don't really have any extra capacity on that circuit when considering long term heating of the wiring, including the romex going back to the breaker box.
jjoe75
Active Member
He is talking about romex wire which is solid and used to wire just about all residential buildings. The power company runs stranded wire ( prolly 2/0 or 3/0) to run from the pole to your house. Hospitals, stadiums, and most large structures use MCM (KCMIL) to supply main power and smaller otts do distribute it. The poster a few above me is correct saying if your cord is hot get a bigger AWG cord or contact your local Electrical supply house... not home depot.... something like Rexell, Graybar are a few bigger ones and tell them you want "X" feet of SOOW 10-3 or SOOW 8-3 and the standard 3 prong male and female plugs for the cable you just ordered and that will carry your current without any heat issues. I have been dealing with every kind of wire under the sun for 15 years now and as long as you have the proper size cable there are no issues..... when outdoor concerts are going on do you think they have dedicated lines for the sound, lighting, control boards, and any other special effect? They use high end properly sized stage cables AKA extension cords.