Electric Amp question

[Lynn Coleman]

Hi all,

Tonight Paul and I were at Wally World looking for a short heavy duty extension cord to go six feet. Never found one that size so we're going to the hardware store tomorrow and buy the wire to make our own.

One thing we notice though was that the thicker cords started at 16 gauge and worked down to 12 gauge. This got us to thinking. We're looking at the 14 guage and notice that it's only good for 13 amps. But the 12 guage was good for 15 amps. The window shaker ac pulls 15 amps. We've been running it on the 16 guage and haven't had a problem. However, we figured we should buy an extension cord that is build to carry the 15 amps. So, we purchased a 25' 12 guage extension cord.

In the long run I'm assuming we did the right thing.

Here's my question: Is it better to use 12 guage or were we over cautious?

Lynn

[asianflava]

The ones that you buy off the shelf have sealed ends to prevent water from getting inside. You might want to consider that if this extension cord is to be used outside.

[Podunkfla]

Lynn... Yep, you did good. It is far better to have a 12 gage power cord even when you may not need it all the time than have one too small. Electric motors and compressors get very unhappy without enough amps... Sometimes they croak.

[Lynn Coleman]

The ones that you buy off the shelf have sealed ends to prevent water from getting inside. You might want to consider that if this extension cord is to be used outside.

Yeah, this cord is for the inside to go from the ac unit to the surge protector strip. Also we get to drill smaller holes if we send through the wire and then attach the plug and receptacle.

Lynn

[Lynn Coleman]

Lynn... Yep, you did good. It is far better to have a 12 gage power cord even when you may not need it all the time than have one too small. Electric motors and compressors get very unhappy without enough amps... Sometimes they croak.

Thanks, Brick. I figured this was the way to go but I wanted to make sure before we buy the 12 gage.

Lynn

[Trackstriper]

Lynn,

Maybe a little bit over cautious, but I could be wrong. If this is the trailer and window shaker from your album I'm thinking that the AC unit is the typical small 5000-6000btu. If you look at the electrical spec sticker on the AC unit I think you'll find that it draws about 500-600 watts or roughly 5 amps rather than 15 amps. If that's the case, the 12 ga cord will be more than sufficient, and it certainly won''t hurt. It will give you even more peace of mind than you have now about the issue.

J.B.

[Alphacarina]

J.B. is right - No way your shaker draws 15 amps. They may say it is for a 15 amp outlet (the smallest household outlet there is) but no way it draws 15 amps

Find the watts it uses . . . . and divide that number by 120 and you'll have the amp draw. I suspect it's some number less than 5

A 14 or even 16 gauge cord should be fine. 12 is overkill, but with the electrics, overkill is always a 'good thing' - All it 'costs you' is more money and extra weight and if neither of those are a major concern, then a 12 gauge cord is perfect

Don

[jp03]

Not a fire hazard, or real risk at all; but remember the bigger the wire size, the less voltage drop there is. Yes we are nit picking here, but with a 25 foot cord, and lets say a low voltage power supply already/ a little fatter cord could only help. Remember slightly, for every 100 foot of wire, you may loose 5 volts. (rough rule of thumb). Now, how far from a campground main line coming in, is your campsite plugged in? My personal reasoning is, always get a 20amp rated cord. Then never a doublt of what outlet suppy I am plugging into. Short; the 12 gauge is good choice, even with 1/3 of load on it!

[nikwax]

a simple test for an extension cord is to feel it while it is in use. If it's getting warm that's an indication that it's too light. Always better to go heavier.

from our friends at UL:


To determine what size -- or gauge -- cord you will need, you will also have to determine how long you need the cord to be. A cord, based on its gauge, can power an appliance of a certain wattage only at specific distances. As the cord gets longer, the current carrying capacity of the cord gets lower. For example, a 16 gauge extension cord less than 50 feet in length can power a 1625 watt (W) appliance. A 16 gauge cord that is longer than 50 feet in length can only power an appliance up to 1250W.

[Podunkfla]

My little Frigidair 5000 btu unit says it uses 515 watts or 5.10 amps.
15 amps for a little window shaker does seem like a lot?

http://www.appleappliances.com/product. ... =FAX052P7A

[Lynn Coleman]

Lynn,

Maybe a little bit over cautious, but I could be wrong. If this is the trailer and window shaker from your album I'm thinking that the AC unit is the typical small 5000-6000btu. If you look at the electrical spec sticker on the AC unit I think you'll find that it draws about 500-600 watts or roughly 5 amps rather than 15 amps. If that's the case, the 12 ga cord will be more than sufficient, and it certainly won''t hurt. It will give you even more peace of mind than you have now about the issue.

J.B.

Hi J.B.
Thanks for the input. You're probably right. I'll have hubby track down the information later. He's putting together the seven foot cord at the moment. Thursday is our build day, I'm hoping to get the wiring done soon so we can turn on the ac while working on the inside.

Lynn