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Choosing the right extension may be more difficult than you originally thought.
Here are some important characteristics to think about before your next extension cord purchase.
Wire gauge is a measure of the thickness or diameter of an extension cord's internal wire. The thickness is measured as an AWG (American Wire Guage) number. The smaller the number (i.e. 10) the thicker the wire.
Most extension cords on the market have a gauge rating between 10 and 18 AWG. Most commercial grade cords are thicker cords, while cords for home and outdoor use may be small in diameter.
The AWG number is typically found on the cord's outer jacket. Additionally the guage number is usually paired with the number of wires inside of the cord. For instance, a 12/3 cord represents a 12-guage wire with three wires inside of the cord.
You will often see three numbers associated with a cords power capacity: Amps, volts, and Watts.
Amps measure the volume or amount of electricity flowing through a conductor (for our purpose; the cord). Volts measures the pressure or resistance of this electric flow. Watts measures the resulting power, or volts times amps.
The power rating is important because extension cords will overheat or catch fire if a high-wattage tool is plugged into a cord with insufficient power ratings.
Our extension cords come in a variety of lengths and when selecting your cord one property must be taken into consideration; voltage drop.
Voltage drop refers to the principle that the longer the extension cord, the greater the voltage lost. To avoid voltage drop, use the shortest extension cord possible for the given situation or use a cord with a thicker guage wire.
The wire inside your extension cords need a jacket to safely and effectively use them.
The strength, material, and purpose of the jacket are represented by universal letters. These letters are:
S - Indicates a flexible cord for general use
W - Indicates the cord is intended to be used outdoors
J - Indicates the cord is designed for standard 300 volt insulation. If there is no J the cord is thicker and meant for up to 600 volt insulation
P - Indicates parallel wire construction, used in household extension cords
T - Indicates the jacket is made with a vinyl thermoplastic
E - Indicates the jacket is made with thermoplastic elastomer rubber
O - Indicates the cord is oil-resistant
Extension cords are labeled as indoor and outdoor/general use. General use/outdoor cords can be used indoors, but never use an indoor cord outdoors.
Additionally cords are labeled for:
Light-duty - Great for christmas lights, fans, or small outdoor tools. Often 16 guage and 13 amp.
Medium-duty - Useful for power drills and more powerful outdoor tools. Usually 14 guage and 14 to 15 amp.
Heavy-duty - Can be used with heavy outdoor equipment like chain saws and generators. 10 or 12 guage wire and 16 to 20 amp power rated.
Extension cords may have either 2 or 3 prongs at the end of the cord. The third prong means the cord is grounded and can help with overall safety.
Many of our cords feature ends with multiple sockets, allowing for multiple tools or appliances to be plugged in. Please be aware of the total wattage being plugged in though.
