Extension Cords: The Electrical Tool You Might Be Using Wrong
Extension cords are one of those things almost everyone owns.
You need to plug in a vacuum just a little farther down the hallway. You’re working outside with a power tool. Halloween decorations are going up. Christmas lights need to reach the other side of the house. There’s no receptacle beside the desk, so an extension cord has quietly lived there for the last three years.
We plug them in, get the extra few feet we need and rarely give the cord itself much thought.
The problem with that is that not every extension cord is designed for every job.
There are many things to consider: length of the cord, gauge, whether it has two or three prongs, indoor versus outdoor, what you plug into, and even whether you leave the cord wound around its reel can matter.
Most importantly, an extension cord is meant to provide temporary power. If one has become a permanent part of how you use your home, it may be time to look at the electrical system instead.
As a Licensed Electrical Contractor serving St. Catharines and the Niagara Region, Keener Electric wants homeowners to understand what that cord in the corner is actually designed to do and when it may be telling you that your home needs a better electrical solution.
First: Extension Cords Aren’t All the Same
It’s easy to walk into a store, see a 25-foot, 50-foot and 100-foot cord and make your decision based almost entirely on how far you need it to reach but there is more information on that package for a reason.
Extension cords have ratings that tell you the electrical load they are designed to handle. Health Canada recommends checking that the cord is properly rated for the electrical product being used, including its power, voltage and current requirements. Electrical products and extension cords should also carry an approved Canadian certification mark.
Health Canada’s electrical product safety guidance provides more information on certification and safe cord use.
Before choosing a cord, you need to know what you are powering and not just how far away it is.
What Does Extension Cord Gauge Mean?
This is one specification many homeowners have probably seen without knowing exactly what it means.
An extension cord’s gauge refers to the thickness of the conductors inside it. One slightly confusing detail is that a lower gauge number means a thicker wire.
Different electrical devices draw different amounts of current. A lightweight cord that may be perfectly appropriate for a small load is not automatically appropriate for a higher-demand tool or piece of equipment.
This is also why buying an extension cord based on appearance alone is a bad idea. A thick-looking outer jacket does not tell you everything you need to know about the conductors inside it or the load it’s rated to carry.
Does the Length of an Extension Cord Matter?
It does, but not simply because you need it to reach. As electrical current travels through a conductor, it encounters resistance. Longer extension cords can contribute to greater voltage drop, particularly when the cord’s conductors are undersized for the load and distance.
That means you shouldn’t automatically reach for a 100-foot extension cord when you only need 15 feet simply because it’s the cord you happen to own. The load, gauge and length need to be considered together.
This becomes especially important with equipment that draws more power.
Do I Really Have to Unroll an Extension Cord From the Reel?
This is another easy mistake! You have a 50-foot extension cord on a reel, but you only need 10 feet. Why bother unwinding the rest?
Health Canada specifically recommends completely unrolling power and extension cords before use to help prevent overheating. A cord carrying electrical current generates heat. Leaving a significant portion tightly wound on a reel can make it more difficult for that heat to dissipate.
The reel is convenient for storage but it needs to be unwound while powering equipment.
Two Prongs vs. Three Prongs: Does It Really Matter?
That third prong isn’t an inconvenience. It’s the grounding prong, and it serves an important safety purpose.
If a device has a three-prong plug, it should be connected to an appropriately grounded three-prong cord and receptacle. Never cut or remove the third prong to make a plug fit into an older two-slot receptacle.
If your home still has older two-slot receptacles, this is a great sign to have the existing electrical system evaluated by a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Keener Electric’s residential electrical services can help Niagara homeowners identify electrical updates that better support the way their homes are actually being used today.
Halloween and Christmas Are Prime Extension Cord Time
Over the next few months, homes across Niagara will start adding illuminated pumpkins, inflatables, projectors, Halloween displays, Christmas trees, exterior lights and other powered decorations.
Suddenly, one outdoor receptacle is being asked to do a lot more than it did in September. One extension cord becomes two, a multi-outlet cord gets added, another string of lights gets connected … you get the idea!
Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority recommends following manufacturers’ instructions for connecting light strings, using GFCI-protected outlets outdoors, using weatherproof covers and ensuring cords and decorations carry approved certification marks.
Before Halloween and Christmas decorating begins, take a few minutes to look at how everything will be powered. Remember, a large display needs access to power but it also needs an electrical supply capable of safely supporting what you’re connecting to it.
Your Extension Cord Might Be Telling You Something About Your Home
Extension cords are useful and don’t become a problem until we ask them to do a job they weren’t designed to do.
If you regularly need an extension cord in the same location, don’t have enough receptacles for the way you use a room, rely on old two-slot receptacles, or find yourself building increasingly complicated power setups every holiday season, it may be time to address the source of the problem.
A Licensed Electrical Contractor can evaluate your existing electrical system and determine the appropriate solution, whether that involves adding receptacles, updating older electrical components, improving outdoor power access or making other electrical upgrades.
Keener Electric provides residential electrical services throughout St. Catharines and the Niagara Region, helping homeowners make electrical improvements that are designed for how they actually live.
If your home could use power where you actually need it, contact Keener Electric to start the conversation and Live Better Electrically.
