extension cord

[pacca]

I need a short 24 to 36" extension cord for my submergible sump pump,what should i be looking for,an appliance grade cord or what? thanks

[The Daring Dufas]

There are all sorts of outdoor extension cords for sale at hardware stores but you can always make your own by using a high quality cord body that has a rubber boot. You can purchase a 25' outdoor cord and cut a piece off that has the male plug on it and install your own plug body on the other end. You can take any good cord body and fill the cavity where the wires are connected with RTV silicone after making the connections and use silicone dielectric grease on the end where you plug in your pump cord. You can also switch out the plug on the pump and use a matching waterproof cord body on your new extension cord. ^_^

TDD

[trader4]

Any short, decent ext cord that is 14 gauge or better will be fine.

[Stormin Mormon]

They used to make short, heavy duty cords for window air conditioners. Should do the job for you.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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[The Daring Dufas]

If it's in a wet area I will always put silicone dielectric grease in the plug body to keep corrosion at bay. I used to have a large tube of the 3M brand I got from the electrical supply house but small tubes are available from any auto parts store sold as spark plug boot grease or trailer connector protective grease. ^_^

TDD

[clare]

The flat "air conditioning" cords are generally 14 guage and work well for that application - not sure if you can buy as short as 2 or 3 feet - but they are available in 4 and 6 ft.

[nestork]

It depends on what kind of pump you have.

If that cord is going to be submerged, I would contact the manufacturer of the pump and see if they have the cord available as a part.

If not, you stand to get a serious shock from touching the wet cord going to that pump.

[trader4]

I've never seen a sump pump that came with a cord so short that an extension cord used with it would be submerged. At least not unless the basement flooded with a couple feet or more of water....