Electric Cord Questions

[Jethro]

Help me out here.

I want to buy extension wiring to use on my new generator. I found a 50 FT. 12 GAUGE HEAVY DUTY OUTDOOR EXTENSION CORD which is said to have a rating = Rating: 15 amps, 125 volts, 1875 watts,

I then found a different 50 FT. 12 GAUGE HEAVY DUTY OUTDOOR EXTENSION CORD which is said to be heavy duty 20 amp capacity.

The difference is that the second one is said to have NEMA configuration: 5-20P (plug), 5-20R (receptacle).

I do see the difference in the prongs, but I am wondering how two sets of cords, identically 50ft, 12 gauge, can carry different loads. Would just the prongs provide that?

Then I find a 100 FT. 12 GAUGE OUTDOOR EXTENSION CORD that is said to handle 125 volt, 15 amps, 1875 watts. My understanding from my past was that longer cords of same gauge would handle less of a load, and in fact often get hot when subjected to heavy loads. So, how can a cord twice as long with the same gauge handle the same load?

I ask these questions because I want to buy the right cords.

BTW all this comes from

Thanks

Jethro

[Toller]

Could be one of two things:

1) Pure bull, they are all the same and it is just a matter of what they happen to print. HF makes some pretty silly claims. 2) The quality of the insulation. Some can take higher heats than others and can safely handle larger loads.

From a reputable supplier, I would say it is #2. From HF probably #1. That said, I have a #12 extension cord from HF; have chopped it up and used the pieces successfully for several different purposes.

[dpb]

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Certainly -- one is specifically rated as a 20A receptacle, the other isn't...that a 15A-rated plugset might actually be able to carry 20A doesn't change what it is UL rated for, and therefore, what any piece of wire it is connected to will be rated for as a collective item. Just as a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, the combination of the wiring and the plugset is only rated to the minimum component...

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[DerbyDad03]

- That said, I have a #12 extension cord from HF; have chopped it up and used

- the pieces successfully for several different purposes.- Hide quoted text -

OT story...

My teenage son was once hired by a rich friend of a rich friend to help clean out his garage. One of the things the guy was throwing out was a 50' #12 extension cord, on a reel, because one of the conductors had been cut about 10' from the end. My son was smart enough to grab it from the pile when I came to pick him up.

For the cost of a replacement plug and socket, I ended up with a 10' #12 extension cord, a 40' #12 extension cord and a son who now knows how to repair both ends of a #12 extension cord.

[gfretwell]

The one with the NEMA 5-20 is for a dedicated 20a load that would have the 5-20 plug on it. The 5-15 plug is a general purpose cord that will work in 99% of the receptacles in the US. You can have a 5-15 on a 20a circuit here. The 12ga also helps you with voltage drop, even if you are only using 15a out there 100'.

[Toller]

I would bet that over 99% of the time the extension cord with the 5-20R never sees anything but a 5-15P. You can't put a #12 50' extension cord on anything that actually needs a

5-20R.