What extension cord is needed for electric fry pan?

[Dean Hoffman]

There's a voltage drop calculator here if you're interested.

[trader_4]

How did you come up with that number? I'm seeing half that voltage drop for a full 15A load.

[Marilyn Manson]

Any of the online calculators will give you that number. I'm sure you've already done that, so no need for me to repeat the results.

Bottom line: My statement is accurate - "The 12g extension cord simply ensures a lower voltage drop than a 14g cord would."

Surely, you aren't disputing that statement, are you?

[bud--]

By coincidence this came up in another newsgroup yesterday: The general rule is if a load is considered "continuous" (over 3 hours) the circuit is derated to 80%. But if there are 2 or more receptacles (duples = 2) the load can only be 80% of the rating for the receptacle even if not continuous (IMHO a stupid rule, and unenforceable). UL does not agree and may, for instance, put a 15A plug on something that uses over 12A (but not "continuous"). An even dumber NEC rule allows a 20A receptacle on a 15A circuit if there is only one receptacle on the circuit.

[Ralph Mowery]

In the US you will see people referring to the common sockets from 110,

115,120 and 125 volts. The voltage has gone up over the years. The larger appliances such as stoves and dryers will be double that, 220,230, 240. Not sure if you will see 250 listed anywhere as of now. Just about all small current use devices in the house such as portable tools, hair dryers,bread toasters, coffee pots,refrigerators,and TV sets will be 120 volts. Even what I call a bathroom heater, the portable heaters rated for around 1500 watts run on 120 volts.

So most of the 120 volt circuits in the house is wired with # 14 wire and breaker/fuses at 15 amps. There may be a few circuits in the house that are wired with # 12 wire and protected with 20 amps. The wires leave the breaker box which will have a lot of breakers in it. Then there may be only one or there may be several sockets in the house wired to a single breaker.

The 240 volt circuits are usually reserved for high load mostly fixed loads like stoves, cloths dryers, main heat and cooling units, and water heaters. Some of those may not even plug in but wired direct like my heat pump and water heater. You might say those are major units to replace unlike a stove or dryer where you can just remove the old one and sit a new one in its place. There will usually be only one device per 240 volt breaker.

There are not usually any fuses or breakers at the plug of the devices or at the recepticals. There are few exceptions but most devices have the fuses mounted on or in them.

Most overhead lights are wired with # 14 and may power several rooms or parts of rooms. They mostly operate on 120 volts.

I am not sure , but thinking there may be a difference in the wire numbers and physical size and current rating between the US and other countries. US wires for the most part are # 12 for 20 amps, # 14 for 15 amps. Many drop cords are # 16 but you may find a few small ones , especially the 2 wire types for lamps of # 18. You can buy drop cords of about any size from # 18 to # 10 if you look hard enough and about any length from 4 feet to 100 feet are common.

[bud--]

Requirements for grounding/earthing/bonding are tighter (more like a swimming pool). The heathen pigs and especially cows walk around with no shoes. (Horses have shoes, but that is probably worse.) And cows have a much longer wheelbase than people. If there is a different earth potential between feet cows may not enter a building. "Stray voltage" can also greatly decrease milk production.

A major cause of "stray voltage", not covered by the NEC, appears to be connection of the distribution voltage neutral to the secondary neutral and transformer earthing. The secondary neutral is bonded the the farm "ground" system. Particularly if the distribution neutral is not real good that puts distribution neutral current into the farm earthing system. Separating the secondary neutral from the primary neutral likely solves the problem, but that can cause transformer damage from lightning.

[Marilyn Manson]

And of course you can build your own with readily available parts. That's what I did for my #10 generator cord set so I don't have to move my generator from it's protected storage location during a power outage.

It's protected from the weather and somewhat protected from theft. If they want it, they'll figure out how to get it out, I'm sure, but they'll have to work at it. It won't be a simple grab-and-go.

[Ralph Mowery]

I did not look at the voltage charts, but as you are seeing half the drop, did you allow for the drop in both of the wires ? The hot wire going out and the neutral comming back ? So a 25 foot drop cord would need to be thought as one wire that is 50 feet long ?

Often a common mistake.

[trader_4]

Never mind, I was seeing half because I used 25 ft, but there are two wires, so the resistance length is 50 ft.

[trader_4]

Thanks, that's a handy tool to have. So with a 20 ft 14 gauge cord and a full 15A, you have a drop of 3.2 volts, with 12 gauge it's 2 volts. The difference is negligible, which was my point.

[Marilyn Manson]

If you had a point to make, why didn't you just make it? You are not usually shy about making your points known.

Bottom line is that "The 12g extension cord simply ensures a lower voltage drop than a 14g cord would", which your calculations verify.

I'm not quite sure you keep pushing back on that fact, but feel free.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Before digital calculators and newsgroups, we just plugged it in and made pancakes if the fuse did not blow. Life was simple a few years ago.

[Marilyn Manson]

Or we kept a penny on top of the fuse box so we could get through breakfast. ;-)

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I knew someone who was operating a 1500W electric heater on a 16-guage extension cord (it was labeled for up to 1625W IIRC), but only for a few minutes as the cord was getting hot and the insulation soft.

[Thomas]

That was it. Reading this now after just frying some on my Charbroil grill using my Cuisinart crepe pan. I need to buy nothing. Happy.

[gfretwell]

Nominally 120v. The effective max on a 15a is 1440w and a 20 is 1920w but marketeers use a lot of conjecture to puff up those numbers. They get their bogus rating by inflating the available voltage to the max allowed at the service point and that is unrealistic at the point of use, even if the PoCo did it.

[gfretwell]

The math is a little different on a ring circuit since there is a parallel path.

[gfretwell]

It is a voltage drop calculator based on NEC table 8. Did you account for both ways? Table 8 assumes 75c If I temperature compensate for 80F, 12.5a is it is 2.1v for 20 feet (not 25) at 80f (not 75c)

That calculator is part of a suite of tools developed for Installation Planning Reps at IBM

Use INFO.BAT

It only runs under DOS after W/XP but DOSBOX works.

[gfretwell]

That is for 20a circuits, not 15. You can have multiple 15a receptacles on a 20a circuit but you can never have a 20a receptacle on a 15a circuit. (legally)

[gfretwell]

It is enforced in 240.4(D) where a 15 a breaker is required on 14ga wire but 14ga wire can carry 20a.