How to Maximize Efficiency & Minimize Risk with Heavy-Duty Extension Cords

Heavy-duty extension cords are essential for those using power tools or electrical equipment outdoors or in places without outlets. Their significance in such scenarios cannot be overstated. They serve as power providers and are crucial in ensuring user safety and prolonging the equipment’s lifespan. Balancing reliable electricity with safety is key, with both aspects often complementing each other. When used correctly, heavy-duty extension cords offer the safest and most efficient solution for supplying electrical power to areas lacking outlets.

How Heavy-Duty Extension Cords Improve Efficiency & Safety

Though convenient for bringing electricity to where it’s needed, electrical cabling should always be used with care. A damaged cord poses risks like electrocution or electrical fires, while it can also create inefficiencies and potentially damage equipment. Though generally safe, those who work with heavy-duty extension cords should follow some basic, commonsense guidance.

Before using a heavy-duty extension cord, it’s a good idea not to:

• Attach heavy-duty extension cords to surfaces like floors or walls with tape, staples, or nails.
• Employ extension cabling approved only for indoor use outside.
• Only partially insert an extension cord’s plug into the electrical outlet. 
• Get the cord wet, as this can cause it to short out any equipment attached to it or even result in electrocution.
• Keep using cords that feel overly warm to the touch.
• Lay extension cables in areas with high traffic.
• Use extension cabling to power space heaters.
• Plug multiple cords into each other or power strips, which can result in overloading.
• Power multiple electrical tools or other equipment from a single extension cord.
• Remove the grounding pin from a cord with three prongs to make it fit into an outlet with two prongs.
• Run extension cables under furniture, rugs, or elsewhere that could present a fire hazard.
• Twist, coil, or bend extension cabling during use. 
• Use a damaged heavy-duty extension cord, as working with one that has fraying wiring or broken prongs can create a fire hazard.

The size of the cabling—or rather, its gauge—should be one of the first considerations regarding both efficiency and safety on a project. If attached to heavy-duty extension cords that can’t handle the power it draws, electrical equipment will burn out if connected for too long. Additionally, this can cause overheating, leading to an electrical fire.

Maximizing Efficiency with Heavy-Duty Extension Cords

The gauge of a heavy-duty extension cord describes how much electrical current can travel safely along it. Gauge size is determined by AWG (American Wire Gauge) ratings throughout North America. Counterintuitively, lower gauges of extension cabling have a greater capacity for current, as they’re made from thicker wiring. The lower the gauge number, the more power a cable can deliver to its operating equipment.

Thicker wires—or lower gauges—can handle more current than thinner or higher gauges. So, a 12-gauge heavy-duty extension cord will have thicker wiring and can handle more current than 14-gauge cabling. Lower gauges also mean less chance of overheating, which can lead to an electrical fire.

It’s important to have the right gauge of heavy-duty extension cord when powering equipment. There are many ways to help non-electricians understand how electricity flows through an extension cord. One of the better analogies for explaining electricity involves highways, with current being the number of vehicles that can move along them.

For example, an 18-gauge extension cord might be equivalent to a two-lane rural highway, while 14-gauge cabling could be the equivalent of a four-lane highway. Heavy-duty extension cords with a 10-gauge rating would be equivalent to some parts of a Los Angeles interstate, with six lanes of traffic going in each direction. Choosing the right gauge for an application promotes safety and efficiency, though this also entails looking at the equipment that requires power.

Gauge of Heavy-Duty Extension Cords & Electrical Equipment

Most types of electrical equipment show their electrical requirements quite clearly, though with some, it may take looking through the owner’s manual. Normally, power requirements are listed in amperage or wattage. Determining the best gauge for a heavy-duty extension cord is most straightforward with amps, which are calculated by dividing wattage by voltage.

In the traffic analogy, amps are the amount of current, essentially a means for counting the number of cars that pass a certain point on a highway. The gauge can be determined once it’s known how many amps a piece of equipment draws. The gauge can categorize light-duty, medium-duty, or heavy-duty extension cords. However, the length of the cable should also be considered, as the strength of current dissipates over distance.

It’s important to consider the length of a heavy-duty extension cord. Longer cabling can’t handle the same amount of current as other cables with the same gauge. For example, 25-foot 12-gauge (heavy-duty) extension cords can handle equipment rated from 16 to 20 amps, while 150-foot cables can only handle equipment rated from 11 to 15 amps. Other factors like damage to the cord, OSHA standards for the application, grounding, strain, and exposure to water should also be considered when determining whether an extension cord will suit a certain application.

Minimizing Risk with Heavy-Duty Extension Cords

Many construction companies use heavy-duty extension cords to power various equipment or tools, and they’re commonly found on worksites. According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), about one out of every five deaths on the job happens in the construction industry. Monitoring heavy-duty extension cords for damage, durability, grounding, strain, and contact with water is important to minimize risk.

Damage

Though heavy-duty extension cords are meant to take significant punishment, they can still be damaged. Fasteners or staples, edges of doors or windows, abrasion, or aging can all result in damage. Once the wiring is exposed, it greatly increases the chance of shock, fire, or electrical burns, so using a damaged cable is never a good idea.

Durability

OSHA has standards for construction and other industries that require flexibility and a more heavy-duty extension. Cords should be rated according to the National Electric Code (NEC), which is put out by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These codes should mark the length of the cable.

A few of these NEC codes and their meanings:

• W: Signifies cord can withstand outdoor conditions.
• T: Signifies cord has a jacket made from vinyl thermoplastic, which works well in cold conditions.
• O: Signifies cord is resistant to oil.
• J: Signifies cord has standard insulation to protect against 300 volts; cord without this designation is thicker and designed to be more heavy-duty, with 600 volt insulation.
• E: Signifies cord has a jacket made from thermoplastic elastomer rubber (TPE), which provides protection against acids, chemicals, oil and water; this material can handle extreme weather conditions and harsher environments, though it may melt if exposed to higher temperatures.

These codes can be combined to show the durability and resistance of a specific heavy-duty extension cord.

Grounding

Heavy-duty extension cords require grounding, so should be of the three-wire variety. This also grounds any equipment or tools into which the cord is plugged. Two-pronged extension cables shouldn’t even be considered for most situations.

Strain Relief

Those working in facilities where heavy-duty extension cords are used understand what happens when bent, pulled, twisted, or moved continuously. Such movement, if sustained, can disrupt the electrical supply and even cause the cabling to fail by breaking the conductors. For applications that put cabling under considerable strain, the end connecting to the equipment is most prone to damage from mechanical stress. Devices known as strain reliefs, also known as cable glands, protect the cord by providing it with a hardened shell surrounding the electric cable. 

Water

Electricity and water don’t mix. When the connector on an extension cord is wet, electric current leaks into the equipment’s grounding conductor. Should a worker pick it up, this current can electrocute. This leakage isn’t limited to the connector’s face but to any part exposed to water. Using sealable or watertight connectors can limit this hazard.

In some cases, using a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) for heavy-duty extension cords is a good idea. GFCIs are normally installed in places where electrical circuits could accidentally make contact with water. Often, GFCIs are used where electric power tools could be exposed to the elements, such as in garages or outdoors. 

Choosing the Right Heavy-Duty Extension Cords

A few other factors should be considered for applications requiring heavy-duty extension cords. The most reliable heavy-duty extension cords tend to be certified by independent organizations like Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which tests electrical products and produces guidance standards. A “UL” marking on any packaging indicates the product has been tested and is safe to use.

Also, while using lower gauge cables for machines that draw more power makes sense, the shape matters. Rounder and thicker cables work best for larger equipment, while smaller electrical devices can use flatter or thinner cords. Finally, if there’s any question about whether a certain project requires heavy-duty extension cords, reading the instructions accompanying a new cord can help.  

Maintenance for Heavy-Duty Extension Cords

Proper maintenance is important to ensure the efficiency and safety of a heavy-duty extension cord in the workplace.

A few tips to keep heavy-duty extension cords in good condition include: 

• Unplugging them from equipment and power sources when not in use.
• Disconnecting them from outlets should be done from the plug; it’s best not to yank on the cable itself.
• Storing them inside so they’re not exposed to weather or other outdoor conditions that can degrade them and lessen heavy-duty extension cords’ lifespan.
• Throwing them out or recycling cords that are damaged.

Whether light-duty, medium-duty, or heavy-duty, extension cords should only be used as temporary solutions, not as permanent wiring.

Alert Reels: Your Source for Heavy-Duty Extension Cords 

Alert Reels distributes heavy-duty extension cords and the means for better managing them, including custom solutions. To learn more about our extension cabling and other products, contact us today.