Hello there,
I have been testing extension cords to see how they fair with medium currents like 5 to 8 amps. What i found was the the receptacle end gets warm but the plug end doesnt.
These are the general purpose extension cords, the kind with the three outlets on one end and a plug at the other end, length 6 feet to 12 feet, but mostly the 6 foot length.
The wire on most of these is 16 AWG gauge, but one has 14 AWG gauge wire.
Anyone else notice this or are these cords all faulty? It's hard to believe that they would all do this. Note however that they do not get hot hot, they just get warm, maybe very warm but not really hot, so say around 50 degrees C. The plug end stays cool or nearly so.
Even the higher priced model with 14 gauge wire did this, which was very surprising.
This doesnt mean they dont work, but it is strange that the receptacle end gets warm while the plug end does not get warm at all or hardly noticeable.
Also keep in mind that 5 amps isnt that much and neither is 8 amps for a 15 amp rated cord.
Run time has to be about 2 hours or longer for the thing to reach it's max temperature. The longer the better however, like 5 to 10 hours.
Does it sound like a faulty receptacle? Well, when i replaced one end with a regular single outlet receptacle it never got even a little warm after that. Even after 10 hours run time it stayed as cool as the plug end. But it is hard to believe that the contacts themselves are the problem, as they seem very clean (almost new extension cord) and have a tight feel when you plug something in.
The only thing left then is the connection between the wire cord and the receptacle. They are probably crimped on, but then again the plug end probably is too, so why the receptacle end and not the plug end that gets very warm? Could it be that they are made so different that they crimp poorly on the receptacle end and ok on the plug end?
I know i can replace the receptacle end and the problem is fixed forever, but i would like to igure out what causes this anyway. Also, for a three outlet extension cord they dont seem to make replacement three outlet sockets, only single outlet sockets, so you loose some functionality if you go to a single outlet for the fix.
Anyone else notice this?
Any ideas what causes this in the first place?
I have been testing extension cords to see how they fair with medium currents like 5 to 8 amps. What i found was the the receptacle end gets warm but the plug end doesnt.
These are the general purpose extension cords, the kind with the three outlets on one end and a plug at the other end, length 6 feet to 12 feet, but mostly the 6 foot length.
The wire on most of these is 16 AWG gauge, but one has 14 AWG gauge wire.
Anyone else notice this or are these cords all faulty? It's hard to believe that they would all do this. Note however that they do not get hot hot, they just get warm, maybe very warm but not really hot, so say around 50 degrees C. The plug end stays cool or nearly so.
Even the higher priced model with 14 gauge wire did this, which was very surprising.
This doesnt mean they dont work, but it is strange that the receptacle end gets warm while the plug end does not get warm at all or hardly noticeable.
Also keep in mind that 5 amps isnt that much and neither is 8 amps for a 15 amp rated cord.
Run time has to be about 2 hours or longer for the thing to reach it's max temperature. The longer the better however, like 5 to 10 hours.
Does it sound like a faulty receptacle? Well, when i replaced one end with a regular single outlet receptacle it never got even a little warm after that. Even after 10 hours run time it stayed as cool as the plug end. But it is hard to believe that the contacts themselves are the problem, as they seem very clean (almost new extension cord) and have a tight feel when you plug something in.
The only thing left then is the connection between the wire cord and the receptacle. They are probably crimped on, but then again the plug end probably is too, so why the receptacle end and not the plug end that gets very warm? Could it be that they are made so different that they crimp poorly on the receptacle end and ok on the plug end?
I know i can replace the receptacle end and the problem is fixed forever, but i would like to igure out what causes this anyway. Also, for a three outlet extension cord they dont seem to make replacement three outlet sockets, only single outlet sockets, so you loose some functionality if you go to a single outlet for the fix.
Anyone else notice this?
Any ideas what causes this in the first place?