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At 15 amp circuit breaker will trip in 3-10 seconds if confronted with a 45 amp load. The number of sockets on an extension cord is immaterial to the available

At 15 amp circuit breaker will trip in 3-10 seconds if confronted with a 45 amp load. The number of sockets on an extension cord is immaterial to the available current just as is the number of receptacles on a circuit. Putting 12 two-socket receptacles on a 15 amp circuit does not mean you can get 360 amps, after all. The risk with 13 amp extension cords is the gap between the extension cord's safe capacity and the trip point of the circuit breaker. If you plug a 13 amp cord into a 20 amp T-slot receptacle, the breaker will happily supply 20 amps indefinitely even as the cord melts and ignites.

snuxoll 6y ago
God I wish more people using electrical lawn equipment paid attention to the rating of their extensions cords. Nothing like seeing somebody buy the cheapest super-long cord they can for their electric pole saw and wondering how long before it melts. I’m going to blame the manufacturers for this one as well, they don’t usually provide current limits meaning you have to grab a table giving safe loads based on AWG and length.
- hinkley 6y ago
  I’m pretty sure I could tow a car with my outdoor power cord/reel. Or for that matter, with my jumper cables. I paid around $5 more for these monsters than the option next to them, which was flimsy, ridiculously short, and barely had claws. $5. It took me two seconds to make that decision and another 30 to stand there making sure I didn’t misread the prices and then trying to figure out why the others even existed.
- bleepblorp 6y ago
  I wish UL and other regulatory bodies would take a page from UK electrical standards and require cords that aren't capable of carrying the full amperage available at the socket to have fuses. Voltage drop protection wouldn't be a bad idea, either. No one should be expected to look up ampacity and voltage drop tables just to avoid starting a fire.

snuxoll 6y ago

God I wish more people using electrical lawn equipment paid attention to the rating of their extensions cords. Nothing like seeing somebody buy the cheapest super-long cord they can for their electric pole saw and wondering how long before it melts. I’m going to blame the manufacturers for this one as well, they don’t usually provide current limits meaning you have to grab a table giving safe loads based on AWG and length.

hinkley 6y ago
I’m pretty sure I could tow a car with my outdoor power cord/reel. Or for that matter, with my jumper cables. I paid around $5 more for these monsters than the option next to them, which was flimsy, ridiculously short, and barely had claws. $5. It took me two seconds to make that decision and another 30 to stand there making sure I didn’t misread the prices and then trying to figure out why the others even existed.
bleepblorp 6y ago
I wish UL and other regulatory bodies would take a page from UK electrical standards and require cords that aren't capable of carrying the full amperage available at the socket to have fuses. Voltage drop protection wouldn't be a bad idea, either. No one should be expected to look up ampacity and voltage drop tables just to avoid starting a fire.