Perhaps the weakest link in the US electrical system

What people said

rinron · 2024-04 · Recommendation

probably because it Depends, If you dont know its safer not to. long answer (keep in mind i live in canada, im not a professional, this is just what i learned and trust, keep in mind above) - As long as no wire/bar exceeds its max Amp your safe no matter how many things are plugged in or how long of a daisy chain, the max amp is usually listed. - all devices should list the max amp they use, add up the amp's of all the devices connected to that wire and if its below your safe. - if your breaker is 15 amp, virtually all normal extensions/power bars are rated for at least 15 amps which means doesnt matter what you do the breaker should* flip before any damage is done - if breaker is above 15 amp most surge protectors have protection that will trigger if they exceed their max, most basic "splitters" and extension cords dont, eg if they dont have a switch or reset button they are pretty much guaranteed to not have this protection, be extra carful how much you load on those. some good rules of thumb to keep in mind, look for imprints or labels that list amps, smaller wires can handle less, damaged wires can handle less then they did before and shouldn't be used, if a wire or connector warms when its in use its overloaded reduce the load on it, especially if it warms quickly. here is a video that i liked that talks about it as well [VIDEO]

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_whiteCaps_ · 2023-01 · Recommendation

Extension cords are a bad idea. Especially since you can buy 10A rated cords that can be plugged into 15A sockets. [LINK] There's a really good explanation in this video: [VIDEO]

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acidbaseextract · 2021-11 · Recommendation

For those who are into this kind of thing, here's a 25 minute mini-documentary of the US electrical system's history and problems. It's more focused on wiring, but has a lot to say on plugs: [VIDEO]

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