I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is. The ends are molded on so I
can't see the wire.

I only know that it is a lot heavier than my current 100' extension
cord, but I don't know what gauge that one is. Also, sometimes they
make things thicker and maybe heavier just by adding more
rubber/vinyl.

And it has W-8 embossed on one end.
I searched on W-8 'electric cord' and got two good hits but they
were just about cords being recalled, and they said they cost between
6 and 90 dollars depending on length and gauge. So I guess W-8
doesn't tell me anything.

Is there any way to know?

"mm" wrote in message
...
I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is. The ends are molded on so I
can't see the wire.

I only know that it is a lot heavier than my current 100' extension
cord, but I don't know what gauge that one is. Also, sometimes they
make things thicker and maybe heavier just by adding more
rubber/vinyl.

And it has W-8 embossed on one end.
I searched on W-8 'electric cord' and got two good hits but they
were just about cords being recalled, and they said they cost between
6 and 90 dollars depending on length and gauge. So I guess W-8
doesn't tell me anything.

Is there any way to know?

Sure, measure one wire with an Ohm meter and check a table like this:
http://www.interfacebus.com/Referenc...AWG_Sizes.html

or:
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/w...esistance.html

Al

Big Al wrote:
"mm" wrote in message
...
I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is. The ends are molded on so I
can't see the wire.

I only know that it is a lot heavier than my current 100' extension
cord, but I don't know what gauge that one is. Also, sometimes they
make things thicker and maybe heavier just by adding more
rubber/vinyl.

And it has W-8 embossed on one end.
I searched on W-8 'electric cord' and got two good hits but they
were just about cords being recalled, and they said they cost between
6 and 90 dollars depending on length and gauge. So I guess W-8
doesn't tell me anything.

Is there any way to know?

Sure, measure one wire with an Ohm meter and check a table like this:
http://www.interfacebus.com/Referenc...AWG_Sizes.html

or:
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/w...esistance.html

Al


If you've got an accurate ohmmeter, you can do as the above. Otherwise,
go to a hardware store and look at what they've got that's equally fat
with the same sort of insulation That may give you some indication of
the wire gauge.

mm wrote:
I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is. The ends are molded on so I
can't see the wire.

I only know that it is a lot heavier than my current 100' extension
cord, but I don't know what gauge that one is. Also, sometimes they
make things thicker and maybe heavier just by adding more
rubber/vinyl.

And it has W-8 embossed on one end.
I searched on W-8 'electric cord' and got two good hits but they
were just about cords being recalled, and they said they cost between
6 and 90 dollars depending on length and gauge. So I guess W-8
doesn't tell me anything.

Is there any way to know?


The cord type and gauge should be embrossed or printed along the jacket,
about every foot or two (I don't remember the minimum distance)

Bob

"mm" wrote in message
...
I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is. The ends are molded on so I
can't see the wire.
I'm assuming you've checked along the length of the insulation to see
if it's printed/stamped on that... yes?

--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
In my email replace SeeEmmYou.EeeDeeYou with CMU.EDU

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:29:30 -0700, "Big Al" wrote:


"mm" wrote in message
.. .
I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is.

Is there any way to know?

Sure, measure one wire with an Ohm meter and check a table like this:
http://www.interfacebus.com/Referenc...AWG_Sizes.html

or:
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/w...esistance.html

Great charts, especially the first one. I should be able to get a
decent reading. I'll check what the old one is too. Thanks.

Al

mm wrote:
On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:29:30 -0700, "Big Al" wrote:


"mm" wrote in message
.. .
I have a 100' extension cord from the junk, and I wondered if there is
a way to tell what gauge the wire is.

Is there any way to know?

Sure, measure one wire with an Ohm meter and check a table like this:
http://www.interfacebus.com/Referenc...AWG_Sizes.html

or:
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/w...esistance.html

Great charts, especially the first one. I should be able to get a
decent reading. I'll check what the old one is too. Thanks.

Al

Measuring the resistance of the 100-ft cord would give you the
following example readings:

12AWG, 0.1619 ohms
14AWG, 0.2575 ohms
16AWG, 0.4094 ohms
18AWG, 0.6510 ohms

Unless you have a milli-ohm meter, you might have a hard time getting
an accurate reading. Something else to try would be to measure the
voltage drop by connecting a 1500W space heater to it. The approximate
voltage drop based on the formula V=I x R would be:

12AWG, ~2V
14AWG, ~3V
16AWG, ~5V
18AWG, ~8V