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daisy chain extension cords
Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power.
I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore |
daisy chain extension cords
In article ,
Theodore wrote: Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore- Try it and see. Do you have a voltmeter? I would hope for at least 108 VAC, which is 120 V minus ten percent. It would help if you could crank the generator to ten percent high. A small microwave may work if they temporarily unplug the refrigerator. You might also try parking the generator 100 feet away and using the 12 gage cord to your house. Fred |
daisy chain extension cords
[snip]
Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. One very important appliance which is often forgotten is... the sump pump. If you and your neighbor have basements with sump pumps, it's a good idea to make sure they've got power... -- __________________________________________________ ___ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/20 7:32 PM, Theodore wrote:
Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Is it fair to guess that the gas/fuel stations are shut down also? Would an inverter in her vehicle be a practical solution? We had them at work in company pickups to run light loads. I'm thinking of drills and 1/2" impact wrenches. |
daisy chain extension cords
You might also try parking the generator 100 feet away and using the 12
gage cord to your house. Fred Understood. The last suggestion is not an option for me. My generator is connected via a 10ft long 240V 3-wire to a transfer switch and powers my house (water pump, fridge, etc). I want to be helpful, but cannot be to my family's detriment. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/2020 8:32 PM, Theodore wrote:
Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Put the 12 ga first of course. You may be able to even do the refrigerator since most new ones take little power. Worth a try to save food.. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/2020 6:39 PM, Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article , Theodore wrote: Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore- Try it and see. Do you have a voltmeter? I would hope for at least 108 VAC, which is 120 V minus ten percent. It would help if you could crank the generator to ten percent high. A small microwave may work if they temporarily unplug the refrigerator. Though those cords with high loads, not a chance. For charging small devices, no problem. |
daisy chain extension cords
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 17:32:43 -0700 (PDT), Theodore
wrote: Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Have him buy a 250' roll of 10ga Romex. It is legal for "temporary" wiring (a concession to the building industry) If you are interested I could run a voltage drop calc but there are calculators all over the internet. Do it in 2 steps, 100" of #12 and 150 of #16 and add the drop together. For some small loads it will work tho. I ran 2 condos on an extension cord, Fridge, TV and a light or two. They were #12 tho. I had a cube tap at the 1st 100' for one condo and the other end went into mine. He had a 25' 16ga orange cord to the fridge and a 16ga zip cord for the TV and light at the 1st condo. |
daisy chain extension cords
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 22:28:46 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 8/6/2020 8:32 PM, Theodore wrote: Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Put the 12 ga first of course. You may be able to even do the refrigerator since most new ones take little power. Worth a try to save food.. Why? Resistors in series add, no matter what order they are in. |
daisy chain extension cords
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daisy chain extension cords
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daisy chain extension cords
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daisy chain extension cords
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 23:30:17 -0400, Ralph Mowery
wrote: In article , says... Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Buy enough 12 gauge cord to reach. Say another 100 and 50 foot one. You may want to see if there is a 10 gauge 100 foot cord, but I doubt you would find one already made. Then you could use a lot more power. If you have a voltmeter, if not buy one of the $ 10 ones and check the voltage at the user end of the cords. Stay above 110 volts and you would be ok. remember that is the voltage AT the load, when the load is connected. With no load there will be no voltage drop |
daisy chain extension cords
In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 6 Aug 2020 19:15:14 -0700 (PDT), Theodore
wrote: You might also try parking the generator 100 feet away and using the 12 gage cord to your house. Fred Understood. The last suggestion is not an option for me. My generator is connected via a 10ft long 240V 3-wire to a transfer switch and powers my house (water pump, fridge, etc). I want to be helpful, but cannot be to my family's detriment. Detriment comes in all degrees, so don't put it that way to your neighbor. Say that you'd have to disconnnect eveything to move the generator and could only reconnect a little bit to your own house. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/20 10:30 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
[snip] Buy enough 12 gauge cord to reach. Say another 100 and 50 foot one. You may want to see if there is a 10 gauge 100 foot cord, but I doubt you would find one already made. I have found one at Lowes. Then you could use a lot more power. If you have a voltmeter, if not buy one of the $ 10 ones and check the voltage at the user end of the cords. Stay above 110 volts and you would be ok. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "Christ rode on an ass, but now asses ride on Christ." -- Heine |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/20 11:06 PM, Bob F wrote:
[snip] Or buy a 250' roll of 10/2 WG wire and make a cord. Will #10 solid wire fit normal ends? -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "Christ rode on an ass, but now asses ride on Christ." -- Heine |
daisy chain extension cords
On Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 11:19:17 PM UTC-5, Clare Snyder wrote:
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 23:30:17 -0400, Ralph Mowery wrote: In article , says... Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Buy enough 12 gauge cord to reach. Say another 100 and 50 foot one. You may want to see if there is a 10 gauge 100 foot cord, but I doubt you would find one already made. Then you could use a lot more power. If you have a voltmeter, if not buy one of the $ 10 ones and check the voltage at the user end of the cords. Stay above 110 volts and you would be ok. remember that is the voltage AT the load, when the load is connected. With no load there will be no voltage drop So, how do you check the voltage when something is connected? Andy |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/7/2020 1:14 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 8/6/20 11:06 PM, Bob F wrote: [snip] Or buy a 250' roll of 10/2 WG wire and make a cord. Will #10 solid wire fit normal ends? Heavy duty ones should work fine. Probably won't meet code, but 250' linked extension cords would probably not either. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/7/20 4:30 PM, Bob F wrote:
On 8/7/2020 1:14 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 8/6/20 11:06 PM, Bob F wrote: [snip] Or buy a 250' roll of 10/2 WG wire and make a cord. Will #10 solid wire fit normal ends? Heavy duty ones should work fine. Probably won't meet code, but 250' linked extension cords would probably not either. Fretwell mentioned a way to do it. See his post on 8/6/20 at 10:25. |
daisy chain extension cords
On Fri, 7 Aug 2020 14:30:12 -0700, Bob F wrote:
On 8/7/2020 1:14 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 8/6/20 11:06 PM, Bob F wrote: [snip] Or buy a 250' roll of 10/2 WG wire and make a cord. Will #10 solid wire fit normal ends? Heavy duty ones should work fine. Probably won't meet code, but 250' linked extension cords would probably not either. Hmmm .. which "code" would need to be met ? ... for emergency temporary 110 volt extension cords .. ... supplied from backup generator - Good luck with that one ! John T. |
daisy chain extension cords
On Fri, 7 Aug 2020 15:14:03 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote: On 8/6/20 11:06 PM, Bob F wrote: [snip] Or buy a 250' roll of 10/2 WG wire and make a cord. Will #10 solid wire fit normal ends? It will fit in a commercial grade plug and you can use the handy box method on the other end. Again this is only OK for a temporary deal and OSHA doesn't even like that. It is just a loophole in the NEC. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/2020 9:15 PM, Theodore wrote:
You might also try parking the generator 100 feet away and using the 12 gage cord to your house. Fred Understood. The last suggestion is not an option for me. My generator is connected via a 10ft long 240V 3-wire to a transfer switch and powers my house (water pump, fridge, etc). I want to be helpful, but cannot be to my family's detriment. I applaud your generosity ! That said , overcome your altruistic tendencies and DON'T DO IT ! I say this because just as sure as the sun is going to come up tomorrow your neighbor is going to plug in much more than that cord set can handle . A couple of lights and maybe a fan , but any more than that is going to overload that long run of small cord and probably burn up the cords . Not to mention drawing the voltage down to a level that may damage your stuff . -- Snag |
daisy chain extension cords
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daisy chain extension cords
On 8/7/2020 4:45 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article , says... So, how do you check the voltage when something is connected? It all depends on how the far end is connected. You could use one of the 3 way splitters and put the voltmeter on one of the 3 taps. There is a thing called a Kilo-watt meter that reads out the voltage and current. Sells for around $ 20 . It is a special meter that plugs in line with whatever you have and the receptical. That meter would certainly give a lot more info. You could even use it on each end to find out how much power is wasted in the cord. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/7/2020 4:56 PM, AK wrote:
On Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 11:19:17 PM UTC-5, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 23:30:17 -0400, Ralph Mowery wrote: In article , says... Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Buy enough 12 gauge cord to reach. Say another 100 and 50 foot one. You may want to see if there is a 10 gauge 100 foot cord, but I doubt you would find one already made. Then you could use a lot more power. If you have a voltmeter, if not buy one of the $ 10 ones and check the voltage at the user end of the cords. Stay above 110 volts and you would be ok. remember that is the voltage AT the load, when the load is connected. With no load there will be no voltage drop So, how do you check the voltage when something is connected? Andy You pull out the plug a tiny bit to fit the probe in the opening. There are other ways too, plugging in a device between that you can check with.. |
daisy chain extension cords
On Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 8:32:46 PM UTC-4, Theodore wrote:
Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore I ran some extension cords a couple hundred feet and I was surprised at how well it worked. I think one was 10 or 12g, but the others were just regular, probably 16g. Ran a fridge, freezer, exhaust fan for gas water heater, gas furnace, lights, no problems. Big thing to help, manage the loads and monitor the voltage, if you can. Fridges and freezers in the last decade or two only pull about 100W when running. Starting could be several times that for seconds, going down over a couple minutes. You can also run one for two hours, then another, etc. Just use common sense. |
daisy chain extension cords
On Fri, 7 Aug 2020 13:56:32 -0700 (PDT), AK
wrote: On Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 11:19:17 PM UTC-5, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 23:30:17 -0400, Ralph Mowery wrote: In article , says... Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Buy enough 12 gauge cord to reach. Say another 100 and 50 foot one. You may want to see if there is a 10 gauge 100 foot cord, but I doubt you would find one already made. Then you could use a lot more power. If you have a voltmeter, if not buy one of the $ 10 ones and check the voltage at the user end of the cords. Stay above 110 volts and you would be ok. remember that is the voltage AT the load, when the load is connected. With no load there will be no voltage drop So, how do you check the voltage when something is connected? Andy Carefully. Using a "splitter" or power bar makes it easy |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/6/20 8:32 PM, Theodore wrote:
Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Tell the sponge democrat to buy their own.Â* Giving welfare to democrats is what got us in to this palms-up dependence mess. |
daisy chain extension cords
Fri, Aug 7, 2020 at 4:56PM, AK wrote:
On Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 11:19:17 PM UTC-5, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 23:30:17 -0400, Ralph Mowery wrote: In article , says... Still without power in my neighborhood after storm, but my generator is running. My neighbor lives 225ft away from my generator and is completely without power. I have: 1. one 12gage-100ft long extension cord 2. one 16gage-100ft long extension cord 3. one 16 gage-50ft long extension cord. Is there anything I can offer that would be SAFE to do so? The voltage drop would be considerable for such a length, and I'm sure would kill any appliance like her refrigerator. But is it possible to say "hey, you can plug in ...your phone charger and a lamp and maybe a fan" ? (until I shut down at 11:30PM). Just trying to be helpful/neighborly. Theodore Buy enough 12 gauge cord to reach. Say another 100 and 50 foot one. You may want to see if there is a 10 gauge 100 foot cord, but I doubt you would find one already made. Then you could use a lot more power. If you have a voltmeter, if not buy one of the $ 10 ones and check the voltage at the user end of the cords. Stay above 110 volts and you would be ok. remember that is the voltage AT the load, when the load is connected. With no load there will be no voltage drop So, how do you check the voltage when something is connected? You should just check the outlet, not both outlet and device at the same time (as opposed to just checking continuity - just use a hot stick.) Anyway, if a running car's cigarette lighter has an AC inverter, that can free up another two outlets for you for use. But keep the car running to save on car battery care. |
daisy chain extension cords
On 8/7/20 6:45 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article , says... So, how do you check the voltage when something is connected? It all depends on how the far end is connected. You could use one of the 3 way splitters and put the voltmeter on one of the 3 taps. There is a thing called a Kilo-watt meter that reads out the voltage and current. Sells for around $ 20 . It is a special meter that plugs in line with whatever you have and the receptical. Kill a watt - https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=28AHPVW1T5R6O&dchild=1&keywords=ki ll-a-watt&qid=1596925470&sprefix=kill-%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-3 -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "God has no place within these walls, just as facts have no place within organized religion." -- Homer Simpson (#100, 1994) |
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