Cord Length

[strnjss]

Hi everyone, I have a Vornado floor fan that has a cord which frayed through and needs to be replaced.

I have no issue replacing it myself, but was wondering how safe it would be to buy a longer cord for it?

I know the longer the length of cord, the thicker the wire gauge should be, but I don't know the specific rules that apply to that.

The current cord is about 8ft long, which is a little short for where I use it. It's 18AWG x 2c which I'm pretty sure is just standard lamp cord. The fan itself is 120v 1.4amp

How long can my replacement cord safely be without changing the wire gauge?

Also, does anyone know if there's a formula for this?

Thanks!

 

[930dreamer]

I found this:

In addition, UL-listed extension cords now must be constructed with #16 gauge or larger wire, or be equipped with integral fuses. The #16 gauge wire is rated to carry 13 amperes (up to 1560 watts), as compared to the formerly-used # 18 gauge cords that were rated for 10 amperes (up to 1200 watts).

 

[BigJohn20]

You can use 16-2 SJOOW for a length of a couple hundred feet and still be within a 3% VD. The load is so small that you can basically feel free to pick your length as long as the male end is terminated properly.

 

[strnjss]

Thanks everyone. The only problem with changing gauges is that I don't think they will fit into the protective grommet the old cord goes through into the fan body. But I'll see what I can do!

 

[kbs2244]

Use the cord off a curbside vacume cleaner.
Small dia and nice and flexable rubber.

 

[BigJohn20]

Go ahead and pick up some 18-2 lamp cord from Home Depot/Lowes/whoever. Again, you can still have a tremendously long run without worrying about the load. If you're curious, google "Voltage Drop" and run the calculations so the VD is less than 3% (ultra-conservative).

 

[strnjss]

Thanks again everyone. I picked up some 18-2 lamp cord yesterday. I know some of you were saying to go with the 16-2, but I wouldn't have been able to get that to work right at the entrance where the cord goes in to the housing.

I also used an online voltage drop calculator like BigJohn20 recommended, and saw that using the original 8ft length with 18-2 wire (factory) gave me a voltage drop of 0.2 percent. I upped the cord length to 15ft, and the VD only went up to 0.3.

Home Depot had a very limited selection of sizes and colors. I had a choice of 8ft of clear, or 15ft of amber colored cord. So I went with the 8ft of clear for now (the amber color was awful for a grey fan). So I have the same length as it was before, but at least it's safe without all frayed wires and fan cutting out if the cord was moved.

If I decide to go longer at some point, I'll probably try to order cord online in black (the original color).

Anyway, thanks again for all the knowledge and advice!

 

[BigJohn20]

strnjss,

If you get the wire cut and throw on a male end, they have black, white, brown, gold, silver, and clear 18-2 lamp cord.

 

[rkevins]

sometimes it is cheeper to just buy a extension cord and cut off the female end to make a cord..I have done this many times because a lot of the time you can get a cord for the same price of the male end just use the length you need.

 

[StaggeringGoat]

sometimes it is cheeper to just buy a extension cord and cut off the female end to make a cord..I have done this many times because a lot of the time you can get a cord for the same price of the male end just use the length you need.

I agree, I do that all the time. I've got a huge box full of cut off ends from extension cords...

 

[strnjss]

strnjss,

If you get the wire cut and throw on a male end, they have black, white, brown, gold, silver, and clear 18-2 lamp cord.

sometimes it is cheeper to just buy a extension cord and cut off the female end to make a cord..I have done this many times because a lot of the time you can get a cord for the same price of the male end just use the length you need.

Ah, I didn't think of that BigJohn, thanks. That's good especially if I wanted to customize the length or something. I will keep this in mind!

I was looking at those extension cords and thinking about just cutting off an end rkevins, but there was only 16 gauge cords on the shelves when I looked. Like 930dreamer was saying, there seems to be new regulations in place for extension cords. You're right about the price of those cord ends though. Decent ones at HD are going for like $5-$8!

I do have to replace the cord on my old dehumidifier and compressor next (both with broken ground prongs, and much thicker gauge wire), so next time I go to find what I need, I'll check all these suggestions out and find out what's least expensive.

Thanks again!

 

[PT Doc]

Ah, I didn't think of that BigJohn, thanks. That's good especially if I wanted to customize the length or something. I will keep this in mind!

I was looking at those extension cords and thinking about just cutting off an end rkevins, but there was only 16 gauge cords on the shelves when I looked. Like 930dreamer was saying, there seems to be new regulations in place for extension cords. You're right about the price of those cord ends though. Decent ones at HD are going for like $5-$8!

I do have to replace the cord on my old dehumidifier and compressor next (both with broken ground prongs, and much thicker gauge wire), so next time I go to find what I need, I'll check all these suggestions out and find out what's least expensive.

Thanks again!

With heavier gauge cord, you can make a power cord much cheaper than buying one. Home depot had all the heavy duty plugs/receptacles.