Have extension cords been afflicted with CCA yet?

[GSMotorrad]

I'm looking to buy a good extension cord for running 12A power tools from a generator or other portable power source. I'm seeing some cheaply priced 10/3 x 100' and started wondering if I need to be concerned about copper-clad-aluminum strands or not.

It was an ordeal trying to find the pure copper cables when I was putting together my battery-bank system a while back. It seemed like real copper was becoming harder to find, especially with speaker cables these days.

Are extension cords safe from this atrocity at this time? Surely not for long, and I'm wondering if it's already happened. is 100' of 10/3 rated SJTW for less than $100 too inexpensive to be pure, oxygen free copper?

It's weird that all those letter ratings refer to the insulation/jacket, and not the inner strands of the cable.

Should I be worried, or is it "safe" to buy the cheap stuff? I'd really like to avoid ever giving away good money for "Copper Clad Aluminum" ever. I hope to never have that stuff enter my life, if at all possible. Thanks.

 

[ttpete]

I'm looking to buy a good extension cord for running 12A power tools from a generator or other portable power source. I'm seeing some cheaply priced 10/3 x 100' and started wondering if I need to be concerned about copper-clad-aluminum strands or not.

It was an ordeal trying to find the pure copper cables when I was putting together my battery-bank system a while back. It seemed like real copper was becoming harder to find, especially with speaker cables these days.

Are extension cords safe from this atrocity at this time? Surely not for long, and I'm wondering if it's already happened. is 100' of 10/3 rated SJTW for less than $100 too inexpensive to be pure, oxygen free copper?

It's weird that all those letter ratings refer to the insulation/jacket, and not the inner strands of the cable.

Should I be worried, or is it "safe" to buy the cheap stuff? I'd really like to avoid ever giving away good money for "Copper Clad Aluminum" ever. I hope to never have that stuff enter my life, if at all possible. Thanks.

I make up all of my cord sets myself using SOOW cord and quality hardware. That way, I know exactly what I'm getting.

 

[GSMotorrad]

I make up all of my cord sets myself using SOOW cord and quality hardware. That way, I know exactly what I'm getting.

I was considering that route, except I'll mostly use this one for running electric lawncare edgers and trimmers in the grass. I worry about the DIY style plugs and how the screws will rust, and it seems less sealed to moisture and dust. I usually end up blowing a lot of dust everywhere, so these molded plastic "factory" ends seem like they'd resist this kind of abuse a bit more.

The inlet on my edger just barely fit a plastic molded type inside it's shroud, without modification. I think those DIY ends are larger, and wouldn't fit without cutting the shroud.

Also, the way I roll my cables, the lower profile molded ends lay and stack better for my uses. Appreciate the suggestion, but for this one that will live on my lawn trailer I dn't mind paying a bit more for factory pre-made kind.

 

[Wamsutta]

Do you want the best money can buy?

Make all your neighbors jealous?

http://www.flexzilla.com/power/

 

[ttpete]

I was considering that route, except I'll mostly use this one for running electric lawncare edgers and trimmers in the grass. I worry about the DIY style plugs and how the screws will rust, and it seems less sealed to moisture and dust. I usually end up blowing a lot of dust everywhere, so these molded plastic "factory" ends seem like they'd resist this kind of abuse a bit more.

The inlet on my edger just barely fit a plastic molded type inside it's shroud, without modification. I think those DIY ends are larger, and wouldn't fit without cutting the shroud.

Also, the way I roll my cables, the lower profile molded ends lay and stack better for my uses. Appreciate the suggestion, but for this one that will live on my lawn trailer I dn't mind paying a bit more for factory pre-made kind.

I have a hedge trimmer like that, and it's a PITA because it keeps wanting to work its way apart. In a perfect world, they'd make it a twist lock type, and re-design it to take a standard connector that could be bought over the counter.

 

[Shiftless]

Since electric trimmers are relatively low power tools, IMHO, your life would be a lot easier if you used 12 or even 14 ga. extension cords for that purpose. I have a Stihl weed whip that only draws a bit over 5 amps.
Even with 10 ga. your voltage drop with a Stihl trimmer would be 1.2 volts
With 12 ga. it would be 1.9 volts.
How much expense and inconvenience would you tolerate to save less than one more volt of drop?
If you have ever coiled up a hundred foot long 10 ga. cord, you know what I'm talking about.

If you occasionally run a welder or a compressor, go ahead with the 10ga. otherwise I would go 12.

 

[outdoorspace]

Do you want the best money can buy?

Make all your neighbors jealous?

http://www.flexzilla.com/power/

These are my new favorite. I picked up a 100' in 14/3 for my Stihl FSE-60 trimmer and it's been very solid. I wound up buying two 25' cords in 12/3 for shop use. Menards puts them on sale often enough.

Yellow Jacket was another brand to consider.

 

[GSMotorrad]

Since electric trimmers are relatively low power tools, IMHO, your life would be a lot easier if you used 12 or even 14 ga. extension cords for that purpose. I have a Stihl weed whip that only draws a bit over 5 amps.
Even with 10 ga. your voltage drop with a Stihl trimmer would be 1.2 volts
With 12 ga. it would be 1.9 volts.
How much expense and inconvenience would you tolerate to save less than one more volt of drop?
If you have ever coiled up a hundred foot long 10 ga. cord, you know what I'm talking about.

If you occasionally run a welder or a compressor, go ahead with the 10ga. otherwise I would go 12.

Thanks for this reassurance, as I've been considering going with the lighter 12 gauge, but then the tools I'm using draw over twice the current of your 5A Stihl. The electric edger is 12A, and the Greenworks 21142 is rated for 10A.

I'm used to coiling 250' of Socapex, feeder cables, multi-core analog 32 channel audio snakes, etc. I'm not scared of 100' of measley 10AWG

But I would appreciate a lighter weight pulling on the end of the tool while in use, hence why I was even considering the 12-gauge stuff. I just don't want to spend dollars later, trying to save pennies now.

So, does anyone have any info about this CCA thing? Has this Copper Clad Aluminum infiltrated A/C extension cords yet, or is this concern unfounded (at this time)?

 

[GSMotorrad]

I have a hedge trimmer like that, and it's a PITA because it keeps wanting to work its way apart. In a perfect world, they'd make it a twist lock type, and re-design it to take a standard connector that could be bought over the counter.

Here's what I was trying to convey about GreenWork's cord retention solution, built into the handle:

It doesn't have clearance for my 10AWG extension cord that I got from H.F., but I really hate putting permanent kinks in my cables, so I was already trying to devise a different solution.

Then again, it might really work well, and if I had a dedicated cord, just for these yard tools, I might not mind one permanent kink in the working end for that one cable - to utilize this implement and avoid the headaches of accidentally unplugging.

I agree about the twist lock type, and it wouldn't be too hard to just modify it with Neutrik™ PowerCON® twist-lock connectors, which are made in Germany and totally ****. The normal ones are rated for 20A, and they have higher current ratings as well:

 

[Firebrand]

Why not add a hook and loop cable tie to your machine handle to effect a cable strain relief instead of kinking the cable by forcing it into a gap in the handle? There are different products capable of holding even 10-3 and relieving the load on the connector.

 

[GSMotorrad]

If I were you I would get a 12 gauge copper cord, not a 10, and not aluminum. [snip]The only reason you might want a 10 gauge cord is if you are planning on using more than 100 feet of cord in addition to needing 15 amps of continuous current capacity. A 10 gauge copper cord would allow you to extend out to 160ft at 15 amps of draw before you again reached 5% voltage drop.[snip]

Great post! I agree, and I'm trying to stay away from CCA at all costs, but like you, I have never heard of it being used (yet) in extension cords, so I just ordered a cheap 10/3 x 100'.

I hadn't even considered going longer than 100' until I read your post. That sealed my decision to get the 10AWG stuff, just in case I ever need to add my 50' x 10/3 that I already have for more reach. I'll have to rig something up for securing the cable to the tools, but it's worth the extra effort.

I got this one, because it was green, since it's for lawns and matches all the other green colored lawn tools that all happen to be the same color. Hopefully it'll be bright enough for pedestrians to see clearly as they approach my work areas near sidewalks.

Thanks for all the help and advice. It'll usually be for running a 12A electric edger from 4 Trojan T-105's series/parallel for 450Ah @12V. On the 12V side, it pulls about 120A from the deep-cycle flooded cells, through double-ought oxygen-free-copper cables.

If I can really have 150' of range with my 50' + 100' 10-gauge extension cords, I will be extremely content.

 

[nh_yota]

Hedge trimmers like to eat extension cords and it's always within the last 10' of the cord.

Get a good 100' cord and a cheap 10' cord to use for the last few feet.

 

[sberry]

You do not need number 10 for this, 14 is for these tools.

 

[GSMotorrad]

IMHO, your life would be a lot easier if you used 12 or even 14 ga. extension cords for that purpose. I have a Stihl weed whip that only draws a bit over 5 amps.
Even with 10 ga. your voltage drop with a Stihl trimmer would be 1.2 volts
With 12 ga. it would be 1.9 volts.
How much expense and inconvenience would you tolerate to save less than one more volt of drop?
If you have ever coiled up a hundred foot long 10 ga. cord, you know what I'm talking about.

If you occasionally run a welder or a compressor, go ahead with the 10ga. otherwise I would go 12.

I've been thinking more about what you said. What's the weight difference between 100' of 10ga versus 100' of 12ga? (A quick search says the 10/3 x 100 weighs 18 lbs and the 12/3 weighs about 13 lbs, so 5 lbs difference across the entire length.) Would it really make my life that much easier? The "working end" might only feel 1 or 2 lbs heavier, but that's still a lot of weight on a tool if you're holding it. I never even stopped to think the heavier gauge might make the tool 1-2 lbs heavier in my hands. That's kind of a lot to hold after a while, adding to the weight of the 10A electric trimmer (13.15 lbs), for instance. I'll see if I can deal with the 10-gauge for a while, if it turns out to be an issue I'll have to reconsider my life situation.

Why not add a hook and loop cable tie to your machine handle to effect a cable strain relief instead of kinking the cable by forcing it into a gap in the handle? There are different products capable of holding even 10-3 and relieving the load on the connector.

Yes, I'll do that. This is my favorite kind of strain relief. It's like Chinese-Finger-Cuffs on the cable, while adding a hanger:

 

[nh_yota]

Why not use gas powered tools? You're overthinking this.

 

[GSMotorrad]

Hedge trimmers like to eat extension cords and it's always within the last 10' of the cord.

Get a good 100' cord and a cheap 10' cord to use for the last few feet.

Yes, as long as I tie that "knot" to keep them from separating at their junction, which works well, I just don't like doing it because it kinks the cables (I'm OCD). They sell $6 plastic things that hold them together, but I would just lose them and it seems tedious to mess with.

You do not need number 10 for this, 14 is for these tools.

Really? I love the idea of a cheap, almost disposable cord for this job. Who cares if I hit it with the trimmer and mess it up. Who cares if I kink it and just stick it in that retension slot. Really easy to whip around and . . . why is this such a hard choice for me?

Here's a random chart I googled:

You're right. That says even my 12A edger can safely utilize 14-gauge up to 100'. I guess I'll get a lightweight and cheap 14/3 x 100'. Should I split the difference and just get 12g? Gosh Darn it!

I just re-read the manual for the 10A Electric Power Head 21142, and it specifically says to use 10ga for 100-feet! All these charts all say different things, so who do I believe? I need to measure voltage-drops under loads with some kind of expensive test equipment, which isn't going to happen just to decide which extension cord to buy for this. I know some folks happily use 16-gauge x 100' for years without incident for stuff like this, that doesn't mean it's right, but I bet it happens more than not.

I should have made a poll.

 

[sberry]

Its not a super big deal and there are a lot of charts out in the world, not all fully apply. Many are very general, if they have a separate listing for the specific tool it would help.
Many of the standards have not changes since they invented it and tools use the same wire while voltage has went up.
There is the whole circuit to consider as well as load and duty cycle. Zinging off a few weeds is different than cutting the national forest down. few minutes different than hours and hooking on a 100 ft circuit different than one near the panel. Some drop wont hurt much under modest load, if this tool can wear you out its probably not an issue.

 

[GSMotorrad]

Why not use gas powered tools? You're overthinking this.

I'm so glad you asked! Initially, what got me even interested in lawncare, were the brushless 56V cordless offerings. Oh, what a treat to not mix oil and gass and never pull start, the smells, the quietness, etc. So, I put this huge battery bank in the trailer to quick-charge my 56V Li-Ion battery-packs on the road.

I'm on my second season without any 2-cycle motors, and I needed a brush-cutter and a dedicated bladed edger. All my lawns looked terrible, because they've never been edged, like ever. I wanted to take more pride in my . . . anyway, I weighed the options, and the electric stuff was like a quarter of the price of the petrol-powered stuff. I already had this pretty stout portable power source I'm carrying around, so why not try something silly and unconventional?

The 56V platform I initially invested in, does not offer any edger, or even an attachment capable "POWER HEAD" type deal, so I was needing something to tackle a lot of overgrown brush, which I tried with a sawzall, which was slow going, because it was so "brushy". The chainsaw (also 56V cordless) just wiggled the stalks, because much of it was too small in diameter, but too thick for my .095 string (the string did work, but took forever and wasted a lot of string). Anyway, I found a powerful 10A 120V A/C POWERHEAD that was attachment capable in the GreenWorks 21142, so I got that and their walk-behind 12A electric 120V A/C bladed edger too.

Gas versions would have cost me . . . what, like at least $500 for those two tools, or thereabouts, while ruining my clean enclosed trailer's good smells and cleanliness. These electric tools kept me "green" and cost me less than $200. Since I carry "free fuel" in my Trojan T-105 battery bank, the savings continue as time progresses on.

I gotta say, cables and me get along well. I kind of love managing them. I worked many years as an a/v tech, and if you couldn't deal with cables, your job would be hell - you had to love them or it wasn't the right industry for you. That's why I'm **** about putting kinks in my extension cords, and I'd never wind them like you see contractors do, by sort of putting loose knots like loopy macrame all over it, so it's this big ordeal that unties itself as you pull on it. No way, I will only go with circular over/under looping. What was I talking about?

Oh yeah, why not gas. My mowers are 4-cycle gas, which I don't mind so much. I considered Honda's (expensive/consumer-grade) 4-cycle offerings, but 4-cycle has less HP and Torque, and they're heavier. Sure, those Hondas are nice, but 15 lbs for the 38cc 4-stroke trimmer is kind of intense. They don't offer a brush-cutter (bladed) attachment, and their system is proprietary, so I'd still need an additional unit to run the bladed brush-cutter I so badly needed/wanted. So, that was out. Too much money, while not covering the brush-cutting bases.

I could have invested in ANOTHER battery platform with the GreenWorks 40V or 80V PowerHead attachment capable tools, but they're nearly $300 and that's only one battery pack, which are like an additional $180 or something crazy. Tempting, but I thought I wanted a "walk-behind" type edger, since most of these lawns have never been edged, which didn't come in a cordless version. I could have used a "stick edger" attachment, and I still might, but blah blah blah, what am I even talking about?? I am rambling like a crazy person. Who cares? Why am I even typing all this nonsense right now?

OMG, I don't know why not gas. I just wanted to be different and make things more difficult because it's fun to me for some reason. I just like electric motors better for hand tools. Gas tools that I have to hold in my hand fatigue me more, from smells, loudness, and pulling the pull-starter string. I always spill the fuel when I try to fill it, the whole (enclosed) trailer ends up smelling like oil/gas mixture, and the floor gets all stained, and I always have to go to the gas-station and have more different cans of gas to keep track of, buying two-stroke oil, mixing it, gumming up the carbs, replacing primer bulbs, it's just all so fatiguing to me.

 

[sberry]

I use 50 ft of 14 on my little comp, if I plug it direct it trips the breaker. 25 ft of 16 works too but should it fault and run un attended the 14 is a legal wire for it.
There seems to be some notion that 16A is the max for a 20A circuit and this is not really correct. But the UL listed tools that come with a 15 end can safely run from 14, bigger sizes are basically for distance. Many circuits are sized under the flawed assumption that the load is actually 20A cause that is the breaker size.

 

[GSMotorrad]

Its not a super big deal and there are a lot of charts out in the world, not all fully apply. Many are very general, if they have a separate listing for the specific tool it would help.
Many of the standards have not changes since they invented it and tools use the same wire while voltage has went up.
There is the whole circuit to consider as well as load and duty cycle. Zinging off a few weeds is different than cutting the national forest down. few minutes different than hours and hooking on a 100 ft circuit different than one near the panel. Some drop wont hurt much under modest load, if this tool can wear you out its probably not an issue.

When I tested my "rig" out edging a never-before-been-edged sidewalk the other day, I laid on that throttle button for long constant periods. I was using heavy extension cords though, so I knew that part would handle it, I just wanted to test the battery bank to make sure it was up to parr. It never even hiccuped, and what felt like a lot of edging probably used like 13% of my amp hours on tap.

I hear ya on the little zipps of some weeds intermittently, but right now the main (only) purpose of the A/C power will be for edging. The 56V brushless string-trimmer handles all the whipper snipping. I got tthe other electric Power Head for possible using with a stick edger attachment, aslo for edging. Thought being that I park my trailer close to the sidewalks, so I shouldn't need such long extension cords for reach, usually. And just never edge backyards with a bladed edger.

The brush cutter attachment won't be used much, but it's mandatory to me for certain tasks and handles all this growth around my house with aplomb. made quick work of what seemed daunting. Good stuff. That 21142 PowerHead doesn't have a variable trigger though, it's all or nothing, which is intense and I don't like that, but it works, and it's powerful. I need to step away from my computer.

 

[rockwithjason]

Copper clad aluminum fell out of favor 40 years ago. You are way late to that party. Aluminum is too brittle for cord use, i have never seen it offered in fine strand versions. You are worried about nothing

 

[GSMotorrad]

Copper clad aluminum fell out of favor 40 years ago. You are way late to that party. Aluminum is too brittle for cord use, i have never seen it offered in fine strand versions. You are worried about nothing

It's all the rage now, for audio amplifier wiring kits, jumper cables, speaker wire, battery cables, etc. Look on Amazon, it's hard to find Pure OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) for those items now-a-days. I agree, I accidentally bought some 8ga. cca cable before I ever even heard of it. The strands kept breaking, it wasn't flexible, and then I learned how it's not a good conductor, etc. I hate the stuff!

I hope I'm worried about nothing with A/C extension cords, but this is a very real phenomena affecting MANY types of cables and wiring in this modern era. Be careful and check to be sure if you can. I just wasn't seeing any specs for the strand's make-up, which started me worrying (for nothing) and posting the question here. I hope CCA never infects extension cables, but I'll always be wary now.

 

[Shiftless]

Gotta love GJ...
25 posts about what kind of extension cord to use!

 

[GSMotorrad]

The 100' of green 10/3 came today, and it weighs a whopping 18 lbs and 13 oz. Whew. It also says, "Century Wire and Cable, Commerce, CA" on the tag. The picture on the ad was just generic, so that's weird. I either got a fake or a good deal? I don't know.

Really nice cable, $97.99 delivered. 18.8 lbs though seems like a bit overkill for whipper-snippering. Looks like this'll get relegated to generator duty, and now I still need one for the lawn stuff. I'll just go by that generic chart posted earlier and get a cheap 100' of 14/3 for the trailer. Thanks for all the recommendations.

 

[gte718p]

It's all the rage now, for audio amplifier wiring kits, jumper cables, speaker wire, battery cables, etc. Look on Amazon, it's hard to find Pure OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) for those items now-a-days. I agree, I accidentally bought some 8ga. cca cable before I ever even heard of it. The strands kept breaking, it wasn't flexible, and then I learned how it's not a good conductor, etc. I hate the stuff!

I hope I'm worried about nothing with A/C extension cords, but this is a very real phenomena affecting MANY types of cables and wiring in this modern era. Be careful and check to be sure if you can. I just wasn't seeing any specs for the strand's make-up, which started me worrying (for nothing) and posting the question here. I hope CCA never infects extension cables, but I'll always be wary now.

Oxygen free copper is a marketing gimmick. The gaps between the strands of wire are larger then an O2 atom. Unless the ends are sealed, air will eventually make its way in. On of the stereo magazines did test probably 20 years ago when I was still doing installs. There was zero difference between speaker wire, oxygen free wire, and wire with the insulation stripped off.

 

[MushCreek]

I have two of those cheap 10/3 cords, and have been using them for over 4 years while I built my house. They are heavy, though. I was kind of pushing the limits, running a lot of juice through 200' of extension cord. I was living in the barn, with a single 20A 120V circuit for cooking, heating water, A/C, watching TV, and running a space heater in the winter. Needless to say, I had to be careful not to run two 'major' appliances at the same time!

 

[sberry]

My tech guy can live from a 16 lamp cord, he runs one thing at a time.

 

[qwiklok]

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