I need a better extension cord...

[Don1357]

My long extension cord... 75 feet or so? I don't know much about it other that it is the usual orange contractor extension cord you probably think about when mentioned. Except that my compressor doesn't like it (some generic 11 gallon 125 PSI import machine). On the extension cord it seems to struggles to pump and then it trips the compressor push breaker. Connected directly to an outlet it runs fine.

Just looking at the extension cords on Amazon and I see the basic orange extension cords on 16 gauge size, with some pricier cords using 12 gauge wiring. Is it as simple as picking a 12 gauge cord or is there more to it?

 

[Rabid Badger]

75 feet is a long run, but you'll see a dramatic improvement moving from 16 to 12 AWG.

 

[Ralf11]

how many amps will the compr. draw?

then just figure out the resistance min. you need to hit

 

[ddawg16]

I wouldn't own a 16AWG extension anything.

A little story....

About 22 years ago I was working on my radial arm saw.....old Craftsman type. I was trying to figure out why it would not spin up to speed.

As part of my troubleshooting, I took off the blade. It spun up to speed nicely.

Next, I put the blade back on without the shield. Being lazy I only hand tightened the nut.

A couple of start/stop cycles and it was obvious the issue was related to the load of the blade.

During the power down I noticed the nut was coming off....and the blade was following it.

Nut comes off, the blade follows it...hits a rubber sanding block almost cutting it in half...shoots up to the ceiling....drives along the ceiling...then down the wall and comes to stop in a box.

To say I am lucky no one was hurt is an understatement.

The real cause of my problem? I was running the saw off a 50' 16 AWG extension cord.

Now you know why I'll never own a 16AWG extension cord again.

 

[Kps]

I have a few film tools extension cords from my photo days, they used to do custom lengths. The cords are so nice I almost don’t want to use them. They have held up very well, be sure to roll them up correctly.

https://www.filmtools.com/filmtools-stinger-12-3-sjo-cable-extension-cord-100.html

 

[Shiftless]

I watched a guy use a 100 foot long 18 ga. Orange extension cord to power up a 10 inch table saw. (Not a top grade saw worth repowering) I told him to stop because the motor would probably not run on that cord. He did it anyway. The motor hummed for a bit and then stopped, never to run again.
I helped him toss it into a dumpster but not before I grabbed the blade and a sweet adjustable dado set up that was with the saw.

Moral of the story... use heavy cords for high amperage draw tools. 16 ga. is for table lamps and Christmas lights.
Just because the cord is round and orange doesn’t mean that it is qualified for the job. Read the fine print. Look for 12 or maybe 14 is OK for shorter lengths and most tools.

 

[CGT80]

A smaller number, larger wire will handle more amperage without voltage loss. As long as the 12 gauge cord you buy is really 12 gauge and not some cheap import that doesn't meet specs, and as long as the ends are good quality, it will be fine. You can buy 10 gauge cords with 15/20 amp 125 volt ends as well and bigger doesn't hurt, but it will be heavier and more expensive.



I had a 50 foot 10 gauge cord for my miller 135 mig, but later turned it into a 240/250v cord for my plasma and miller 211. 10 gauge is good for 30 amps, if the ends are correct. RV 14-30 plugs and receptacles as well as some twist locks are rated that high. I used 6-50 (common welding plugs/receptacles) for my cords, which are 50 amp, but the 10 ga limits them to 30 amp use. Yes, this likely isn't to code, but I understand electricity and have done plenty of it professionally.


Along with a couple 10 cords setup for 6-50, I also have a 6 gauge for the 65 amp hypertherm plasma cutter. Now, for 120 volt tools, I just use 12 gauge.........which is a great option for the OP, unless they want to splurge for 10 gauge, which will handle more than the ends you will be using.


Also, consider how long the run is from your breaker panel to the receptacle you plug into, and consider the voltage of your supply. Around where I live, voltages are 122-124 on each phase, but in the campground I am currently staying in and remodeling, they have only 110v a short distance from the meters. This is in the remote mountains of San Diego, CA and I notice the lower voltage when running electric heat, microwave, AC, toaster oven, etc. in my trailer. The lower the voltage or longer the run, or smaller the wire to the receptacle, the more difference you will see with a cord on a high amp tool.......not all receptacles will give you the same performance.



Yellow Jacket cords used to be USA made and very flexible. The new ones are made in China. A year or two ago I looked for a 100 foot 10 ga cord and found that the rigid brand at HD was a mix of USA and China for the same product....they were switching over, or had, so I bought the USA version.


My 6ga is Carol brand and is USA made, bought from amazon. I think it is SO cord, which is 600v, where SJ is 300v rated insulation and thinner. Both work at home, but for a saw my brother and I built and ran, we went with SO as we were running a 400v 50hz motor at 480/60 from a 20k generator.


My dewalt 15 amp 12" miter saw starts and cuts fine with a 100' 12ga cord, with utility power or the 20k generator we use and I would expect the same for your compressor, just as it works for my Porter Cable suitcase portable compressor. As others mentioned, 16 ga is hardly worth while. 14ga is a light duty cord for me and 12ga is standard for bigger power tools. 10ga or 6 ga for welding or big motors.

 

[RTM]

Usual method is to use a short extension cord and a long hose.

But our friends at HjE sell a nice 12/3

https://www.harryepstein.com/voltec-12-3-50-outdoor-extension-cord-red-white-blue-1.html

 

[Shiftless]

Usual method is to use a short extension cord and a long hose.

Yep! My most used cord is a 12ga. 25 footer. But I have an extra 50 foot air hose.

to that.

 

[sberry]

I rarely use a 12. I do if I need it but it's rather rare.
Own a couple 12 but they are pretty lonely. As for the understanding of welder cords, this could use a little work. As for worth to own got 2 number 12 and 2 dozen 16

 

[sberry]

Modern lights really help. Used to be 500 watts now they are 50.

 

[jonesg]

Usual method is to use a short extension cord and a long hose.

But our friends at HjE sell a nice 12/3

https://www.harryepstein.com/voltec-12-3-50-outdoor-extension-cord-red-white-blue-1.html

aka take the wheelbarrow to the dirt, not the dirt to the wheelbarrow.

My cheapo HF 21gal compressor has a big warning label, use of extention cords invalidates warranty.

Its plugged directly into a dedicated line in the basement, from there I ran Rapidaire hard line underground and plumbed 3 air outlets in the garage.

 

[BrandoJames]

During the power down I noticed the nut was coming off....and the blade was following it. Nut comes off, the blade follows it...hits a rubber sanding block almost cutting it in half...shoots up to the ceiling....drives along the ceiling...then down the wall and comes to stop in a box.

Whoa. That sounds like a martial arts film--"The House of Flying Saw Blades". Glad you weren't hurt.

 

[lardy1]

My late 80's era Emglow twin hot dog compressor needs a full 20 amps to run properly. I have ran it off a twelve gauge cord (I use nothing lighter), It's way easier on the motor to use longer hoses and shorter cords. Plus, you gain the extra air volume of the additional hose.

All my circuits in my shop are 20 amp breakers and 12 gauge Romex. Less than 12 gauge cords don't live in my shop. She has a couple around the house but they stay in the house.

 

[Rinspeed]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-50-ft-10-3-Heavy-Duty-Contractor-Grade-Indoor-Outdoor-Extension-Cord-HD-729-706/202533866

 

[bob15]

Usual method is to use a short extension cord and a long hose.

But our friends at HjE sell a nice 12/3

https://www.harryepstein.com/voltec-12-3-50-outdoor-extension-cord-red-white-blue-1.html

I bought the 50 footer in July (actually 3 of them, but 2 were gifts). Very nice cord and very pliable. Well worth the money!!!

I would have bought the 100' one, but have no real need for one....until probably next week.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I rarely use a 12. I do if I need it but it's rather rare.
Own a couple 12 but they are pretty lonely.

A 12/3 cord is overfill for most things, but if you are only going to have ONE 100' cord, it should be a 12/3 !

The best quality cords will have the cable type embossed in the outer insulation. SJOOW is the best. (well, there is SOOW, but for a 12/3 cord that is REALLY overkill !)

You can save money buying a SJT or SJTE cord, but those are NOT water and oil resistant AND they are very stiff in cold weather.

 

[honcho]

Smaller gauge cords have their place. Especially with LED lighting and lower amperage draw electronics like smaller car battery chargers. For those of us that still use corded tools, a 16 gauge cord will power your typical 3/8 and 1/2 inch drills, circular saws, etc. just fine. The smaller gauge cords weigh less and are easier to manipulate in many settings.

As we often read here on GJ, pick the right tool for the job. 10 ga, 12 ga for high current draw tools, 14 and 16 ga for lesser draws. If the distance from the outlet is long, pick a heavier gauge cord.

 

[WinMod21]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-50-ft-10-3-Heavy-Duty-Contractor-Grade-Indoor-Outdoor-Extension-Cord-HD-729-706/202533866

I've always had 2 or 3 100' 10 ga cords, and after I gave one to a son-in-law, I bought a RIDGID 100'er for I think around $110~$120. But I've seen 25' 10 ga.'ers.

In construction, we never used anything less than 12 ga. (or if multiple cords...10 ga. lead cords before the 12 ga.'ers). Therefore I've never ran a power tool on anything less than 12 ga (except for some small corded tools on 14 ga.); as it never hurts to have overkill on a cord, but of course an insufficient smaller gauge cord can harm/burnout motors.

 

[Rabid Badger]

The price difference between 12AWG and 16AWG for a 50ft cord is about $15. Considering the damage an undersized cord can cause it just isn't worth keeping them around.

Also, stick with reputable brand names when buying cords. Buying no-name cords is a good way to end up with steel contacts and (shudder) aluminum conductors.

 

[LeeG]

These were well recommended on an earlier thread.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LUT9SM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Made in USA, available in 25,50, and 100’ lengths.

 

[sberry]

Where you guys learn to size cords? You got to wonder why they make millions of 16,,, more than any other size.

 

[American Locomotive]

Where you guys learn to size cords? You got to wonder why they make millions of 16,,, more than any other size.

...because they're cheap, and suitable for most general homeowner tasks?

 

[Eric29]

I use these and they’re great.

These were well recommended on an earlier thread.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LUT9SM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Made in USA, available in 25,50, and 100’ lengths.

 

[sberry]

...because they're cheap, and suitable for most general homeowner tasks?

They are also adequate for most of the loads.

 

[Farmall450]

12/3 Yellowjacket is my recommendation

 

[Farmall450]

I've noticed a new, domestically made "agripro" line of cords at Farm & Fleet

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1312436-agripro-12-3-sjtow-25-extension-cord.html

Still have the usual yellow jacket too

 

[Farmall450]

Usual method is to use a short extension cord and a long hose.

But our friends at HjE sell a nice 12/3

https://www.harryepstein.com/voltec-12-3-50-outdoor-extension-cord-red-white-blue-1.html

$28 shipping is a bit of a deal ruiner

 

[jonesg]

power cords for RV's are a good way to get cheaper extention wire.


VGUARD 250V 40 Feet Welder Extension Cord, Heavy Duty 8 AWG NEMA 6-50 STW Welding Cord with Power Indicator End, ETL Listed $76

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085HN7VWD/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[sberry]

I am fairly cord dependant and worked a lot with them early on and when I was 20 and 25 and thought I knew something about it would have tended to agree with a lot of the sentiment here.
Since some experience and some testing find this type of thing to be about as statistically accurate as all China end wrenches strip all the bolts and leave everyone in the er,,,,, but having actually used 100's over thousands of hard use cycles and supervised the use of thousands more man hours with these tools it becomes apparent a lot of the prevailing thought is wayyyyyy out of line and not in margins but multiples.
I got as much use in some respect as most or higher user as here, dont own a 10 cord. I got no problem getting a better cord if it really matters but I aint dragging a 12 for every intermitant load on a power tool. 10 cords are for contractor types, pole barn and house builders starting off 150 ft from the nearest outlet running saws and comps.
This stuff here is just all speculation and faulty at best. The biggest real load not including motor starts are welders. A 140 will turn up to 23A, on a 15 ****** like outside and heavy service we are at 123v. I realize there are charts but meter it and about 4V loss on 50 ft of 12, 100m ft losing 8,,, at 23A. 119V. 50 ft 14, about 8 loss, 114V. On less than wide open the losses are less, when I am in the zone can tell I got to turn the wire speed down just a fuzz if I simply interchange the cords.
It dont blow up, it doesnt overheat, the operator can barely tell a difference if he knew to start with. Same for the little fukkin compressors that come with a 14 cord on them. The only reason for a 14 to start with is that should something go wrong with it or someone runs it for hours and it becomes continious it doesnt overheat the wire.
You can put it on 25 ft 16 forever intermittantly and you never be able to measure the difference. Its even less than the welder with a load of 15 at the most. 8V loss on a 14 at 50 with the welder but only 5 with the comp, still 118 under load, closer to 120 than 115 and a long ways from 110.

 

[sberry]

I got a common leaf blower, I use it on 100 16, I use it once in a while or rarely, aint gonna make a nickles difference in the life of the unit or power consumed vs spending "there is only 15$ difference in ther 2 cords" gonna spend 15 today to save a fukkin nickle,,,

 

[sberry]

What if this saved a nickle a week? 52 weeks in a year, 2.60. So the initial investment recouped in 6 years and you get to drag a 12 wire along. Even notice the cord on a common vac? This is an engineered product, lets sit down and calculate how much it would save for the little missus to drag a 12???
By not sizing cord to load are actually defeating the purpose of engineering. Making it lighter faster stronger and more economical. The advent of cheap cord had made so much possible.
But the diy sizing promoted wholesale here is simply faulty reasoning at best.

 

[gus1221]

What if this saved a nickle a week? 52 weeks in a year, 2.60. So the initial investment recouped in 6 years and you get to drag a 12 wire along. Even notice the cord on a common vac? This is an engineered product, lets sit down and calculate how much it would save for the little missus to drag a 12???
By not sizing cord to load are actually defeating the purpose of engineering. Making it lighter faster stronger and more economical. The advent of cheap cord had made so much possible.
But the diy sizing promoted wholesale here is simply faulty reasoning at best.

.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[American Locomotive]

I really have no idea where you're going with that rant about "saving a nickle"? What? Your whole rant is really completely irrelevant to the OP's problem.

The OP has a compressor that isn't starting on a cord. Most compressors use induction motors that have very high in-rush currents. A typical compressor might have an in-rush of 70A. That's a 42 volt drop on a 16 gauge cord @ 75 feet (the OP's specified distance). A 12 gauge cord would have a 17 volt drop in comparison. That's a huge difference, and can definitely mean the difference between the compressor successfully starting, and the motor just sitting there humming.

Whatever cord a vacuum comes with is completely irrelevant. Most vacuums have universal motors that will happily run on any input voltage, and even then most vacuum cords get hot while in operation because they are undersized. They just have high temperature insulation.

Small cords have their place, as do big cords. We're not "engineering" a product. We're trying to provide power to a device that is expected to be plugged directly into an outlet.

 

[Shiftless]

sberry as usual, is giving good advice.
For most uses, the lighter weight, easier to handle cords such as 14s and even 16s are fine. Like many other things we do, it’s up to the user to know what tool to use for what job. Big motors need lots of amps and long lightweight cords hinder that. A 3/8 drill motor will probably run fine on a long 18.

If a guy has room to store multiple length and gauge cords, that’s the best.

 

[sberry]

Between this post and the last just sharpened a set of brush hog knives on the machine, wore out a whole wheel with a hard grind, 25 ft 16 to the 8A tool. None of it overheat or not usable again or would have had its life prolonged by using a better cord.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

The cheapest way to make a good heavy cord for stuff is to buy a 25 or 50ft roll of S.O. Cord and put your own ends on it. You only really need it for high draw stuff like a compressor or welder. Most corded tools won’t even know the difference.

I agree with SBerry here, common sense is key. GJ is the home of overkill, but some things are just a waste of money.

 

[sberry]

I am saying that its the same answer straight across the board and a lot of guys insisting that anything less than 12 is totally inferior at every turn and it aint so. I agree 75 ft of 16 to run a comp is light and I have seen dipsticks wondering why the welder wasnt working on a 16 reel, these are extremes but its ironic to be accused of going astray when it started that some improvement may be worthy to not only the merits of improvement but his life would be greatly improved by using number 10.

 

[sberry]

12 and 10 for that matter are large enough that 3 way can be added with no additional over current protection.
Use 14 got to add 15 thermal for multiple outlets, got to add 10 to 16 cord with a duplex on it.

 

[Rabid Badger]

Between this post and the last just sharpened a set of brush hog knives on the machine, wore out a whole wheel with a hard grind, 25 ft 16 to the 8A tool. None of it overheat or not usable again or would have had its life prolonged by using a better cord.

I didn't anticipate having to point this out, but here we are:

25 feet is less than 50 feet. A lot less.

8 amps is less than 15 amps. A lot less.

Also, I never said anything about buying bigger cords to save electricity. What you might very well save using 12 AWG cords on a long run vs 16 AWG is an air compressor, table saw or other very expensive tool.

As I've explained to you before, your years of experience working in an indoor shop don't necessarily carry over to other situations. You are giving bad advice and you should stop.