Ok for all the electricians please breathe

[Dansdad]

I have an extension cord running 100' from garage to shop. It's 3 wire 12 gauge. Now if I tie in to the garage with 12 ga. hardwire and run that to my shop the distance will be the same but no extension cord. Is that any better?

 

[930dreamer]

What are you powering in the shop?

 

[theoldwizard1]

"Cordage" (the industry term for extension cords) is always downgraded. So a 12 gauge extension cord is rated at 15 amp while "hard wire" (be it stranded or solid) is rated at 20 amps.

Technically, 12 gauge stranded wire would have a slightly larger voltage drop (be able to carry a small amount less current) than 12 gauge solid, but for your distance it would not matter.

The big difference is longevity. The cord will be exposed to sun, rain, snow and likely to get flexed a lot. The other wire would either be direct buried or in conduit, which ever is appropriate for the insulation. Same is true for overhead installations.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I have an extension cord running 100' from garage to shop. It's 3 wire 12 gauge. Now if I tie in to the garage with 12 ga. hardwire and run that to my shop the distance will be the same but no extension cord. Is that any better?

What are u plugging into this cord?

At 15a load, the voltage drop will be about 5%, or 6v(114v seen by device plugged in if the outlet the cord is plugged into is at 120v) which is the max recommended by the NEC. If the voltage at your outlet is lower than 120v then whatever u plug in will see an even lower voltage. Some devices may not like this!

But using 12ga building wire wont help with the voltage drop. Depending on what youre doing in the shop, it may be better to just wire in a subpanel!

"Cordage" (the industry term for extension cords) is always downgraded. So a 12 gauge extension cord is rated at 15 amp while "hard wire" (be it stranded or solid) is rated at 20 amps.

Technically, 12 gauge stranded wire would have a slightly larger voltage drop (be able to carry a small amount less current) than 12 gauge solid, but for your distance it would not matter.

The big difference is longevity. The cord will be exposed to sun, rain, snow and likely to get flexed a lot. The other wire would either be direct buried or in conduit, which ever is appropriate for the insulation. Same is true for overhead installations.

Solid and stranded wire carry the same amount of current. The difference is stranded has a slightly higher resistance which would mean a slightly higher voltage drop but is negligable and not noticable for A/C electrical purposes!