I’m looking to get new extension cables (like the ones with multiple outlets) for my new place. I would like to get them from a reputable manufacturer, and ideally they should have some standard safety features. Problem is, searching on PCHome all I can see are some brands I’ve never heard of, or brands like SAMPO or Kinyo, which personally I won’t buy.
Does anyone have any recommendations for made in Taiwan or made in Japan extension cables from well known brands that have some standard safety features.
I know that most extension cables are only dangerous when they are being misused, which I won’t do, but still I’d rather have good quality and safe devices in my house. Who knows if a guest or family member will do something stupid when I’m not looking.
As long as you’re not plugging appliances into your power strip you should be fine, right? Any power strip with a surge protector would probably be fine. Even that’s a bit unnecessary as there’s not really power surges here.
I mean, the real issue with extension cords is that most have no fuses. So you can take a cord rated for say 5 amps and plug a microwave and an oven into it, and predictably it’s going to cause danger.
In the UK every plug is fused so this isn’t a problem.
Brand doesn’t matter so much, but you just gotta make sure that the cords are rated for the amps it will see. That means microwaves, ovens, even rice cookers (those draw a lot of amps), space heaters are not ever used with extension cords.
I usually buy one with a maximum current rating on the packet, with an overcurrent device fitted as part of it, and each individual outlet on the strip provided with an illuminated switch. Never looked for anything greater than 15amp so as not to trip the circuit board either.
Some of mine have reset buttons for when it gets overloaded. I might have one or two with removable fuses too, but I’d have to get up and check and I’m feeling lazy.
Not really, I just go down the local hardware store and look at the current rating, cable thickness and if it ticks all my requirements. (I do try to avoid Chinese made if I can).
Most modern ones don’t have fuses they just have an overcurrent device which is much the same. It will trip out when you overload the sockets on the strip. Example, we have a kettle 11amp, a milk warmer 3.5amp and a coffee pod machine 10amp. So can only make tea or coffee but not both simultaneously.
I’ve never seen any honestly, I think some power strips might have circuit breakers or something. I know those christmas light has fuses inside, and so someone said christmas lights are actually safer than extension cords.
Also, is surge protection and overcurrent protection the same thing? I guess one is to protect from surges from the grid and one is to protect overloading by the user?
CHAT GTP - Overcurrent protection is designed to safeguard electrical circuits from excessive current levels, which can lead to overheating and potentially cause damage to equipment or start a fire. Surge protection, on the other hand, is intended to protect against sudden spikes in voltage, such as those caused by lightning strikes or power surges from utility grid fluctuations. While both aim to protect electrical systems, they address different types of electrical disturbances.
The odds are you will encounter more over current events than surges in currents.
I believe surge protectors are simply a MOV connected somewhere in the circuit that dumps surges into the ground when it senses it. I think the MOV burns out after a x number of energy, and it offers no protection after that.
Yep, my wife broke a previous extension cable by using the oven at the same time as the kettle. I won’t let her try that again but you never know what stupid things people will do when you aren’t around
Overcurrent only happens if you either plug way too much stuff than what the wiring is rated for, or if you have a short circuit.
Problem is most extension cords have none, and will only trip if your wall’s circuit breaker goes over the current it’s rated for.
That means you got a 5 amp extension cord plugged into a 20 amp circuit, and you run an oven on it. The circuit breaker isn’t going to trip because the oven won’t draw more than 20 amps (it will realistically draw about 12 or so), but your extension cord will be literally on fire after prolonged use.
