The American Wire Gauge, or AWG, is a system that measure the thickness of an electrical wire. The number of AWG determine how much electrical power that a wire can carry. The smaller the gauge the thicker the wire and the larger gauge the thinner the wire.
Because thick wire are capable of carrying more electricity than thin wires, thin wires has a higher resistance to the electricity that pass through them, and thin wires are not capable of carrying as much electricity as thick wires. Thus, if an individual use a thin wire to operate a tool that requires a great deal of electricity, the thin wire will heat up due to the resistance of the wire, and the tool will not perform as good as if it were using a wire with a higher gauge. Furthermore, if the wire becomes too hot due to it’s thinness, the insulation on the wire will melt.
How to Choose the Right Extension Cord
The thickness of the wire is one of the most critical features of the wire. For instance, individuals can use an 18-gauge wire to operate a small lamp. The use of 18-gauge wire for a small lamp is appropriate since lamps require very little electricity to operate.
An 18-gauge wire should not, however, be used for tool like circular saws, which require much more electricity. If an individual were to use an 18-gauge wire for a tool like a circular saw, the motor for that saw may overheat and fail due to the lack of sufficient voltage to the motor. Another factor to consider with electrical cords is there length.
The longer the cord for a tool, the more resistance the cord create. Thus, the longer the cord, the less voltage that is delivered to the tool. For these reasons, if an individual is purchasing a tool that requires high amount of electricity, the cord should be relatively thick.
If, however, an individual attempts to purchase a long cord for a tool with high electrical demands, the cord may not be able to handle the demands of the tool. Furthermore, the voltage drop that occurs due to thin cords and long cords will result in the tool not function efficiently. An individual can determine the proper thickness of the wire for the tool by examining the tool’s nameplate to determine its amperage, the amount of electricity that the tool use.
Tools that use more than 15 amps will require medium-gauge or heavy-gauge wires, and the cord should be as short as possible. Tools that use less than 10 amps can use lighter gauge wires, although the length of the cord should still be consider. Finally, another safety consideration is to avoid what are referred to as “daisy-chaining” cords.
Daisy-chaining refers to plug one extension cord into another extension cord. Each time an individual plugs an extension cord into another extension cord, the resistance within the cords increase, which create more heat within the cords. Safety is one of the primary consideration for the use of extension cords.
Some ways in which an individual can ensure their use of extension cords is safe and efficient are to ensure that the individual uncoils the extension cord prior to its use. Additionally, the individual should check for damage to the jacket of the cord. If the cord will be used outside, the cord should have an outdoor gauge.
Finally, extension cords are temporary tools; using them as a permanent replacement for wiring in a home or office may lead to flex fatigue in the cord, which can eventually lead to the breakage of the copper strand in the cord.
