Electrical question (NOT in house): extension cords and heaters.

[wag123]

Doesn't the heater have a thermostat in it?

 

[OilStasher]

Originally Posted by wag123
Doesn't the heater have a thermostat in it?

Negative. It's just a basic portable radiator heater. Just two dials. One dial selects 0-1-2-3 (aka OFF-600W-900W-1500W). The other controls how hot it gets on that particular wattage setting (not sure what this dial does technically). Basically it's on/off and how hot.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by OilStasher
Originally Posted by wag123
Doesn't the heater have a thermostat in it?

Negative. It's just a basic portable radiator heater. Just two dials. One dial selects 0-1-2-3 (aka OFF-600W-900W-1500W). The other controls how hot it gets on that particular wattage setting (not sure what this dial does technically). Basically it's on/off and how hot.
I'll bet money that the "how hot" dial is a thermostat. Put a Kill-a-Watt on it and see what it says when you turn that dial up and down. I can't imagine that any manufacturer would produce a space heater without including some kind of thermostat to keep it from overheating either itself or the space.

 

[Rmay635703]

Originally Posted by OilStasher
Originally Posted by Donald
Check the ends of the extension cords after running the heater for a bit. The molded plugs/outlets can be cheap.
I guess I should tie up loose ends. Here are links to my 50' 14-gauge cord and my 100' 12-gauge cord. Highly recommend both btw, especially for the $14.99 and $17.49, respectively, that I paid for them

. Based on my experience with them, contrary to the price I paid, there is nothing cheap about these. Edit: I've used cheap orange cords my whole life until these. Never liked any. These however, well, I might cry if these get cut or damaged. Best ones I've ever owned.


If you use a long cord and leave the excess coiled up you can build heat and melt insulation.

Best to use no longer than needed.

 

[OilStasher]

Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by OilStasher
Originally Posted by wag123
Doesn't the heater have a thermostat in it?

Negative. It's just a basic portable radiator heater. Just two dials. One dial selects 0-1-2-3 (aka OFF-600W-900W-1500W). The other controls how hot it gets on that particular wattage setting (not sure what this dial does technically). Basically it's on/off and how hot.
I'll bet money that the "how hot" dial is a thermostat. Put a Kill-a-Watt on it and see what it says when you turn that dial up and down. I can't imagine that any manufacturer would produce a space heater without including some kind of thermostat to keep it from overheating either itself or the space.

Perhaps. I'll try to do some homework on it. Don't own a kill-a-watt. Need one!

 

[OilStasher]

Originally Posted by Rmay635703
Originally Posted by OilStasher
Originally Posted by Donald
Check the ends of the extension cords after running the heater for a bit. The molded plugs/outlets can be cheap.
I guess I should tie up loose ends. Here are links to my 50' 14-gauge cord and my 100' 12-gauge cord. Highly recommend both btw, especially for the $14.99 and $17.49, respectively, that I paid for them

. Based on my experience with them, contrary to the price I paid, there is nothing cheap about these. Edit: I've used cheap orange cords my whole life until these. Never liked any. These however, well, I might cry if these get cut or damaged. Best ones I've ever owned.


If you use a long cord and leave the excess coiled up you can build heat and melt insulation.

Best to use no longer than needed.

If 600W traveling through a 100ft 12-gauge cord builds up enough heat to melt insulation, the length of the cord is the least of my concerns...

 

[OilStasher]

Well, I went with my gut when I first posted this thread. 100ft 12-gauge cable (still need to switch to the 50' cord...), thermocube draped over the open (bone-dry) toilet tank at the same height as the pipes (did this so the thermocube doesn't touch anything and get a false reading). Heater and LED plugged into thermocube.

You wouldn't believe how many times I've both checked on the LED from inside the house, and gone out to the garage because the LED wasn't on and saying "there's NO way it isn't
I figured my best bet to measure temperature was my instant-read food thermometer. Sure enough, every time I went out there and it wasn't on, it measured 37-39°, and I took readings constantly for a solid 2 minutes in various places. So far I'm impressed. But trust is earned, not given.

I've calculated the energy saved (just the time I can truly verify it was off, it's probably much more), and that $3 cube has already saved me $1.44 in electricity if I did my math right. 24 total hours of "off" time where I would have left it plugged in manually, multiplied by 600W = 14,400Wh, ÷1,000 = 14.4kWh, x$0.10/kWh = $1.44. It just may be a keeper if it can prove itself.

 

[Jethro_Bob]

Length of the cord is way too long for twenty amps, using any online wire gauge it's a no-go on the 14 gauge, and a max of 13ft on the 12 gauge.

Edit: just saw the date, sorry.

 

[eljefino]

That chart's a bit disingenuous, some voltage drop is ok if the insulation is rated for the added heat, and if the appliance isn't voltage-sensitive, which a heater isn't.

OP has a concrete floor, in winter, with an uncoiled (I hope) extension cord, all good scenarios. The only downer is he's got way more cord length than he needs.

Nobody's asking about the house wiring, distance to breaker box, if it is 12 or 14 gauge, or if anything else is on the circuit.

 

[brianl703]

That chart's a bit disingenuous

That chart is a joke. Nobody, and I mean nobody, upsizes a 15 amp circuit from 14 gauge to 10 gauge because it's 20 feet long.

Well, except maybe the DoD.

 

[Rmay635703]

That chart is a joke. Nobody, and I mean nobody, upsizes a 15 amp circuit from 14 gauge to 10 gauge because it's 20 feet long.

Well, except maybe the DoD.

Somebody was smoking funny weed on this site

I guess at 500F you get 100amps?

 

[brianl703]

Somebody was smoking funny weed on this site

I guess at 500F you get 100amps?

Never saw an aluminum extension cord. Perhaps some factory in China is cranking out extension cords made with copper-clad aluminum wire? Doubtful that meets UL requirements.

 

[Schandyman]

Don't instantly say NO, hear me out!

Hi all, I'm not exactly an amateur with home wiring. I'm knowledgeable enough to be more skilled than the saying "I know how to get myself into trouble." But getting into technicalities is above me. I'm basically just double checking my assumption.

I have a portable radiator style space heater in a detached unfinished garage/shop (completely empty) which is used to prevent my pipes from freezing (it has a toilet and sink inside it). I keep the heater almost at the bare minimum setting and it keeps it plenty warm enough.

I just bought a thermostatically controlled wall tap to use out there (it was $3, why not?), but there is no outlet in the bathroom. The water is shut off out there, so there's no chance of any water/floor/electrical issues unless the pipes burst. The entire garage including the bathroom is a concrete slab.

The problem? The closest outlet is in the main open area of the garage, approximately 2 feet from the bathroom door. The heater is in the bathroom, with the door closed and the cord draped under it (there's a decent gap, zero chance of cord damage). If I plug the tap directly into the wall outlet, it will sense the colder temperature of the main area, not the proper heated bathroom temperature.

So here's my thought process/question. I plan to use an extension cord to make this work. Basically I'm planning to do:

Wall outlet-->extension cord-->thermocube (placed in the bathroom)-->heater

I know the shorter the length of cord the better, but I also know the lower the gauge of cord the better. I have two options for extension cords. I have a 50ft 14-gauge cable, or I have a 100ft 12-gauge cable. I don't buy garbage, both are high quality and new. I'm personally leaning toward the 100ft cable because of the lower gauge. I'm sure either would be fine though.

I also plan to plug in a single 8W LED as an indicator light (which I can see from the main house) to ensure the tap is functioning properly. I trust nothing new...

So long story short, would a quality low-gauge cord with the thermocube on the end, which is hooked to a minimal setting heater be okay to use in a detached, empty, unused, uninhabited garage? What would you do differently? Which of those two cables would you use? Thanks.

If you’re somewhat handy get yourself a replacement female cord end and cut to length from the 100ft 12-gauge cord the desired length you need.

 

[javacontour]

If you’re somewhat handy get yourself a replacement female cord end and cut to length from the 100ft 12-gauge cord the desired length you need.

Get a male end while you are at it and make a 2nd extension cord out of the remainder with the female end on it.

 

[Schandyman]

Get a male end while you are at it and make a 2nd extension cord out of the remainder with the female end on it.

. Good idea

 

[PimTac]

This thread is old. I’m sure the OP figured it out by now. He has been MIA for over two years.

 

[javacontour]

This thread is old. I’m sure the OP figured it out by now. He has been MIA for over two years.

Well it got close to a dozen responses since resurrected from the dead, LOL.

 

[Schandyman]

Sometimes people just need a new idea to reinvent the wheel.

 

[PimTac]

Sometimes people just need a new idea to reinvent the wheel.

Actually the idea is a common one though using it for heaters is questionable. I wouldn’t buy a long extension cord for this task but rather a section of Romex or equivalent and wired the plug and outlet in.

I have used short extension cords for simple jobs like what I did recently, installing a new security light replacement in the carport. Chop off the outlet end and wired it up to the light. The other end is plugged in. Secured the cord like I would a wiring job. I bought a 16 foot extension and not 100 feet though.

 

[brianl703]

I wouldn’t buy a long extension cord for this task but rather a section of Romex or equivalent and wired the plug and outlet in.

Per the electric code, extension cords are "not for permanent use". If it's a business where the fire marshal does inspections, they will enforce that rule.