Power Strips, Surge Protectors, & Extension Cords

• Power Strips were designed specifically to handle multiple small electrical loads at one time; such as powering up a radio and a lamp simultaneously. They are not however, made to handle a major appliance; like a ban saw or even a space heater.

• Power strips are rated for a certain capacity, but not all things plugged into them have the same electrical current draw. For instance, a computer monitor may use more power than a charger for a cell phone. 

1.  Do You should only use light-load appliances on power strips. This can include lamps, clocks, small     

     fans…etc.

2.  Do Use power strips sparingly. They aren’t designed to maintain a load for extended periods of time, 

      and can overheat quickly if used too frequently.

3.  Don’t Ever plug a power strip into another power strip. Doing this is a great way to short out 

      appliances, or  drastically increase the risk of an electrical overload or a fire.

4.  Don’t Continue to use a power strip if it feels hot. That should never happen!

• A power surge or spike; is a burst or high increase of power; that lasts for a fraction of a second. Surges or spikes can be caused by lightning strikes, power outages, tripped circuit breakers, short circuits, and other things too, such as downed power lines.

• If a power surge occurs when a device is not hooked into a surge protector, damage to your device can and will most likely happen (usually over a period of time) however, if the circuit a device is connected to is subject to a lightning strike, most often; even a surge protector can’t prevent damage.

• Surge Protectors and power strips look very similar. In order to tell the difference between a power strip and a surge protector, you have to look for an electric rating. Look for a Surge Protector that is rated at 200 to 400 joules. And for even better protection, look for a rating of 600 joules or more. 

Here are a few examples of items that can be plugged into a Surge Protector: 

1. Desktop Computers

2. Laptops 

3. Servers 

4. Televisions 

5. Home Entertainment Systems (Receiver/ Video Game Systems). For a home entertainment system, you can usually purchase a single Surge Protector strip to power the complete system!

Light Duty Extension Cords: These resemble a lamp wire cord and are usually not grounded.

• Lamps, Clocks, and other light-duty electrical devices that draw up to 7 amps of power

Medium Duty Extension Cords: Usually grounded cords that have a 3 prong plug.

• Televisions, Computers, and devices that draw up to 10 amps of power.

Heavy Duty Extension Cords: The heavy duty cords are suitable for drawing 10 to 15 amps of power, and always have the grounded, 3 pronged plugs.

• Tools and Heating Appliances that draw up to 15 amps of power.

GFCI Extension Cords: When using extension cords outdoors, in a basement or crawlspace, or anywhere a cord might encounter moisture, the cord should be a GFCI (ground-fault circuit-interrupter) type, or should be plugged into a GFCI-protected outlet. Some extension cords include built-in GFCI protection. This protection helps prevent against shock hazards.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has found that extension cords are among the most dangerous electrical devices in our homes, due to improper cord sizing and use. Each year, accidents from extension cords kill around 50 people, result in 4,000 injuries requiring hospital treatment, and cause over 3,000 residential fires. Most extension cord failures can be prevented simply by using the right type of cord for the job, and as mentioned, there are various types of extension cords, for various needs.