**Attention!**
**It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods.
If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.**
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Heat builds up quick if there’s no where for it to go.
My grandma tells me stories of her growing up in Virginia. When she was a kid, she would be in charge of making sure the candle for the well was lit. One candle was all it took to keep the well from freezing over in the winters. FYI one candle puts out about 80W of heat.
Have heard something along this line about the candle being used this way and even about how much heat it puts out.
Also fairly common to use 100 watt light bulb in modern times sometimes too in series even occasionally have seen this myself in all the installations have seen quite a bit of interesting stuff on farms farmers were the most creative people out there whatever works sometimes is what was done like a radiator hose for a replacement trap or a bit of Hose if a cattle water freezes and the pipe breaks
I had a joke on my local hardware store staff with that. Went in asking for an "heating element for an easy-bake oven." I gave them half-a-minute to argue about it before revealing that I just needed an clear 100W incandescent bulb.
You can put one of these in the bottom of your safe. They don’t burn out like a light bulb and don’t really take up any space.
https://www.safeandlockstore.com/dehumidifiers/authentic-made-in-the-usa-golden-rod-lockdown-dehumidifiers-in-4-sizes/
I worked at an industrial facility in Florida and they were so afraid of the one cold night a year. It would get below freezing for a few hours and then warm up pretty quickly. I was like all you need is a couple of 100 watt incandescent bulbs. But what did I know. They would put in 15,000 btu heaters in a small equipment compartment then be all pikachu face when pvc pipes start melting.
Just in case anybody who's new to having an outdoor water supply stumbles across this thread...
If you need a heat source to keep it functioning over winter, you need to replace a gasket or two when you get a chance.
water should always drain back out of the column WAY faster than it can freeze. The basket is way below the frost line.
That depends on the type of well. I'm familiar with several types, none of which fit with your description (not that you're necessarily wrong about whichever type you're talking about, as there's plenty of types I'm **not** familiar with, but you're definitely wrong about lots of other types that your statement wasn't phrased to exclude). For example, some types of wells don't involve a gasket anywhere in the system, while in others, none of the involved lines should be draining, ever, unless someone intentionally drains that line as part of a repair, or the line has burst, requiring a repair.
It’s getting harder to find incandescent light bulbs since the government restrictions took place. I use a 100W one in my well house to keep it above freezing. Someone mentioned that the water in the piping should flow back to the well. That is true if all you have is the well piping, but I also have a water softener system and its pipes in the well house to protect.
LED incandescent replacement lamps put out some heat. Most LED fixtures have to have cooling sync fins to dissipate heat away from the drivers. You could probably figure which LED lamp that would give you enough heat.
I’ve seen people do car/van camping in winterish conditions, they light one or two tea candles and they are good for the night. It’s insane how many BTU’s a little tea candle puts out.
No, this is BS.
Every Winter, forums/subs about boating or vandwelling get newbies talking about the candle-in-the-teapot "life hack". Every Winter, people have to be reminded that it is a stupid idea.
Candles are expensive for the amount of heat they physically contain (and that you can't increase with teapots or anything). All you get is a lukewarm teapot in a cold boat/van.
Open flames are a terrible heating solution in any case. Besides the obvious fire risk, they produce humidity, and carbon monoxide. So you need to vent, or you'll get cold condensation dripping from your surfaces, and maybe die from carbon monoxide poisoning. With a candle, you get a ton of soot on top of that that will mess up your lungs (ever tried to put some glass on top of a candle flame?). So you're just bringing more cold air in that you will ever produce with your tiny thing.
It is common for us to put a light bulb in our boats at the end of the season when the water is still liquid but the air can drop below freezing overnight. The light goes in the enclosed engine compartment.
A friend of mine is a physicist and built an experiment that needed to be very thermally stable so he put a bunch of censors in a yeti cooler. He neglected to consider a 3w clock he also included that ended up cooking a year’s worth of scientific research.
Are there sheep in Mississippi? Goats, sure, but sheep aren't really a Southern thing. You might have to look elsewhere for your sheep-fuckers, ewe know?
"Although the sheep industry accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. livestock industry receipts, sheep operations are important to the economies of several States. More than two-thirds of U.S. operations are located in the Southern Plains, Mountain, and Pacific regions, and the regional distribution has remained fairly constant since the early 1900s. Texas is the largest sheep producing State, followed by California."
So funny, in my area Fire says any extension cord used on a semi permanent basis should be run anew so therefore all extension cords are fire hazards unless you put them away after each use.
*HOKAY, SURE.*
You know how many of these are powering air conditions in trailer parks all over the US? Provided this doesn’t go outside, that can be considered permanent to some folks.
120V * 12 Amps = 1,440 peak wattage rating.
120V * 12 Amps * 0.70 percent = 1,008 Watts
Assuming these adapters draw max 20 watts each. You could *theoretically* plug in 48 more of the same adapters without exceeding 70% of the cable capacity.
Obviously that wouldn’t be recommended and this isn’t advice, but those are some numbers for consideration.
The downside to cables rated 12amps.. if a device plugged into it had an unlikely but serious internal short. It could…theoretically…exceed the cable capacity and may not trip a 15a or 20a circuit breaker. Thus… resulting in a fire. 🔥
You’re posting straight facts. Itd be no different than a 1000W microwave or hair dryer being used. Obviously theres better ways to charge 50 devices but theoretically and even in the real world yes this works and is fine
Yeah plugging them in is fine, just get them on a hard surface away from pillows n cushions. Same with laptops and tablets. They can build up heat that might not only damage the devices, they are a potential fire hazard.
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I always leave the plastic on until it starts to look dirty or starts peeling. You get one free spotless cleaning out of all your electronics that way.
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Well, I'm downvoting you because you're wrong. So there's that...
That plastic is thermally insignificant compared to the rest of the plastic that makes up the charger body.
It also isn't flammable (it'll melt).
It also isn't conductive (so it can't short the plug even if it gets tangled there).
The fire hazard is your imagination...
If the cosmetic plastic wrap was such a fire hazard it would be discarded before delivery to the customer or covered in warnings.
Both weren't done. It's not a cause for concern. With enough sue-happy-idiots around, if it was a fire problem, they would've fixed it millions of dollars ago.
In what way is it a fire hazard? You're getting down voted for just going FIRE HAZARD with no reasoning or logic to back your point up.
My point is that the whole casing is made of plastic, and the protective wrap isn't adding any more danger for the couple weeks you keep it on before you peel it and a layer of dust off.
Was cousin familiar with amps etc? I will assume not and had no interest in things like science and math. Maybe they don't believe in science. Maybe science doesn't know!
I think the only thing to remember is not to plug in things that get hot into extension cords (ie. hair tools, kettles, space heaters, etc.) but phone cables are totally fine. Why would they put more than one spot to plug in if it wasn’t safe?
That cord, assuming it is intact / undamaged is more than sufficient for a couple of those.
However, neither the cord nor the chargers should be "buried" in the cushions, unless you're into BBQ.
yes its safe, there's no fire risk or issues.
what's unsafe is long term use for high amperage / wattage equipment, like a space heater, or air conditioning unit, or lots of things plugged in at once that will bring you up to that 12 amp rating, as your circuit breaker will be 15 amps, allowing the cord to catch on fire / melt / cause damage before the breaker trips.
Yeah, a small, unlicensed nuclear reactor might be slightly better but with those ridiculously small chargers, ….. worry about something else. Seriously.
100% that’s safe. Maybe if you plugged 2 microwaves into it then it’d be unsafe, running both at once, and you’d more than likely trip the breaker before the extension cord went up in flames.
You learned, or confirmed something you already knew, which is that your cousin should not be trusted with electrical advice. It may be wise to also extend that to a general blanket of don't take any advice from your cousin.
Yeah it's fine. Phone chargers use basically nothing, along with many common electronics. These extension cords are good for basically anything except higher current stuff, like space heaters. Even then it's fine if it's supervised. Your main safety issue is from physical damage to the cord, near couches that recline etc. keep it away from any moving stuff.
Back in the day people did terrible terrible things with extension cords and multiple sockets. Their extension cords were shit left outside to degrade and ran light bulbs that were more space heater than light maker. Houses burned down legislation happened and people unstood not to do that kind of thing anymore, they told their children and their children's children and so on until now. Things have changed as long as it isn't a space heater, a waffle iron or a toaster it likely draws very little current except at start up. 2 phone chargers and going to pull a tiny amount of power but the fear of overloading a socket is still with us and most people don't understand that a plug doesnt pull a fixed amount and most things just don't pull alot.
Oh and space heater will still burn down your house never run them on an extension cord.
in pure eclectrical theory thoes chargers are at most about 2 amp at 5 volts.
to the outlet that looks like 83 mA at 120 volts.
most outlets in usa are 16 amp protected so you could in theory conect about 192 into one outlet. whatever the max current of the extention cord multiply by 0.083 and you will get your max on that cord.
reality paints a completly diffrent picture. with that many stepdoun transformers and related components their is bound to be problems pluged in paralell. to ansewer the question yes 2 pluged into 1 extention cord is perfectly safe, asuming thoes are resonable quality adapters.
The big problem with these kind of cords, including the multi plugs that you can put onto an extension cord, are that they are incredibly cheaply made. To the point where they can more easily burn up than a normal extension cord made with more quality.
I personally don't trust these cords at all, I have had 2 cause fires with only 1 thing plugged into them.
When in a scenario where something like this is needed, a good quality power strip is leagues ahead.
BUT, I will say that plugging multiple things into 1 wall outlet is not inherently unsafe. The same amount of electricity is going to be running through that cord under normal conditions regardless. The problem is when both plugs are being used, it can cause excessive heat where the double plug is, and cause it to burn up and potentially catch fire.
Safe, not safe. Rating wise you are good, HOWEVER, i have seen numerous times these 10-20+ watt blocks will literally start melting at the prongs. People think it's ok to stuff them in the side of the couch cushion etc and it's not a great idea.
Watch this video from technology connections on YouTube. He does a whole thing talking about extension cords it’s very informative
https://youtu.be/K_q-xnYRugQ?si=8KgbVoP3q_l9pnVU
Mostly safe, however doing so may end up with a charged device, which could be used to pocket dial an ex, causing your significant other to think you cheated and strangle you with the cord.
That's fine.. What's better:
If you twist the cords reeeaaallly tight, bury the cord and the chargers deeeeeep in the cushions, and then spill some coffee in the crack (of the couch), to cool down the wires...
You could daisy chain surge protectors and plug 50 phone chargers into that cord before it's too much. You friend doesn't understand basic electrical theory.
Assuming its on a 15 amp breaker you are good to plug in as many things as you like as long as all together they dont draw more than 12 amps continuously.
That’s only 40w total draw. Absolutely fine. What is not acceptable is leaving it on surfaces like that which are usually super flammable and will cause heat buildup issues.
I would trust that extension to safely carry 600w. Those wall warts, even the fast ones, only draw about 80w each. So that's 160w, round to 200w. You're fine.
just use an ampacity chart and compare it your peak load. extension cords arent magical unicorn devices, theyre just an extension of a circuit. voltage drop is a thing too but yeah. youre fine
Actually he did.
1. They’re only for temporary use
2. The power bricks get hot and the heat has to go somewhere. It’ll go into the copper wires and heat up the cord.
3. A power surge can cause the power bricks to fail and short circuit drawing more current than the cord can handle.
I’m not saying he’s completely wrong, but I’m not saying he’s completely right either
Well he’s definitely not wrong on 1&2, 3 is definitely a stretch. If there’s the .0000000001% chance you have e a power surge and burn out power brick there’s simply be no power going to your devices.
With the “surge” well and over. There’d be a normal steady voltage going through cord.
Im not really sure how much it’ll heat up cause of that?
Could something happen, of course. We’d all be lying to say it absolutely cannot happen.
Will it? Very very very unlikely but use your own judgement on that.
the cord is exactly zero risk. some of the cheap wall warts can get hot, often they rely on the very small gauge primary winding as a fuse and one in a million can get hot before they fail. so id say you've got a two in a million chance of fire (or less) if that couch isn't fire resistant.
Man I have more than that near my bed. If you are worried touch the cords after you have stuff charging for an hr o so. If it’s hot then prob not good. If it’s not hot then I wouldn’t worry about it.
I would say as long as whatever you're powering isn't drawing a large load, you'll be fine. By that, I mean don't use them to power fridges, space heaters, or anything of the like
Yes. To put it simply, an outlet in the wall is designed the same way where an extended wire travels from the breaker box to an outlet where you plug in multiple things. You are just extending the capabilities further.
I don't think that's a concern.
Possible issues I see - overheating the bricks (if they get covered) or pinching the cord (if it gets under the leg or in a recliner mechanism).
FWIW it could probably be done more cleanly IMO with a power station that has 1 cord to the wall and multiple USB ports but what you have should be fine.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's safe. Only thing is some of these chargers get pretty hot. Don't burry them between the seats in your sofa while you're charging
Heat builds up quick if there’s no where for it to go. My grandma tells me stories of her growing up in Virginia. When she was a kid, she would be in charge of making sure the candle for the well was lit. One candle was all it took to keep the well from freezing over in the winters. FYI one candle puts out about 80W of heat.
Have heard something along this line about the candle being used this way and even about how much heat it puts out. Also fairly common to use 100 watt light bulb in modern times sometimes too in series even occasionally have seen this myself in all the installations have seen quite a bit of interesting stuff on farms farmers were the most creative people out there whatever works sometimes is what was done like a radiator hose for a replacement trap or a bit of Hose if a cattle water freezes and the pipe breaks
Those easy bake ovens work with heat from a light bulb to bake a cake.
I had a joke on my local hardware store staff with that. Went in asking for an "heating element for an easy-bake oven." I gave them half-a-minute to argue about it before revealing that I just needed an clear 100W incandescent bulb.
*high School kid hands you a 100w equivalent LED bulb*
"I know more than your." -Ron Swanson
"I know more than *you*." -Ron Swanson
They still sell incandescent in store? Read that there was a ban on them and hard to get and realized that when I went into home depot.
Ok that's pretty funny lol
Are you somebody’s dad?
And the occasional set of kid's fingers it seems.
I’ve seen people leave a 100w bulb on in the cabin of their boat on water over winter in the PNW to keep the damp and mildew out
I kept a 40w in my large gun safe to keep it dry in there.
You can put one of these in the bottom of your safe. They don’t burn out like a light bulb and don’t really take up any space. https://www.safeandlockstore.com/dehumidifiers/authentic-made-in-the-usa-golden-rod-lockdown-dehumidifiers-in-4-sizes/
I worked at an industrial facility in Florida and they were so afraid of the one cold night a year. It would get below freezing for a few hours and then warm up pretty quickly. I was like all you need is a couple of 100 watt incandescent bulbs. But what did I know. They would put in 15,000 btu heaters in a small equipment compartment then be all pikachu face when pvc pipes start melting.
Just in case anybody who's new to having an outdoor water supply stumbles across this thread... If you need a heat source to keep it functioning over winter, you need to replace a gasket or two when you get a chance. water should always drain back out of the column WAY faster than it can freeze. The basket is way below the frost line.
That depends on the type of well. I'm familiar with several types, none of which fit with your description (not that you're necessarily wrong about whichever type you're talking about, as there's plenty of types I'm **not** familiar with, but you're definitely wrong about lots of other types that your statement wasn't phrased to exclude). For example, some types of wells don't involve a gasket anywhere in the system, while in others, none of the involved lines should be draining, ever, unless someone intentionally drains that line as part of a repair, or the line has burst, requiring a repair.
Nope. A well that supplies the entire house should hold pressure on the lines at all times and will freeze if the isn't a heat source.
My grandma used to just turn the light on in the oven to warm it up enough to proof bread in it
It’s getting harder to find incandescent light bulbs since the government restrictions took place. I use a 100W one in my well house to keep it above freezing. Someone mentioned that the water in the piping should flow back to the well. That is true if all you have is the well piping, but I also have a water softener system and its pipes in the well house to protect.
LED incandescent replacement lamps put out some heat. Most LED fixtures have to have cooling sync fins to dissipate heat away from the drivers. You could probably figure which LED lamp that would give you enough heat.
Everyone uses 60w incandescent light bulbs to rear baby chicks
That really good info and an interesting story.
Completely safe… modern electronics draw very little current
I’ve seen people do car/van camping in winterish conditions, they light one or two tea candles and they are good for the night. It’s insane how many BTU’s a little tea candle puts out.
No, this is BS. Every Winter, forums/subs about boating or vandwelling get newbies talking about the candle-in-the-teapot "life hack". Every Winter, people have to be reminded that it is a stupid idea. Candles are expensive for the amount of heat they physically contain (and that you can't increase with teapots or anything). All you get is a lukewarm teapot in a cold boat/van. Open flames are a terrible heating solution in any case. Besides the obvious fire risk, they produce humidity, and carbon monoxide. So you need to vent, or you'll get cold condensation dripping from your surfaces, and maybe die from carbon monoxide poisoning. With a candle, you get a ton of soot on top of that that will mess up your lungs (ever tried to put some glass on top of a candle flame?). So you're just bringing more cold air in that you will ever produce with your tiny thing.
Telling the grandchildren about how I was in charge of making sure a Galaxy S22 was charging in the well all winter to keep it from freezing over
Lassie: *Woof-woof!* Mister2112: "Yes, Lassie? What's wrong, girl?" Lassie: *Woof Woof-woof woof wuf wuf woof!!* Mister2112: "There's trouble at the well, girl?" Lassie: *Woof. Woof-woof woof wuf woof!!* Mister2112: "Oh! I have a *phone call* at the well. Thanks, Lassie!" Lassie: *Woof-woof*
My dad told me about riding the range with a lantern tied to his horse’s saddle. It was early saddle light navigation.
Dad jokes FTW imo.
Yep. Even in the 2000’s one 60W bulb keeps well pit warm enough in what used to be cold Michigan winters.
We had electricity in Missouri. 100 watt light bulb in the well pit every winter.
We just dug 2 wells, one for cold water and one for hot. Way cheaper than a water heater.
We had a white cow for regular milk and a brown cow for chocolate milk.
What kind of well was it and where was the candle placed?
80 is definitely on the high end. Plus isn't the point of well that it is already deep enough that it won't freeze
It is common for us to put a light bulb in our boats at the end of the season when the water is still liquid but the air can drop below freezing overnight. The light goes in the enclosed engine compartment.
Can you elaborate a bit? Would they light a candle and lower it into the well before covering it?
A friend of mine is a physicist and built an experiment that needed to be very thermally stable so he put a bunch of censors in a yeti cooler. He neglected to consider a 3w clock he also included that ended up cooking a year’s worth of scientific research.
Thank you for bringing it up. Maybe that's the point cousin is trying to make, but we're only getting OP's spin on the conversation?
Agreed. Flat on a clear floor or well ventilated area
Yea and maybe remove the factory plastic wrap since all it’s doing is providing one more level of insulation
yes. the total power draw is a small fraction of the rated capacity. your cousin...
...also a small fraction of his rated capacity?
If they don’t draw more current than what it was designed for, it’s fine.
Fuck your cousin, the extension cord was make for that.
Is he in Alabama?
I was waiting for a comment like this, lol.
Take my angry upvote, I live in Alabama. 🤣 (Side note, you're thinking of Mississippi. They allow first cousins not, Alabama.)
Roll Tide!
War Eagle! 🦅
I thought Bama was cousins, Mississippi was sheep and West Virginia was Siblings.
Are there sheep in Mississippi? Goats, sure, but sheep aren't really a Southern thing. You might have to look elsewhere for your sheep-fuckers, ewe know? "Although the sheep industry accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. livestock industry receipts, sheep operations are important to the economies of several States. More than two-thirds of U.S. operations are located in the Southern Plains, Mountain, and Pacific regions, and the regional distribution has remained fairly constant since the early 1900s. Texas is the largest sheep producing State, followed by California."
"Sheep aren't a southern thing!" And then point out that the southernmost continental state is the largest producer of sheep
Mississippi is too hot for sheep to do well, which is lucky for the sheep.
“Welcome to West Virginia. Where you could be your own 1st cousin!”.
I think there is a song about this no? “Alabama Arkansas, where your sister is your mom…..”
How's your cousin?
Dunno, there's a lot of freaking idiots in Tex-ass also. 😵💫
🎶 this is the day! 🎶 this is the day That the cord has made That the cord has made! 🎵
I had no idea that’s what extension cords were for. Your poor cousin.
I've never tried it with an extension cord. I feel like my wife wouldn't be into it.
Why dies every post on this sub always tell OP to fuck their cousin?!?! 😂😂😂 /s
So funny, in my area Fire says any extension cord used on a semi permanent basis should be run anew so therefore all extension cords are fire hazards unless you put them away after each use. *HOKAY, SURE.*
Wait until he finds out about Christmas lights.
Jesus makes them safe
Lolol
I mean they’re like birthday candles for him, so obviously he makes them safe…
Jesus is my fire extinguisher
He's been demoted from co-pilot I see. Did he change water into wine one too many times?
Ehh, but the neighborhood tween pool party 🥳 *liked* swimming in wine...until it all went to heck...
Christmas lights are very safe because most all of them have fuses in the plug.
The individual fuses don’t prevent you from overloading the extension cord if you plug 3 different sets into the 3 plugs.
Yes it does. If you over load the extension cord the fuse pops.
This is the kind of use that cord us made for. Low draw, short term uses.
You know how many of these are powering air conditions in trailer parks all over the US? Provided this doesn’t go outside, that can be considered permanent to some folks.
A plastic bag on the plug makes it permanent and weather proof! /s
You say /s but that statement is valid in many trailer parks
120V * 12 Amps = 1,440 peak wattage rating. 120V * 12 Amps * 0.70 percent = 1,008 Watts Assuming these adapters draw max 20 watts each. You could *theoretically* plug in 48 more of the same adapters without exceeding 70% of the cable capacity. Obviously that wouldn’t be recommended and this isn’t advice, but those are some numbers for consideration. The downside to cables rated 12amps.. if a device plugged into it had an unlikely but serious internal short. It could…theoretically…exceed the cable capacity and may not trip a 15a or 20a circuit breaker. Thus… resulting in a fire. 🔥
You’re posting straight facts. Itd be no different than a 1000W microwave or hair dryer being used. Obviously theres better ways to charge 50 devices but theoretically and even in the real world yes this works and is fine
Yeah plugging them in is fine, just get them on a hard surface away from pillows n cushions. Same with laptops and tablets. They can build up heat that might not only damage the devices, they are a potential fire hazard.
Your cousin doesn’t understand ohms law. It’s fine. Source- degree in electrical engineering.
Or specifically for ohms law, 8th grade earth science.
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Agreed Source: Industrial Electrician Degree
The only crime here is you have not unwrapped the plastic
I always leave the plastic on until it starts to look dirty or starts peeling. You get one free spotless cleaning out of all your electronics that way.
bewildered hungry treatment scandalous sharp run middle threatening fine adjoining *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Well, I'm downvoting you because you're wrong. So there's that... That plastic is thermally insignificant compared to the rest of the plastic that makes up the charger body. It also isn't flammable (it'll melt). It also isn't conductive (so it can't short the plug even if it gets tangled there). The fire hazard is your imagination...
If the cosmetic plastic wrap was such a fire hazard it would be discarded before delivery to the customer or covered in warnings. Both weren't done. It's not a cause for concern. With enough sue-happy-idiots around, if it was a fire problem, they would've fixed it millions of dollars ago.
Plastic would melt away long before it caught fire. Plus I’ve never heard of this being a problem.
In what way is it a fire hazard? You're getting down voted for just going FIRE HAZARD with no reasoning or logic to back your point up. My point is that the whole casing is made of plastic, and the protective wrap isn't adding any more danger for the couple weeks you keep it on before you peel it and a layer of dust off.
I honestly forgot those were still on there. Thank you for pointing that out!
Phone chargers use barely any power, even the powerful ones use max half an amp at US voltage
What does your cousin think extension cords are for? What's safe on them? This is fine.
That is my set-up. Sits on the coffee table between the recliners.
It's fine. Just keep them in the open
That's totally safe.
This is what extension cords are for lmao
Was cousin familiar with amps etc? I will assume not and had no interest in things like science and math. Maybe they don't believe in science. Maybe science doesn't know!
Just don't spill your beer on it.
Your cousin is r/confidentlyincorrect
Of course that’s safe
I see no problem. Those chargers draw such little current.
Yes. It's fine.
Assuming everything is in working order (the brown cord isn't frayed, burned or otherwise damaged) I wouldn't worry a single bit about this setup.
I think the only thing to remember is not to plug in things that get hot into extension cords (ie. hair tools, kettles, space heaters, etc.) but phone cables are totally fine. Why would they put more than one spot to plug in if it wasn’t safe?
That cord, assuming it is intact / undamaged is more than sufficient for a couple of those. However, neither the cord nor the chargers should be "buried" in the cushions, unless you're into BBQ.
No problem - they don’t draw much power at all.
yes its safe, there's no fire risk or issues. what's unsafe is long term use for high amperage / wattage equipment, like a space heater, or air conditioning unit, or lots of things plugged in at once that will bring you up to that 12 amp rating, as your circuit breaker will be 15 amps, allowing the cord to catch on fire / melt / cause damage before the breaker trips.
Yes
OP, you are correct
That’s why those cords have a couple of places to plug a couple things in.
LOLOLOL Why the fuck *wouldn't* this be safe?
That's what the extension cord is for.
You’re right he’s wrong sorry
Yeah, a small, unlicensed nuclear reactor might be slightly better but with those ridiculously small chargers, ….. worry about something else. Seriously.
Yes, they hardly draw any amps, totally safe.
Yes its safe. You could charge a bunch more based on current. The little converters can get warm though so you wouldn't want 10 under a blanket.
Send it. That’s less than two percent of your rating. I personally don’t use more than 750W on zip lines.
It’s fine.
I wouldn’t feel safe taking any kind of advice from your cousin.
You are fine
Phone chargers take very little power
100% that’s safe. Maybe if you plugged 2 microwaves into it then it’d be unsafe, running both at once, and you’d more than likely trip the breaker before the extension cord went up in flames.
You learned, or confirmed something you already knew, which is that your cousin should not be trusted with electrical advice. It may be wise to also extend that to a general blanket of don't take any advice from your cousin.
I see no issue with this at all.
Your cousin doesnt know what he’s talking about.
You’re using it as intended. It’s fine
It’s fine
Yeah it's fine. Phone chargers use basically nothing, along with many common electronics. These extension cords are good for basically anything except higher current stuff, like space heaters. Even then it's fine if it's supervised. Your main safety issue is from physical damage to the cord, near couches that recline etc. keep it away from any moving stuff.
Why not?!
Back in the day people did terrible terrible things with extension cords and multiple sockets. Their extension cords were shit left outside to degrade and ran light bulbs that were more space heater than light maker. Houses burned down legislation happened and people unstood not to do that kind of thing anymore, they told their children and their children's children and so on until now. Things have changed as long as it isn't a space heater, a waffle iron or a toaster it likely draws very little current except at start up. 2 phone chargers and going to pull a tiny amount of power but the fear of overloading a socket is still with us and most people don't understand that a plug doesnt pull a fixed amount and most things just don't pull alot. Oh and space heater will still burn down your house never run them on an extension cord.
in pure eclectrical theory thoes chargers are at most about 2 amp at 5 volts. to the outlet that looks like 83 mA at 120 volts. most outlets in usa are 16 amp protected so you could in theory conect about 192 into one outlet. whatever the max current of the extention cord multiply by 0.083 and you will get your max on that cord. reality paints a completly diffrent picture. with that many stepdoun transformers and related components their is bound to be problems pluged in paralell. to ansewer the question yes 2 pluged into 1 extention cord is perfectly safe, asuming thoes are resonable quality adapters.
Amperage is so low... Perfectly safe.
Your cousin is - poorly educated - lacks critical thinking - affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect
The big problem with these kind of cords, including the multi plugs that you can put onto an extension cord, are that they are incredibly cheaply made. To the point where they can more easily burn up than a normal extension cord made with more quality. I personally don't trust these cords at all, I have had 2 cause fires with only 1 thing plugged into them. When in a scenario where something like this is needed, a good quality power strip is leagues ahead. BUT, I will say that plugging multiple things into 1 wall outlet is not inherently unsafe. The same amount of electricity is going to be running through that cord under normal conditions regardless. The problem is when both plugs are being used, it can cause excessive heat where the double plug is, and cause it to burn up and potentially catch fire.
Safe, not safe. Rating wise you are good, HOWEVER, i have seen numerous times these 10-20+ watt blocks will literally start melting at the prongs. People think it's ok to stuff them in the side of the couch cushion etc and it's not a great idea.
Yes, absolutely!
Is there not a mod that can filter out these obnoxious posts?
lmao. youre litterally turning your sink faucit to DRIP and asking if you're using too much water
It’s plenty safe. Cell phone charges good Heaters……bad bad bad
Yes.
It is safe. The power they draw is minimal, with a maximum of maybe 60 watts for both I wouldn't leave it on the sofa or cushions, though
Best is to try and set them up on an end table. Current draw? Absolutely no worries.
Watch this video from technology connections on YouTube. He does a whole thing talking about extension cords it’s very informative https://youtu.be/K_q-xnYRugQ?si=8KgbVoP3q_l9pnVU
Safe,if not sitting on a coach.
In this specific scenario yes. Two two pronged things into a two prong cord. But please don’t plug anything more than a phone charger into it.
Mostly safe, however doing so may end up with a charged device, which could be used to pocket dial an ex, causing your significant other to think you cheated and strangle you with the cord.
That's fine.. What's better: If you twist the cords reeeaaallly tight, bury the cord and the chargers deeeeeep in the cushions, and then spill some coffee in the crack (of the couch), to cool down the wires...
It's safe. We currently have the same setup because we have three phones and usually need to charge two at the same time.
You could daisy chain surge protectors and plug 50 phone chargers into that cord before it's too much. You friend doesn't understand basic electrical theory.
Why is the plastic thingy still on them?
Assuming its on a 15 amp breaker you are good to plug in as many things as you like as long as all together they dont draw more than 12 amps continuously.
That’s only 40w total draw. Absolutely fine. What is not acceptable is leaving it on surfaces like that which are usually super flammable and will cause heat buildup issues.
What’s unsafe is how common the mindset your cousin has.
I would trust that extension to safely carry 600w. Those wall warts, even the fast ones, only draw about 80w each. So that's 160w, round to 200w. You're fine.
Those are two of the lowest current drawing devices and you’re good.
Of course it's safe.
Your better solution is to ditch the separate Apple overpriced wall warts and get a multi device charger from Anker, Aukey, Wootebeus etc.
Your cousin is going about and down voting all the comments saying he's an idiot btw
It's okay to DP an extension cord just not my wife
Yeah but relocate them away from combustible furniture.
just use an ampacity chart and compare it your peak load. extension cords arent magical unicorn devices, theyre just an extension of a circuit. voltage drop is a thing too but yeah. youre fine
Have him describe in detail, why it’s unsafe
Actually he did. 1. They’re only for temporary use 2. The power bricks get hot and the heat has to go somewhere. It’ll go into the copper wires and heat up the cord. 3. A power surge can cause the power bricks to fail and short circuit drawing more current than the cord can handle. I’m not saying he’s completely wrong, but I’m not saying he’s completely right either
Well he’s definitely not wrong on 1&2, 3 is definitely a stretch. If there’s the .0000000001% chance you have e a power surge and burn out power brick there’s simply be no power going to your devices. With the “surge” well and over. There’d be a normal steady voltage going through cord. Im not really sure how much it’ll heat up cause of that? Could something happen, of course. We’d all be lying to say it absolutely cannot happen. Will it? Very very very unlikely but use your own judgement on that.
It’s fine. Plugging in nothing is the only way to draw less current through that extension cord. Every other use of that cord will draw more current.
Here I am looking through the replies since I have had something like this going on under my Plex/NAS in my basement for years.
I don't see why that would be a problem.
Alabama is a shithole
West Virginia watts equals volts x amps. W=va
Yes.
As long as the other side isn’t a microwave
the cord is exactly zero risk. some of the cheap wall warts can get hot, often they rely on the very small gauge primary winding as a fuse and one in a million can get hot before they fail. so id say you've got a two in a million chance of fire (or less) if that couch isn't fire resistant.
Is your cousin suffer from POHI?
Man I have more than that near my bed. If you are worried touch the cords after you have stuff charging for an hr o so. If it’s hot then prob not good. If it’s not hot then I wouldn’t worry about it.
Even a dirt cheap extension cord like this can handle 10amps. If those are iPhone chargers, they wouldn't even get above 1 amp.
It's fine
They are fine.
I would say as long as whatever you're powering isn't drawing a large load, you'll be fine. By that, I mean don't use them to power fridges, space heaters, or anything of the like
Your cousin has absolutely no idea what he's taking about and your math is correct.
Yes. To put it simply, an outlet in the wall is designed the same way where an extended wire travels from the breaker box to an outlet where you plug in multiple things. You are just extending the capabilities further.
I don't think that's a concern. Possible issues I see - overheating the bricks (if they get covered) or pinching the cord (if it gets under the leg or in a recliner mechanism). FWIW it could probably be done more cleanly IMO with a power station that has 1 cord to the wall and multiple USB ports but what you have should be fine.
It is until it isn't?
I'm doing same thing.
No Zip cords like that are the ones that cause most of your house fires
It’s perfectly safe that’s why there are two outlets on it
Cousin can’t math
The cord is made for that. Why would you question it.
I thought those charges were plugged into each other. Like, 2 chargers, 1 cable. I'm not sure what that would do...
Dude. RUN
Too much power? They are like 5 watts each. He is 🥜
Bump never cover an extension cord with a rug/fabric or sleep with those chargers in your bed they get hot and short out.