Having an extension cord in your home is very practical when you need to plug something in, and the cord doesn’t reach the outlet. However, the problem arises when many people take advantage of this tool. They plug too many things into it at once, and this is becoming an ongoing problem and a common hazard. All it takes is this one extension cord mistake, and things can go wrong really fast.
There are many outlets on an extension cord, but that doesn’t mean that you should be utilizing all of them. Think about it; if you have six outlets on an extension cord, and you use all of them, all that electricity is going into the main outlet it is plugged into. You run the risk of blowing a fuse if the circuit breaker trips. Not only that, but you also run the risk of starting a potential fire.
With the winter season finally here, fire departments across America are issuing a warning about this one extension cord mistake and the hidden dangers behind it.
There is a common mistake when comparing extension cords and power strips to surge protectors. Many people don’t realize that they’re not the same as a surge protector. If a surge protector gets overloaded, it will automatically cut off the power. With a power strip or extension cord, it won’t cut the power, which is why the circuit trips or the fuse blows.
When people buy a power strip, they think that because there are a lot of sockets, it can take anything you plug in. There is a limit to how much it can take. Each device that you plug into it uses a different amount of electricity. So, if you plug the wrong thing into it, it can be very costly. It can even cost you your life.
Winter days can get very cold. So, the first thing people will do is crank up the heat. But if you do not own a fireplace or have central heating, the next best thing is a space heater. If you’re in a small room, a space heater will warm up the room in very little time.
A space heater also heats up another thing, the extension cord. The one extension cord mistake people make with a space heater is plugging it into a power strip. Power strips are not meant to handle space heaters.
