> Daisy chain power cords?

Daisy chain power cords?

Posted at: 2014-09-26 
Would it be ok if I daisy chain four dollar store power extension cords to use for window A/C 8000 btu only? Nothing else will be plugged in that socket, only AC.

No. The wire in common extension cords you get someplace like dollar stores is much too thin to handle the amount of current a window air conditioner requires. The average window unit will draw about 700-900 watts an hour; this will cause a small diameter extension cord like a 14 or 16 g "lamp cord" to heat up. In addition, when the unit starts up each time, it draws about 3x the current for a short period With luck, that heat in the extension cord will just impair the performance of the a/c or blow the circuit breaker, but it might burn your house down. Every connection you make, every extra inch of length, increases the resistance and thus decreases the efficiency of your unit and increases the chances of fire.

Copy down the amps and wattage from the air conditioner's electrical plate, measure the distance to the socket you want to use, and go to either an electrical supply store or to a knowledgeable person in a hardware store and ask them to find a cord that will work in your instance. The greater the distance, the fatter the wire inside the cord will need to be.

Keep any extension cord as short as possible to get the job done... that's a rule not just for your air conditioner, but any other appliance. Otherwise you're paying for electricity that will just be lost in the form of heat.

Dollar Store is not the place to buy electrical stuff. The URL listing is bogus. I believe you are looking at a fire in the making.

Getting a shorter cord would be the answer as the daisy chain creates resistance and the wire inside will glow like an incandescent light bulb and you will blow the breaker continuously.

Would it be ok if I daisy chain four dollar store power extension cords to use for window A/C 8000 btu only? Nothing else will be plugged in that socket, only AC.