October 29, 2005

• No. There is nothing more dangerous about an extention cord with nothing plugged into it, compared to a plug in the wall with nothing plugged into it. Two issues, however. Someone can trip over it, jerking it out of the wall, and bending those litte metal thingies. That would tend to ruin it, over time. Also, if the cord is stepped on under a rug, over time this could fray it and expose the wires. That is bad. But, if it is out of the way just keep it that way.
• While EarWax is not wrong per se, I have to add: if it's unloaded, it's relatively ok, but in all fairness, it is best not to have it plugged in and the current switched on when not in use; it's conducting electricity! Extension cord connectors are not secure, they can be partially pulled or knocked out, if someone, say, walks on the cord, as he noted. When in use, make sure there's not a heavy load if the cord is coiled, can cause induction heating, which is a fire hazard, but it sounds like you don't have to worry about that. What's the total wattage rating of the device you use connected to it? Check the rating of the extension cord, it should be marked. Don't plug anything into it that rates above its proper load. Use a heavier guage extension cord than the crap connected to it, this is the rule of thumb. Do not keep the laptop charger plug connected to the extension cord when not in use and the current on. This will cause it to heat up, and shorten its potential functional lifetime, not to mention the jack will be live and infinitely more able to cause shock than an unconnected live extension. I know two things about electrical safety - jack and ZAP!!
• ON THE CONTRARY Earwax, you murderous no-nothing fool! There are FEW things more dangerous than a live extension cord, dangling down from on high like a hissing serpent of electrical DOOM. If I were you scartol, or perhaps your lovely wife Florence, or maybe your darling children Gunter and Millipede, I would immediately take off all my clothes and run naked into the middle of a busy high and/or bi-way and SCREAM as loud as possible for assistance from the local anti-electron brigade, who can safely nullify the cord of damocles that threatens your very LIFE by flooding your house with high energy positrons. DO NOT: 1. Approach the extension cord; 2. Attempt to reason with the extension cord; 3. Throw a party or evening soiree of any kind in honour of the extension cord; 4. Put the extension cord in your mouth or any other orifice; 5. Take the above advice; or 6. Have sexual relations with the extension cord. YOUR LIFE IS IMPORTANT TO US. NOW GET NAKED.
• O RLY?
• quidnunc: you are still drunk. Go back to bed.
• Oh - right. Sorry.
• Thanks, that made my morning. :)
• A live extension cord is also dangerous if you have a kitten or puppy who might chew on the cord.
• Or if you suck on it, or shove it up your igloo.
• xDDD That made my morning too!
• And excuse the double post, but this occurred to me. Monkeyfilter:Your life is important to us. NOW GET NAKED.
• That isn't a double post!!
• If you don't have a bunch of children or critters running around who may run afoul of it, it's pretty safe. But unless the actual plug is in a very tough to reach place, it's preferable to unplug it from the wall when you know you're not going to use it for a long time. But there's no reason to believe that you're in imminent danger of fire or anything unless the cord has been walked on a lot (like said above), frayed, or just plain old.
• An extension cord with nothing plugged into it is not conducting any current, as there is zero current until you plug in a load. It is, however, charged to the mains voltage, and as others have noted, a danger to anyone or anything who chews on it, or sticks anything conductive into the socket end. Think of it as a lamp cord with the lamp switched off...if it's not likely to be tripped over, it's not a danger. Also, there is no such thing as inductive loading from coiling an extension cord. The inductance of a dozen turns of a 16" diameter coil with air core is negligible.
• Okay. I am now naked, chewing on my dog with a stepped-on child up my igloo. Thank you everyone for the helpful advice. I believe I hear the approaching siren of the men with the butterfly nets and funny-looking jacket.
• "Also, there is no such thing as inductive loading from coiling an extension cord." Do not listen to this guy, this is dead wrong.
• Heh, here in the West End, the extension cord is on our coat of arms, as every one has about 14, powering the disco balls, panini makers and lava lamps. In many of these old places, it looks like an octopi love-in . Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• Why don't you lick it and find out?
• See, it's threads like this that keep me coming back.
• *searches for his igloo*
• Mr Electrical Engineer #2 says it's all harmless, although I know our laptop charger box heats up a heck of a lot, to the point where, if I had the charger over the back of the couch, the power adaptor has left rather scary scorchmarks on the fabric. That's a whole lot of commas. Wow. Quidnunc, you just totally made my weekend. Now I can spray insecticide on my lettuces with a happy heart.
• Whatever you do, do not make direct eye contact with the extension cord.
• Do not make direct eye contact with the euphemism.
• Obviously I've penetrated space-time with my pulsating interfabulous love muscle. To prove my universal extraawesomeness, I will now type tracicle's future post, in its entirety - backwards. *ahem* .traeh yppah a htiw secuttel ym no edicitcesni yarps nac I woN .dnekeew ym edam yllatot tsuj uoy ,cnundiuQ .woW .sammoc fo tol elohw a s'tahT .cirbaf eht no skramhcrocs yracs rehtar tfel sah rotpada rewop eht ,hcuoc eht fo kcab eht revo regrahc eht dah I fi ,erehw tniop eht ot ,tol a fo kceh a pu staeh xob regrahc potpal ruo wonk I hguohtla ,sselmrah lla s'ti syas 2# reenignE lacirtcelE rM
• The extension cord is more afraid of you than you are of it.
• Do not taunt the (happy) extension cord. Seriously, I used to live in a rent house where someone had spliced extension cords into the wiring of the house in 2 places. While that seems like a bad idea, we never caught fire, so you're probably ok.
• Besides it's only 110 Volts... I recently cut a electrical wire that ran through are wall. I had turned off the main switch, but apparently the electricians had put the wire of the water heater of our upstairs neighbours, which is located in our basement, through our wall, and not through the main shaft were all the cables go upstairs. So I had a looked 110 Volt in the eye. Fortunately the breaker tripped before I could shove it in my igloo. But from past experience (standing barefoot on an electrical cord that was stripped from it's isolation while washing my hands; don't do that...) with 220 volts in Europe I can tell that 110 is for pussies. I don't think it can even kill you.
• "Also, there is no such thing as inductive loading from coiling an extension cord." Do not listen to this guy, this is dead wrong. I'm just an electrical engineer... A twenty turn coil of 16 inch diameter has an inductance of approximately 250 μH. At 60 Hz, this will present an AC impedance of 0.09 ohms. Compared to the uncoiled cable's resistance of 0.25 ohms, this is not significant. I look forward to seeing Chyren's calculations.
• huhhuh! he said inductance
• Don't get technical with me.
• Monkeyfilter: I could shove it in my igloo
• I had forgotten to unplug an extention cord, left laying down the hall. Later I heard this almighty scream and the dog ran into the room to leap, quivering onto me. Examined dog carefully, no signs of injury, no bites, nips - nothing! Dog settled down. Me still wondering "what the heck?" until I walked into the hall to see seriously chewed extention cord. Beats me how the dog escaped death but that is possibly the luck of the seriously stupid coming to the fore. (Dog is the dumbest damned animal it's been my misfortune to have. Stories are endless on the subj') Since then, dog avoids anything vaguely resembling an extention cord, and I always remember to unplug the things after use. Discovering the reason for extreme-yelp was funny though.
• Well, smartypants spoilsports, what CAN I chew on, then? Forget gum, that foil thingy hurts my fillings.
• Wow, rocket88 - are you an iron ring wearer? cynnbad- I find that a lot of the dollar stores are carrying watch batteries these days, which are tastebud tittilators.
• rocket.....you should know better than to use facts with this crew. while the inductance doesn't matter, there is a chance of heat buildup. also, pissing into a live socket is not a great idea....
• for some.....ymmv
• Look, I've had an extension cord powering the espresso maker I keep up HawthorneWingo's bum for weeks now. Never had a problem.
• But I bet poor HW might have keep tripping all over, eh? At least kept being taunted by passerby... 'Hey, you, there's a cord coming out of your bum!'
• Take my advice: always coil the cord up and keep the plug-in part end (one with the holes) up higher than your wall socket. That way electricity doesn't leak out and make puddles on the floor. Very wasteful.
• This thread made me log in after months of lurking just to feel up the quidnunc kid's igloo.
• Zanshin...That's not expresso
• Perhaps they are thinking of us over at Metatalk. Down towards the bottom.
• explain please.
• You mean the taglines? Is that a monkey thing? I really don't read the blue that much, so I don't know.
• In answer to the question, I have these things (even surge protectors!) empty all over my house. No fear. I subscribe to the pale-green-pants-with-nobody-inside-em theory: if it seems innocuous, it probably is.
• BlueHorse, that was funny!
• How Electricity Made Me Smarter. Once I was standing in a puddle of water in a Mexican flophouse bathroom with a hole in the roof, on crutches, holding the two live wires that hung out of the wall which you had to touch together to get the single hanging lightbulb to go on, and I thought to myself; "Are you fucking stupid? Go back to Canada already". Which I did. But it didn't stop me from writing run-on sentences - you know why? Because nobody can take that away from me! Nobody!
• http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Pastor_Electrocuted.html I don't know what to say
• I ♥ moneyjane
• Do not listen to this guy, this is dead wrong. /points and laughs as Chyren.
• MonkeyFilter: Don't get technical with me.