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jrs_diesel wrote: ↑Wed Feb 17, 2021 8:49 am

Take Down Sicko wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 10:56 pm Jrs_Diesel, That is indeed very helpful to me. It gives me a great starting point on what to look for. I'm hoping to find what i need at Home Dopey if they havent sold out. One thing i forgot to ask is how long of an extension cord can i use on something like the refrigerator and heater. Thanks for all your helpful advice.

Glad to help You should size an electric cord for what you intend to run, and how far from your power source (generator in this case). Space heaters will be the biggest draw (window unit A/C in the summer would have a similar draw). 1,500 Watts @ 120 Volts is 12.5 amps.

Cord length is typically in multiples of 25 feet, up to 100 feet max. The gauge of the wire (wire thickness) is another factor. With heavier loads you want a heavier gauge wire, as thinner wire runs the risk of overheating the wire. Wire gauge numbers work just like shotgun gauges, where thicker wires have smaller numbers. 14 AWG (American Wire Guage) is a common cord size, 12 AWG is thicker, 10 AWG s even more thicker. Bigger cords cost more though. Your bigger loads you’ll want on a 12 or 10 gauge cord depending on distance (use a thicker cord if going 75 or 100 feet). The fridge can run on a 14 gauge cord if near the generator, but I would feed it with a 12 gauge cord if over 50 feet.

Also with the larger loads, use one cord per device so you don’t overload the wire (fire hazard). Splitters can be used with light loads like phone chargers, smaller TV’s, energy efficient lighting, etc. Coffee pots are big loads, as they usually run about 1,200 - 1,500 Watts, and that is for both regular drip machines and the Keurig style machines.