Do You Think It Is Safe To Use An Iron With An Extension Cord?

[Havyn]

Can you leave the iron turned off, but plugged into the socket with the extension cord? Are there any dangers?

[Farewell]

It depends on the extension cord and the iron. the old manual set irons are just a resistance heating element, with a thermostat control, so those would not be sensitive to reduced voltage(which I will explain)   The extension cord will add two factors. the first factor is a safety factor.  if you use too lightweight an extension cord, the current to power the iron will make the cord get hot.  I would recommend at least #14 wire in your extension cord, and if it is over 6' long, I would recommend #12 wire. The second factor is voltage drop.  as I said at first, if your iron has a maual lever or dial to set the temperature, it probably won't be sensitive to this, but here's how it works: your electrical panel supplies 120 volts.  that voltage is shared between what you have plugged in, and the energy it takes to push the electricity through the wire in between.  the smaller the wire, and the bigger the iron, the more voltage you lose getting the power to it.  things with motors or electronics are particularly sensitive to lost voltage.   Also, to consider, is the possibility of mechanical damage.  if you need to use an extension cord, use the shortest cord that works, and try to keep it out of harm's way.  if the cord is sufficiently heavy-duty, then it will not add any additional hazard in and of itself, but if you trip over it, or drop a sharp or heavy object on it, or drop the connector into the laundry sink, that could cause problems.   as for leaving the iron plugged in, and turned off, I don't see an inherent hazard, unless you have cats who like turning the iron on, or something.  go ahead and unplug it from the extension cord if you are making a long trip or something, but I gather the extension cord will be plugged in in an awkward spot. TheLightWorks 83 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[scirwode]

Predator said: 1 As long as you use a heavy-duty appliance extension cord, with a grounding plug, I doubt that you will have any problems. 83 months ago

[Taro]

.....an iron can draw as much as 15 amps and most common extension cords aren't heavy enough for that kind of current. And the longer the extension cord, the heavier the gauge needs to be. If you only need a short extension cord, say about 6', I would use one that is at least 14 gauge copper wire. If you don't know the amperage but do know the wattage, of the appliance, just divide the wattage by your typical house voltage(which is probably around 115v) and that'll give you amps. For example if the wattage is 1200, the amperage of the appliance would be 10.4A(1200/115= 10.4). Also, keep in mind the tripping hazard that's created by a long cord laying on the floor and the damage a hot iron can do to the furniture.....or the cat.

[Bellden]

No, just tripping on the cord. When it is on, the long wire may make the wire heat up if it is a thin extension cord. Shasha 83 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Martel]

Absolutely safe...........but............ .....an iron can draw as much as 15 amps and most common extension cords aren't heavy enough for that kind of current. And the longer the extension cord, the heavier the gauge needs to be. If you only need a short extension cord, say about 6', I would use one that is at least 14 gauge copper wire. If you don't know the amperage but do know the wattage, of the appliance, just divide the wattage by your typical house voltage(which is probably around 115v) and that'll give you amps. For example if the wattage is 1200, the amperage of the appliance would be 10.4A(1200/115= 10.4). Also, keep in mind the tripping hazard that's created by a long cord laying on the floor and the damage a hot iron can do to the furniture.....or the cat. gd1010 83 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Holden]

As long as you use a heavy-duty appliance extension cord, with a grounding plug, I doubt that you will have any problems.

[Ordwine]

the old manual set irons are just a resistance heating element, with a thermostat control, so those would not be sensitive to reduced voltage(which I will explain)   The extension cord will add two factors. the first factor is a safety factor.  if you use too lightweight an extension cord, the current to power the iron will make the cord get hot.  I would recommend at least #14 wire in your extension cord, and if it is over 6' long, I would recommend #12 wire. The second factor is voltage drop.  as I said at first, if your iron has a maual lever or dial to set the temperature, it probably won't be sensitive to this, but here's how it works: your electrical panel supplies 120 volts.  that voltage is shared between what you have plugged in, and the energy it takes to push the electricity through the wire in between.  the smaller the wire, and the bigger the iron, the more voltage you lose getting the power to it.  things with motors or electronics are particularly sensitive to lost voltage.   Also, to consider, is the possibility of mechanical damage.  if you need to use an extension cord, use the shortest cord that works, and try to keep it out of harm's way.  if the cord is sufficiently heavy-duty, then it will not add any additional hazard in and of itself, but if you trip over it, or drop a sharp or heavy object on it, or drop the connector into the laundry sink, that could cause problems.   as for leaving the iron plugged in, and turned off, I don't see an inherent hazard, unless you have cats who like turning the iron on, or something.  go ahead and unplug it from the extension cord if you are making a long trip or something, but I gather the extension cord will be plugged in in an awkward spot.

[ainsley]

As long as wire gauge of the extension cord is large enough to handle the amperage of the iron it's OK...... and as long as you keep the extension cord fairly short. A longer cord has more resistance, thus needing a larger gauge wire to handle the same amperage. yes, you should be able to leave an iron plugged in as long as it has an off switch position, and there are no malfunctions with that switch. That would be the only real danger would be an electrical fault, or human error(not turning it off). No more dangerous than having your toaster plugged in.       Capacity Chart This chart is a simple "max capacity" chart for a short wire run. Increase the wire size for long runs - for example the wires running to the back of a vehicle to power the taillights may need to be one size larger to account for the length. Gauge 110V 12V 22 5A 5A 20 7.5A 8A 18 10A 10A 16 13A 20A 14 17A 40A 12 23A 60A 10 33A 100A 8 46A 150A 6 60A ??A 4 80A ??A 2 100A ??A 1 125A ??A 0 150A ??A Chart Notes This 110V column in this chart was provided by one of my readers and according to him it is based on the data in The Howard W. Sams Engineering Staff fifth edition 1983 for stranded copper wire when used in a conduit or bundle.(Open air ratings would be higher, solid copper wire ratings might be slightly lower.) This data seems in line with commonly accepted usage for 120/220V home electrical wiring. The 12V column is based on various sources I have found across the Internet combined with the accepted usage in various vehicles I have worked on. I am generally a bit skeptical of the max capacity the sources I found claimed for some of the smaller wire sizes. For example, 16 gauge wire is mighty thin to run 20A through for even a short distance, and this chart is a conservative interpretation of the data I found out there. Some data had the max capacity even higher than this - yikes! The values here for 12V usage are not yet certified to be correct/valid/safe - they are my ballpark figures based on what I believe to be true based on what I have learned. Consult other sources of information for your specific application for more details. Sources: home inspector/ http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/WireCapacityChart.htm alinspect 83 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Arian]

and as long as you keep the extension cord fairly short. A longer cord has more resistance, thus needing a larger gauge wire to handle the same amperage. yes, you should be able to leave an iron plugged in as long as it has an off switch position, and there are no malfunctions with that switch. That would be the only real danger would be an electrical fault, or human error(not turning it off). No more dangerous than having your toaster plugged in.       Capacity Chart This chart is a simple "max capacity" chart for a short wire run. Increase the wire size for long runs - for example the wires running to the back of a vehicle to power the taillights may need to be one size larger to account for the length. Gauge 110V 12V 22 5A 5A 20 7.5A 8A 18 10A 10A 16 13A 20A 14 17A 40A 12 23A 60A 10 33A 100A 8 46A 150A 6 60A ??A 4 80A ??A 2 100A ??A 1 125A ??A 0 150A ??A Chart Notes This 110V column in this chart was provided by one of my readers and according to him it is based on the data in The Howard W. Sams Engineering Staff fifth edition 1983 for stranded copper wire when used in a conduit or bundle.(Open air ratings would be higher, solid copper wire ratings might be slightly lower.) This data seems in line with commonly accepted usage for 120/220V home electrical wiring. The 12V column is based on various sources I have found across the Internet combined with the accepted usage in various vehicles I have worked on. I am generally a bit skeptical of the max capacity the sources I found claimed for some of the smaller wire sizes. For example, 16 gauge wire is mighty thin to run 20A through for even a short distance, and this chart is a conservative interpretation of the data I found out there. Some data had the max capacity even higher than this - yikes! The values here for 12V usage are not yet certified to be correct/valid/safe - they are my ballpark figures based on what I believe to be true based on what I have learned. Consult other sources of information for your specific application for more details.