I have question about extension cords!! I have two outdoor christmas ornaments that are electrical and each is plugged into very thick indoor extension cords. Then those two indoor cords are connected to a huge 80 foot outdoor cord. Well for the most part it is safe because I live in florida and the weather is almost always sunny. However it is to rain this weekend here and I am wondering if my cords are safe because they ultimately are plugged into the huge outdoor cord or am I going to burn my house down if I leave them like they are outside. Please help me before I either shock myself or something else happens. Is this safe or not? I love my christmas decorations but I have no idea about having them outside. Thank you for your help!!
2006-12-21 09:52:28 · 6 answers · asked by l'il mama 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
My biggest worry is using the combination of indoor and outdoor outside.
2006-12-21 10:02:20 · update #1
Mixing cords meant for outdoor use with indoor cords in itself is not a dangerous practice.
Cords that are labeled for outdoor use doesn't mean that they are waterproof. It usually means that the insulation on the cord will stand up to being exposed to the outdoor elements, & the most damaging of all is sunshine.
As long as your electrical load is relatively low, & you only plan to leave the cords out for just the Christmas season you should be OK.
Now about the rain. I don't agree with one of the earlier answerers who suggested that you use electrical tape to waterproof your cord connections. Water will seep in, & then will be held inside under the tape, so I know from experience that electrical tape on the plug ends will only make things worse, not better.
However the best & safest thing you can do is make sure that all of your outside electrical fixtures are protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interupter, or GFCI.
A reasonably good handyman can replace any standard duplex receptacle that you have now with a GFCI. Or you can have a separate GFCI circuit wired in by a qualified electrician.
One thing about GFCI's is that they are quite sensitive to grounds caused by a damp circuit, so if you did get a lot of rain on one of your connections between the cords, the circuit will trip.
It's not likely you will burn your house down by getting rain on your Christmas lights or the extension cords. But the real danger of running power outside of the house without the protection of a GFCI is that someone could get electrocuted.
If someone was standing in a puddle after a rain shower, & the water on the ground made an electrical connection to one of your electrical cords then they could be killed unless a GFCI is present in the circuit.
So take care, & have a safe & Happy Christmas.
2006-12-21 12:08:11 · answer #1 · answered by No More 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello, I have been an electrician for almost 25 years. I have found that there are no true outdoor safe cords unless completely sealed from water getting in at the connections. Your safest bet is to tie plastic baggies around the connections and ALWAYS plug into a GFCI protected outlet.
2006-12-21 10:42:16 · answer #2 · answered by gunga_deon 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
your going to get a million what ifs on this one.. normal people that dont freak out over everything will just wrap the plug ends in a baggie and tape it up.. maybe prop it up so it doesnt sit in a puddle. i think they sell some end covers not sure if they are water tite... they also sell a gfci power strip made for outside.. it would plug into the house and the cord plugs into that.. now lets see how many talk about wire size of the extension cord... how big it should be .. how under sized it is for the length.. bla bla bla.
if it was me and i was a lil-bit worried.. i would go for the gfi power strip and wrap my cord ends
2006-12-21 10:00:10 · answer #3 · answered by hometech02 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
well the best thing to do is make sure that your cords are pluged into a gfci outlet. most outdoor outlets are gfci, but if your house is older, that may not be the case. call an electrician, and ask for a free quote to install a gfci outlet where-ever you are plugged into. even with a service call it should not run much more that 100.00. money well spent to avoid many problems. merry christmas.
2006-12-21 09:58:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I agree with dunga ...(am also a 30 plus year electrician)
NO cord is safe outdoors...unless the connections are sealed completely....and also plugged into a GFCI outlet...
2006-12-21 11:08:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
put some electrical tape where the are plugs connecting together to prevent water seeping in, keep them waterproof and yul be fine.
2006-12-21 09:56:32 · answer #6 · answered by lowrider6204 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋