i know that the power increases, but what else?
2007-03-06 11:17:39 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
It will overload the circuit, most of the time you have fuses or circuit breakers that will avoid this. It can cause a fire otherwise.
2007-03-06 11:21:17 · answer #1 · answered by Carlene W 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You could possibly generate enough heat to start a fire, this is true. More than likely, the circuit fuse, or breaker will trip and turn off the circuit. Never defeat a fuse by using a larger fuse. Don't try to block a breaker in the "on" position either.
One other thing to remember is that wall outlets can belong to the same circuit. If you have 10 outlets on one breaker that is set for 15 amps, and each load is drawing 1.5 amps, that would probably cause the fuse or breaker to open the circuit as well. The load that you have on the outlet, and for all of the outlets supplied by 1 breaker is the point to be careful of. No breaker that is in proper operating condition is going to allow a steady state draw of more current than it is rated for. 10 devices on 20 AMP breaker are not going to draw more than 20 amps for more than a second or 2.
2007-03-07 00:35:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The outlet socket is fed by wire from the main supply which is rated for a given ampage. If you have a problem with a piece of electrical equipment, generally there is a fuse in it that blows if there is a surge in power.
However, let's say you plug 10 x 5a appliance into a socket and the cable feeding that socket is only rated at 20A, it will start to heat up and may catch fire because you are pumping 50A through it. More than twice the amount of current it was designed to carry.
2007-03-06 19:23:30 · answer #3 · answered by davidbgreensmith 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The CURRENT increases, the power is consumed.
When you plug in too many appliances, lamps, etc., you increase the current flow in the feed wire. Too much current and the wire will get hot. Too hot and it the insulation will burn and catch other things on fire.
A short occurs when a current carrying conductor touches a ground path. This usually happens due to mechanical failure(ie-parts break and wires touch things that they shouldn't).
Turning off an appliance before unplugging it greatly decreases the chance of a shock(ie- YOU become the path between electricity and ground)
2007-03-06 19:36:17 · answer #4 · answered by gipsygman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each thing you plug in draws current, current is what causes heat in electronics. The more you plug in, the more current. If you plug many things into one outlet it is possible for the outlet to get overheated and even catch on fire. However, it is usually safe to plug in multiples of small devices. Don't plug in a hair dryer, radio, and a heater into one socket, that would not be good. They all draw lots of current.
2007-03-06 19:24:18 · answer #5 · answered by spkmyer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Amps will increase causing a overload on the outlet. Those Amps also cause more heat.
2007-03-06 23:12:58 · answer #6 · answered by Scott S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The thinner the wire, the less current it can handle.
The more you plug in, the more current is will draw and if it is too much for the wire to handle, it will heat up like a light bulb or fuse and either melt, catch fire, or short.
2007-03-06 19:26:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
there can be an overload and with too much electricity there is the risk of someone getting an electric shock if you do not unplug something correctly. you definitely have to make sure that there is no water in the area.
2007-03-06 19:21:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋