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Choosing Extension Cords - Come to be Sharp, Come to be Healthy

Minnesota winters may be fierce, with sub-zero temperatures, high winds, and white-out conditions. When the current weather socks in Minnesotans hunker down and wait out the storm. No surprise there are so many poets in the state. Many homes have finished basements and ours is one of them. Our home office is on the lower level and looks from the yard and wildlife. Though the office is an excellent place to work, it is a cool place in the winter. We bought an electrical space heater to help keep us warm. The cord didn't reach the wall socket, so we plugged it into an industrial extension cord we'd on hand. The area heater turned work right into a cozy place.


Then a office started initially to smell. It was an unusual, chemical smell that people couldn't identify. We thought the odor was because of the newness of the heater and thought it'd go away. But it stayed. Weeks later, we found the origin -- the extension cord plug --which had melted the plastic switch plate. Thank goodness we didn't have a fire!


Obviously, we made some safety mistakes. One, we didn't examine the wire or plug because we were in a hurry Extension Plug Socket. Two, we didn't make use of a special heater cord marked with the letter H. Based on the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), about 3,300 residential fires in the US are caused by extension cords which can be short circuited, overloaded, damaged, or improperly used.


You may prevent a property fire by knowing which cord to get and how to make use of it. Walk by bargain extension cords because they could be defective. Buy quality ones -- medium or heavy duty, and ensure it's been tested by an unbiased laboratory. Take a few minutes to learn the package safety information and warnings. Search for the utmost amps on the package. Buy cords which have polarized plugs (one prong wider than the other), or even a three-pronged plug. When you have had it for a while, check for cracks, fraying, and shaky, pulling-away plug. Outdoor cords can be found and they must be attached to ground fault outlets.


The US Consumer Product Safety Commission Website has published more tips about its Website. An undeniable fact sheet says an extension cord is a temporary fix, not a lasting one. "Replace cracked or worn extension cords with new, #16 gauge cords which have the listing of a nationally-recognized testing laboratory," the fact sheet advises. Whenever you disconnect the cord, remember to pull the plug and not the wire. Young kids must certanly be kept far from wires, plugs, and sockets.


Consumers as you and me need to get the right cord for the right job. The lamp ones are generally flat, in accordance with Electrical Safety Foundation International, whereas the applying ones are generally round and have larger diameters. We didn't know if the space heater was faulty so we threw it out. When we saw the damaged plug we threw the cord out, too. Now we're a lot smarter about safety. Winter continues to be months away and we don't know if we shall buy another space heater. Maybe we shall just put on woolly socks and bundle ourselves in fleece.


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