Space heater on extension cord?

[Barms 98]

To the electricians...

 

Is there ANY extension cord considered safe for a 1500 Watt space heater?

 

Is a12 gauge rated 1800 watts a cord you'd be comfortable running? What about an extension cord that has one of those "breakers" on it? ( those pop buttons)

 

And also important. This would be running off a generator.

 

Other things to consider?

[Scorpio64 5,171]

If you are planning on using a space heater if the power goes out you may want to consider installing a power inlet on your furnace instead.  It's a lot more convenient and not very difficult to do.  Your furnace only uses between 400 to  800 watts so you can put those 1000 watts you save to better use.

 

To answer your question though, yes, 12GA should be more than adequate for a space heater.

[tony357 386]

you will need at least a 14/3 cable..  read the cord before you buy it should have a label listing the maximum on it.. 

[Barms 98]

So the one I have is 25' also.

 

I believe the thing to be diligent about would be to make sure the plastic plug does not feel hot. That's the key right?

[diamondd817 828]

To the electricians...

 

Is there ANY extension cord considered safe for a 1500 Watt space heater?

 

Is a12 gauge rated 1800 watts a cord you'd be comfortable running? What about an extension cord that has one of those "breakers" on it? ( those pop buttons)

 

And also important. This would be running off a generator.

 

Other things to consider?

Your 12 guage cord is rated for 1800W? Cord = 1800w/120v = 15amps. Space heater = 1500w/120v = 12.5 Amps. 80% = 12 AMPS.

 

Ill bet the wire on your 1500w heater is 16 guage. You will not have any problems.

[diamondd817 828]

So the one I have is 25' also.

 

I believe the thing to be diligent about would be to make sure the plastic plug does not feel hot. That's the key right?

Shorter the extension the better. Long extension cords (75'+) create voltage drop which in turn increases the amps, which is never a good thing.

[Malsua 1,422]

For future reference, if you want to remove any doubt, buy some service cable rated for the amperage you want.  You can then put your own ends on it and you're certain it's going.

 

3 conductor 12ga SJOOW service cable from McMaster will run you $1.50 a foot.   A good quality 15amp  Nema 5-15 plug and connector will run you another $20.00.   Then you can plug anything into it that you can plug into the wall and not worry about it.

[Bt Doctur 188]

Best to wire the generator thru a service dis-connect otherwise you would have to shut off your main breaker BEFORE you connect the generator to the house feed.

[rightisright 3]

If you are going to go the route of wiring the furnace to the genny, make sure your genset puts out relatively clean power.   As a contractor, I have several portable generators.  The less expensive ones with many hours will not run the furnace because their power is too dirty.   The better ones (a Honda and a Yamaha) run it just fine. 

[Barms 98]

Guys just for clarity this is direct from generator to space heater..  Not through the furnace and not through any house panel.

[Scorpio64 5,171]

If you are going to go the route of wiring the furnace to the genny, make sure your genset puts out relatively clean power.   As a contractor, I have several portable generators.  The less expensive ones with many hours will not run the furnace because their power is too dirty.   The better ones (a Honda and a Yamaha) run it just fine. 

That's a very good point.  I use a plug-in gadget called a Kill-A-Watt I picked up at HD for about $20 to measure the output voltage and frequency.  It is also helpful in load balancing.

[Zeke 5,504]

Guys just for clarity this is direct from generator to space heater.. Not through the furnace and not through any house panel.

You'll be fine. Keep an eye on it. Most likely breaker on genset will trip if there is an open.

Boys, we are all getting caught with our pants down on this one

[maintenanceguy 510]

Both my oil fired furnace and my well pump are plug connected.  This lets me plug them into the generator without the dangers that can come with wiring the house directly to a portable generator.

 

If your furnace is oil, natural gas, or propane fueled, the heat comes from burning that fuel.  Very little electric is needed to run the heater's electronics. Gas for your generator will last much, much longer if you're using it to run your home's heater instead of running an all electric space heater. 

 

Keep in mind that you will need to make sure that the whole heating system is powered including circulating pumps, in-duct fans, etc.  Usually it's all powered from a single line to the heater but not always. 

[DeerSlayer 241]

I love the day's after a big storm. I spend days running around replacing expensive computer controls on boilers and furnaces that burned up. People think it's ok to let the generator run out of gas while the heating system is still on. $$$$$$$$$$ for me! This is my favorite type of repair, clean, easy to diagnose, and I make a ton on markup of parts. Just saying... I wouldn't be warning you all if I didn't like you...

 

[Zeke 5,504]

I love the day's after a big storm. I spend days running around replacing expensive computer controls on boilers and furnaces that burned up. People think it's ok to let the generator run out of gas while the heating system is still on. $$$$$$$$$$ for me! This is my favorite type of repair, clean, easy to diagnose, and I make a ton on markup of parts. Just saying... I wouldn't be warning you all if I didn't like you...

Ha! That's why I'm putting in a wood stove!

Genset is for lights and microwave!

[DeerSlayer 241]

Ha! That's why I'm putting in a wood stove!

Genset is for lights and microwave!

Wood stove is a great idea, you can use a generator for your heating system, just have to be vigilant about voltage drops. Shut the unit off before killing the generator, and you should be fine. Also let the generator ramp up to full power before turning on the heat.

[Malsua 1,422]

Wood stove is a great idea, you can use a generator for your heating system, just have to be vigilant about voltage drops. Shut the unit off before killing the generator, and you should be fine. Also let the generator ramp up to full power before turning on the heat.

 

For the longest time, I used a 12v Deep cycle battery and inverter to keep the fans on my fireplace insert running.  It lasted at least 6 hours and I never needed it longer.   I now have a 14kw automatic, so it's a non issue for me.

[DeerSlayer 241]

For the longest time, I used a 12v Deep cycle battery and inverter to keep the fans on my fireplace insert running. It lasted at least 6 hours and I never needed it longer. I now have a 14kw automatic, so it's a non issue for me.

If that will heat your entire home than your set. My house is too big for my stove to heat more than half the house. And it doesn't turn on my well pump, or hot water heater. It's a generator for me...

[Malsua 1,422]

If that will heat your entire home than your set. My house is too big for my stove to heat more than half the house. And it doesn't turn on my well pump, or hot water heater. It's a generator for me...

 

Well, before I added onto my house, the insert was 90% of our heat.  We lost the well and everything else.    I then started using a 4k genset to run the fridge and well.  Now the 14kw switches over in about 20 seconds.

[DeerSlayer 241]

Well, before I added onto my house, the insert was 90% of our heat. We lost the well and everything else. I then started using a 4k genset to run the fridge and well. Now the 14kw switches over in about 20 seconds.

That works. I got a 10K honda, converted it to propane, got 2 100 lb cylinders, runs the whole house. I can burn wood as a back up if all else fails. Being a plumber I also built a hand pump for my well I can fit between my pitiless adapter down in the well casing if I have to. But that's only if we had a long term outage of more than 3 weeks, and I couldn't get gasoline or propane. My boat is also in the driveway with 200 gal of stored fuel worst case scenario.