Global Energy City

With all the fans and air conditioners around it’s a good idea to quickly go over some cord safety.  Often we just plug our cords in and don’t give them a second thought but they can be dangerous and a fire is a LOT bigger worry than saving a few bucks on a proper extension cord.

• For any cord (either the one from the appliance or an extension cord) look for cracks or holes in the insulator from one end of the cord to another.  Since some of these cords haven’t been used since last summer a quick inspection can find problems before they turn tragic.
• Make sure that the prongs are straight and in good condition.  Bent, broken or loose prongs can start a fire or cause your breaker to blow.  Also make sure that the third prong isn’t bent or cut off.
• Make sure you have the right sized cords. We all have those two wire cords lying around the house that we usually end up plugging our lamps into.  Which is what they were designed for and not much more.  A small table fan or phone recharger is all that you should really be plugging into these cords.  Overloading them by stringing them together or putting something to heavy on them is a recipe for disaster.
• While they may be MORE expensive the heavy duty appliance cords are worth their price for the safety they bring.  It’s a good rule of thumb for AC units to not use an extension cord greater than 6 feet.  Better yet plug the appliance directly into the wall.   You can usually find these heavy duty appliance cords at your local hardware store.  They will have 3 prongs and have a rating on them in watts.  If you have a doubt ask for some help.
• Finally don’t plug your AC into a power strip.  Not only can you overload the power strip you could destroy the other components on the strip.

While these tips may not save electricity that much they DO make your house a LOT safer in the long run.  So take a few minutes to make sure that your cords are all in good condition.