Power Forum

RE: How can a 10, 8, or 6 gauge power cord be safe?

24.144.104.233

In Reply to: RE: How can a 10, 8, or 6 gauge power cord be safe? posted by marc g. on June 27, 2008 at 13:45:58

> If a breaker fails for some reason, what's the next line of defense?

There is no other defense. What kind of defense would you expect from a smaller gauge cord? If something at the end of that cord shorted and started drawing excessive amperage, the cord wouldn't protect you. There's no current-limiting device in a cord, it only limits current by means of its electrical resistance. A smaller cord would just get hotter faster, and if it got hot enough it could cause a fire. I'm not sure how you'd consider that protection unless you're using a cord that's so small it would burn up at relatively low amperages, and even then I'd hardly call that protection.

Breakers are very reliable. They are simple devices that "just work." Anything can fail, of course, but I've never heard of one failing to do its job, and if it did, a small cord wouldn't be much help. If you're really concerned, I suppose you could look into some kind of inline fuse but I've never heard of anyone doing that.

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