PSA: That cheap extension cord I bought at the gas station melted into my carpet last night

Grabbed a 50-footer for $8 at that Shell on Main Street... figured it would work fine for my shop vac in the garage. Came home to the smell of burning plastic and the cord had fused right into the rug, melted through the insulation in two spots. The wire gauge was way too thin for the draw, like 18 AWG for something pulling 10 amps. Has anyone else almost started a fire with those bargain bin cords?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.parker5d ago

Ngl my buddy Kevin grabbed one of those for a space heater and woke up to the cord glowing orange under his desk. Lucky his smoke detector actually worked.

the_andrew4d ago

Damn that's terrifying. My buddy Marcus had almost the exact same thing happen with a cheap extension cord from a gas station, cord was hot to the touch and the plastic casing was literally melting into the carpet. We smelled it before we saw it, thing was smoking like a campfire. Never cheap out on power strips or extension cords man, learned that lesson the hard way too.