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Thread: New Freezer. Extension Cord Use?

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    Default New Freezer. Extension Cord Use?

    Purchased a new freezer from Costco last week.

    Finally brought her down to the basement and unboxed her and was getting ready to set it up only to realize, I have no useable outlets where I wanna put it. Basement is unfinished.

    Only have 2 outlets down there. 1 outlet is by the stairs that is currently used by the sump pump and my CO2 sensor.

    2nd remaining outlet is bolted onto where my breaker panel is, on the wall, directly beside my water heater and furnace.

    Ideally I would like to put it near the stairs but that would require a long ass extension and reading owners manual says "DO NOT USE" extension cord on this. Plug into grounded 3 prong outlet only is recommended.

    Googling says don't use long cord due to voltage drop, which can cause damage to the motor. So I can move it close to the breaker panel and get a small 3-6" cord but it must be 10-12 gauge. Do not use 14-16 as it will overheat and cant handle the load and fire etc.

    Okay to use cord? Teach me Beyond old gurus. I dont wanna burn my house down

    Or just place freezer in garage and be done.
    Originally posted by GTS Jeff
    You know those bored stay at home moms who's entire lives revolve around driving their kids to soccer, various cleaning accessories, and worrying about neighbourhood rapists? The kind of people that watch the View and go "uh huh..." Those unfulfilled people who try to fill the void in their empty lives by writing whiny letters to the editor complaining about shit that no one really cares about?

    Well imagine if instead of writing that letter to the editor, she just posts on a car forum for car enthusiasts. That's Kritafo.

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    How big a freezer? If it's a giant, white-trash-Karen, coffin-sized freezer, then its giant motor is really going to hate voltage drop.
    Fire is less likely than the motor simply dying early.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThePenIsMightier View Post
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    How big a freezer? If it's a giant, white-trash-Karen, coffin-sized freezer, then its giant motor is really going to hate voltage drop.
    Fire is less likely than the motor simply dying early.
    Just a small 5.1Cu one from Costco here https://www.costco.ca/danby-designer...100472464.html
    Originally posted by GTS Jeff
    You know those bored stay at home moms who's entire lives revolve around driving their kids to soccer, various cleaning accessories, and worrying about neighbourhood rapists? The kind of people that watch the View and go "uh huh..." Those unfulfilled people who try to fill the void in their empty lives by writing whiny letters to the editor complaining about shit that no one really cares about?

    Well imagine if instead of writing that letter to the editor, she just posts on a car forum for car enthusiasts. That's Kritafo.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dj_rice View Post
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    Just a small 5.1Cu one from Costco here https://www.costco.ca/danby-designer...100472464.html
    So many words and zero mention of the motor size! Anywhere!!! I even downloaded the manuals! That's weird.

    Ummm... I would probably get a heavier gauge extension cord and use it wherever.
    I'm a bad person with bad ideas and others shouldn't do what I do.
    Come to think of it, I think I've been using a window Air conditioner with a cord (not a long one) for years and those are near 1,500W... This is like saying "Gramma smoked for 70 years, so it must be ok" or virtually 90% of the CoVid threads, but... There it is.

    A cash electrician could add a roughed-in outlet for cheap. I'll see if I can remember a contact from Edmonton.

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    Unfinished basement, yeah why not just add some outlets? So easy, most homeowners could do it themselves, or an electrician could do it really fast.
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Would a heavy gauge extension cord have a higher voltage drop compared to the wiring from the panel to the outlet?

    edit..
    that's enough thinking. Still on vacation. time for messing around with fun things.
    Last edited by dirtsniffer; 12-29-2020 at 10:58 AM.

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    Buy one of these at the dollar store and plug it in


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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    Unfinished basement, yeah why not just add some outlets? So easy, most homeowners could do it themselves, or an electrician could do it really fast.
    This

    If by some chance you don’t want the outlets at their location someday when you finish your basement and have to add more, there is still little to no regret spend, as more outlets are always better.

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    Do people really think an extension cord is worse voltage drop than the in wall wiring to get there?

    I agree with the “just add another outlet” completely, I’m also fascinated by the idea that adding a some extra feet of cord is going to do anything.
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

    If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
    Originally posted by Toma
    fact.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yolobimmer View Post
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    Do people really think an extension cord is worse voltage drop than the in wall wiring to get there?

    I agree with the “just add another outlet” completely, I’m also fascinated by the idea that adding a some extra feet of cord is going to do anything.
    It's not any worse if you use the right gauge extension cord. But the instructions/manufacturer have to account for the fact that some doofus out there is going to try using 100' 16ga to plug it in.

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    i got the same freezer, and same deal in my basement.

    since it's a smaller freezer i just went with the extension cord from my breaker panel
    trying is the first step towards failure


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    Just use 12 gauge, any length is fine. Half the commercial coolers and freezers on the planet are on extension cords and they have no issue.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cjblair View Post
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    It's not any worse if you use the right gauge extension cord. But the instructions/manufacturer have to account for the fact that some doofus out there is going to try using 100' 16ga to plug it in.
    Got it, people are stupid, just seemed like a ridiculous conversation to me.
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

    If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
    Originally posted by Toma
    fact.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yolobimmer View Post
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by saiyajin View Post
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    i got the same freezer, and same deal in my basement.

    since it's a smaller freezer i just went with the extension cord from my breaker panel

    Done deal! Just needed confirmation from people before I went ahead

    As for adding outlets, I guess I cant just add outlets though? Basement isnt even framed. Just bare concrete walls.
    Last edited by dj_rice; 12-29-2020 at 02:55 PM.
    Originally posted by GTS Jeff
    You know those bored stay at home moms who's entire lives revolve around driving their kids to soccer, various cleaning accessories, and worrying about neighbourhood rapists? The kind of people that watch the View and go "uh huh..." Those unfulfilled people who try to fill the void in their empty lives by writing whiny letters to the editor complaining about shit that no one really cares about?

    Well imagine if instead of writing that letter to the editor, she just posts on a car forum for car enthusiasts. That's Kritafo.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cjblair View Post
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    It's not any worse if you use the right gauge extension cord. But the instructions/manufacturer have to account for the fact that some doofus out there is going to try using 100' 16ga to plug it in.
    Even still, I bet it wouldn't be a problem.
    Last edited by arcticcat522; 12-29-2020 at 04:52 PM. Reason: Auto correct made me say the wrong thing.

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    I bet none of you are qualified to answer this Electrical EIT question.
    Quote Originally Posted by 89coupe View Post
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    Beyond, bunch of creme puffs on this board.
    Everything I say is satire.

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    The instructions state not to use extension cord for 2 main reasons.

    1. If you undersize the extension cord you can overload it and cause a fire. The breaker must match the size of extension cord used.
    2. Even if you size the cord correctly, there is a risk that the cord at some point gets pulled, yanked, moved, etc. This can cause a high resistance connection at the appliance cord to extension cord interface. This high resistance connection can cause a fire and your breaker wont do shit to protect you from this.

    Source: electrical engineer/fire investigator

    (Investigated this exact scenario with a small chest freezer in garage plugged in via extension cord)
    Tap, Rack, BANG!

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    Quote Originally Posted by littledan View Post
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    The instructions state not to use extension cord for 2 main reasons.

    1. If you undersize the extension cord you can overload it and cause a fire. The breaker must match the size of extension cord used.
    2. Even if you size the cord correctly, there is a risk that the cord at some point gets pulled, yanked, moved, etc. This can cause a high resistance connection at the appliance cord to extension cord interface. This high resistance connection can cause a fire and your breaker wont do shit to protect you from this.

    Source: electrical engineer/fire investigator

    (Investigated this exact scenario with a small chest freezer in garage plugged in via extension cord)
    Well, a breaker won’t protect against a high resistance slow burn in any scenerio, including the actual wall receptacle and any splices along the way. The only additional risk I can imagine with use of an extension cord is food loss from accidental unplugging.

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    I have one of the same size from same company and it's been running through a power bar for 10 years... Its been fine. My freezer is just below and to the left of my central vac so just used an a power bar to extend the high plug for the central vac down enough to plug this in. No issues.

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    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    Got it, people are stupid, just seemed like a ridiculous conversation to me.
    They're not stupid. China makes the 20 gauge, 30m cord and DurGubmint let's Wal-Mart sell it to us.
    The CEC has allowances based on the assumption of ____m of 14-2 run throughout a house accounting for a certain amount of (tolerable) voltage drop.
    Connect a >10A large freezer compressor to your 100' Wal-Mart extension with an additional shitty connection within it and you've got some voltage drop that is no longer insignificant.

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