How to make a reliable extension cord (carrying)

Both in everyday life and in enterprises, it is often necessary to turn on electrical appliances in that part of the room or outdoors where there is no outlet from which you can power the necessary electrical appliance. This problem is easily solved with an extension cord, the so-called “carry”.

In addition to the function of the extension cord - that is, the ability to turn on the appliance at a certain distance from the plug socket, the carry-out performs the function of branching one plug connector into several, which is important if you need to plug several appliances into one socket. For example, to connect to a computer network, you need several outlets to connect a monitor, system unit, audio equipment, printer, router, etc.

Extenders for technical needs are also widely used, which are used to connect various power tools and devices to the network.

The modern assortment of extension cords offers various options with different numbers of plug connectors, power, quality and, accordingly, price.

Which extension cord to choose?

The fact that quite often comes across not only low-quality, but not at all extension cords that meet the declared characteristics. Such an extension cord will not work for a long time, especially if it is planned to use it to power a large load. The use of low-quality extension cords can cause a fire or electric shock. What then to do in this situation?

In order to be sure that the extension cord is reliable enough and will not fail at the most inopportune moment, you need to make it yourself. It is not difficult to make a carry, the main thing is to choose the required structural elements correctly. Below we consider in more detail, how to make a reliable extension cord (carrying).

Calculation of the required extension power

To make an extension cord, you must have a plug, a wire of the required length and a block of sockets for the required number of pairs of plug sockets - the number of sockets in the block. To select these structural elements, it is necessary first of all to be guided by the value of power (load current), which will flow along this extension cord when electrical appliances are included in it.

Before choosing an extension cord, it is necessary to analyze whether it is possible to connect these electrical appliances through an extension cord to a particular outlet. That is, first of all it is necessary to assess the condition of home wiring. Very often there are situations when, after plugging in an extension cord with several fairly powerful electrical appliances, damaged wiring.

The outlet that the appliance is connected to may be damaged, the wire (cable) that supplies this outlet or the contact connections in the intermediate junction box or switchboard. In this case, the extension cord can be serviceable and reliable enough.

When choosing the power of the extension cord, it should also be taken into account that almost all outlets installed in the home have a rated current of 16 A. Accordingly, the maximum power of the extension cord, as well as the load included in it, should not exceed this value.

If it is necessary to turn on a larger load, it is necessary to use one more outlet, also taking into account the features of one or another part of the wiring.

For example, an extension cord must be used to turn on an electric heater and a TV.Heater power - 2000 W, TV - 100 W, that is, the total power that will flow along the extension cord is 2100 W, which corresponds to a load current of almost 10 A.

We analyze the state of the wiring, especially the outlet, which will be included in the carrying. Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the plug sockets.

If they have insufficient rigidity, they will heat up, the plug included in this outlet will also warm up - as a result, with a prolonged flow of the load current, the probability of failure of both the socket itself and the carrying plug is high. Perhaps this malfunction will not make itself felt right away, but it can manifest itself at the wrong time, for example, when there is no one in the house, a fire may occur.

In order to understand how reliable the plug socket of the outlet, it is necessary to check the heating plug in which the electrical appliance of relatively high power (for example, an electric heater) has been continuously turned on. In this case, the more the plug heats up, the worse it is. contact connection with plug sockets.

The same goes for the carrying socket block. One of the most common causes of damage to extension cords purchased at a store is poor-quality plug connectors that do not provide reliable contact with plugs for electrical appliances included in the carry. In order to avoid such situations, it is necessary to choose more reliable outlet blocks - with spring loaded connectors. Such connectors provide a reliable connection of the plug of the appliance with a socket and during operation, as a rule, do not impair their performance.

Also, when choosing an outlet block, you need to pay attention to the rated load current, which is indicated on their case. But in addition to this, the conductive elements of the outlet themselves must comply with these characteristics.

Almost all outlet blocks indicate a rated current of 16 A, but in fact these sockets do not always withstand even 10 A. Therefore, before purchasing, it is better to unscrew the two screws and see what this product is inside.

In addition, you must pay attention to the reliability of the terminals to which the power cable is connected. In this case, the larger the contact area of ​​the connected wire, the more reliable the contact connection will be.

The housing of the outlet block itself must be structurally reliable, without large gaps and with reliable fastening of the back cover, so that during operation the possibility of touching a person with live parts is excluded.

The next, no less important stage is the right choice of wire to carry. When choosing a wire, they are guided by such criteria as the type of wire, its cross section, length and number of cores. As for the type of wire, in this case, a flexible copper wire is selected, which has a double layer of insulation.

You should not save money by purchasing a cheaper wire with a single layer of insulation. Such a wire is less resistant to mechanical damage and, if you step on the wire, touch it with the leg of a chair, the only layer of insulation can be damaged and the conductive core will be open, which can lead to electric shock.

The cross-section of the wire for carrying is selected in accordance with the permissible load for a flexible two-wire wire (only the wires along which the load current flows) are taken into account. The most optimal option is to choose a wire with a cross section of 2.5 square meters. mm Such a wire will continuously hold a load of 16 A, and in case of possible overloads it will not overheat. Also in such a wire there will be no loss of electricity if it is necessary to make a long carry, for example, 30 m.

As for the length of the wire, in this case, you need to carefully measure the required length so that you do not have to lay the wire from the outlet to the appliance to a stretch and, conversely, so as not to constantly unwind the extra wire.

To ensure safety during the operation of electrical appliances, it is necessary to ensure their grounding. That is, the carrying, through which electrical appliances will be powered, must be grounded. For such carrying, it is necessary to choose a three-wire wire, one core of which will connect the grounding contact of the carrying plug and the unit's sockets.

If the home wiring is two-wire, that is, it does not have a protective grounding conductor, then it makes no sense to carry with grounding. In this case, a two-wire wire is selected and, accordingly, a plug and a block of outlets without a grounding contact.

Another element - plug. The highest-quality so-called "euro" plugs, rated for a rated current of 16 A. Structurally, such plugs have more thickened pins compared to the old Soviet-style plugs.

Extension cord assembly

When all the necessary elements are purchased, we proceed to the assembly of the extension cord. Reliability is also dependent on build quality.

We connect the carrying wire to the plug. Most forks have screw clamps, which are wound around a wire strand twisted into a ring. There are also point clamps that clamp the conductor with a screw at one point. A flexible wire consists of several cores, so before connecting it, to ensure the reliability of the contact connection, it is necessary to make the core monolithic. To do this, you can use the appropriate tips, and in their absence, you can solder the core or the ring twisted from the core.

In the same way, we connect the wire to the outlet block. If the terminals for connecting the wire do not seem reliable enough, it is better to connect the wire strands to the plates of the socket block by soldering, having previously prepared the surfaces for this by stripping and tinning.

If carrying with grounding, it is necessary to carry out the correct connection of the wire. If the connected wire is color-coded, then the phase, neutral and ground conductor should be connected to the plug and the sockets for carrying colors.

In the absence of color coding, it is necessary to take a device for the continuity of wire conductors. In any case, it is necessary to verify the final result by dialing in order to avoid a connection error, which can lead to a short circuit in the wiring or the appearance of phase voltage on the equipment case.

Often, quick-made carry have uncovered live parts. The use of such a carry can lead to irreversible consequences.

Making a carriage on your own - this means making a reliable and safe thing, in this case, rush is not appropriate, you need to do everything efficiently, choose only reliable and protected structural elements.