Melted extension cord socket

i switched parishes, just so i could make the trip in ev.

 

17 miles one way?

go Athiest save the trip

 

it's the final trip that has me concerned.

 

yup, we all die eventually

 

And then we find out for sure what's next. I wish you well, friend. Don't want to turn this into a religious debate. As @bisco said, it's that final trip that really matters. I always appreciate your comments here on PC.

 

and yet "and then we find out for sure what's next" comment is a debate if you didn't want to turn this into a religious debate you should have not said anything.

 

There's a difference between amps and watts. Then the hair dryer isn't likely on an extension cord.

 

1500 W hairdryer draws about 12.5 A @120 V, quite close...

 

All my dryers are 1875 watt, 15 amp circuit is good for 15 amps, just not continuously.

 

But what caused the high resistance? Loose contact? Foreign substance causing a poor connection? The root cause is whatever caused the high resistance. I like to use a very small smear of an anti-corrosion joint compound like Ox-Gard or equal on the contacts to chemically clean the contacts and lubricate them. Very small smear...the product is conductive and must not bridge from one contact to the next. And, of course, examine the connections by feel and vision, and junk any that aren't 100%. Some are bad from the factory. I got a 240 jolt from a brand new dryer cord with a wayward strand through the molded plug. Wowser! I was sick for a few hours.

A $2.79 commercial grade 15 amp receptacle will do a better job longer than the usual 59¢ receptacle. A $16 hospital grade wiring device is great but not needed.

But they mostly come with the same 15 amp plugs and connectors. For a 12 amp draw there is no reason to buy a #10 cord. A #14 portable cable has an ampacity rating of 18 amps when only two conductors are carrying current (that means single phase, not three phase). In three phase service the #14 cord has an ampacity rating of 15 amps. It's all about the heat; the portable cable is probably not wrapped in a 6" fiberglass overcoat like Romex inside a wall at home.