@Geojr posted:What do folks do when an extension cord is required to get power to the layout? That’s my situation.
Layout is in the middle of a basement room away from wall outlets all the way around and I run an extension cord across the floor to power up the layout. Three ZW’s several wall worts and 120 volt accessories(blogs, etc) are all powered from a single outlet via a power strip.
Am I safe or looking for a disaster???
If it isn't otherwise blowing the breaker you likely are okay. If there are multiple circuits in the basement (on different breakers) then you may want to split it up, but you should be okay.
What kind of extension cord are you using? And how long is the run length? To be safe, I would use a super heavy duty extension cord (the ones rated for appliances or industrrial), the heaviest gauge you can find, 12 gauge is good (they usually are gray in color). Even if all your outlets are on the same branch circuit, you could split the load on the cords by running them from 2 different outlets and have a power strip at the end. I think 1 heavy duty will be fine, but 2 from 2 different outlets will keep the load on each cord smaller (it obviously doesn't help with load on the circuit the outlets are on, obviously, but they have a breaker if the load gets too strong).
If you are using power strips to distribute the load, buy heavy duty, better made ones, the typical strips you find in a store are light duty. Among other things, heavier duty one have better breakers in them and better surge protection as well.
If you run them on the floor, GRJ is right, you should cover them. They sell rubber panels that are designed just for this, they are sloped on the sides (to allow the cord to pass underneath without being pinched) and you can walk over it without pinching it.
