Extension cords

[tmcc man]

Can you use the extension cords from Lowes, the indoor type, as feeder wires to your track when you cut the ends off? I was going to try it, but I want to have a few answers first. Thanks for the help.

[RhB_HJ]

It's not a question of if you can, it's a question will it last?
So you might as well get the outdoor cable that can be burried - used for garden lighting - and save yourself the aggravation of buying twice and doing the job over.

[cacole]

An indoor extension cord is not suitable for outdoor use and certainly should not be used anywhere that is going to require a buried cable. The main problem with the indoor cord is that the insulation is very thin and can easily be punctured by sharp rock edges if buried or stepped on. If indoor wire is used outdoors and causes a fire, your fire insurance will not cover your losses, and the extension cord is the first thing the fire marshal will be looking at.

As RhB_HJ pointed out, use the outdoor wire for Malibu Lights. It is intended to be buried so it has the thicker insulation layer required for outdoor use. This is one area where you definitely must comply with the National Electrical Code and local fire codes, even for low-voltage wiring.

[tmcc man]

So it will work on a short display running outside on the patio for less than 7 hours. I did not plan on burrying it outside, and I did intend to use a thicker gauge wire for my feeder wires to the sides of my layout.

[piercedan]

For indoor use or tempory outdoor use, line cord will be fine. And you are smart to cut off the ends as if some one plugged the plug into an outlet, an engine on the track would definately do a melt down instantly.


I would suggest that you use the uv green outdoor cords discounted after christmas.

[Curmudgeon]

Just make certain you have it fully unplugged BEFORE you cut, and that you make certain you cut the pointy end FIRST, in case you get called away after cutting the flat end and someone plugs it in..........

[tmcc man]

I already wired it up, and I cut both ends off last night. The wires i added have made the LGB units I am using have now speed drop. My dad and I will go to Lowes to see about the wire for the trains. Malibu, like the others suggested, is what we will look at.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine used extension cords for speaker wire extensions. After plugging a speaker, instead of the amplifier, into the wall socket he used decidedly different sockets and plugs for speaker wire extensions.

Learning a lesson the hard (and expensive) way.

Art

[Tom The Brat]

Ow..

I used Malibu wire and outdoor extension cord in the short lived shop layout.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

You can even get the Malibu wire in several gauges. I used #12 for my main feed from power pac under house out to layout, then # 14for next few connectors @ 50 foot intervals, then stepped down to the #16 for the last few! Seems to work great!

[grandpopswalt]

#12 /2 conductor cable is rated to safely carry 20 amps, #14 is good for 15amps and #16 is probably rated for around 10 amps. Please make sure that the cable is rated for outdoor use.

Walt

[tmcc man]

QUOTE: Originally posted by grandpopswalt

#12 /2 conductor cable is rated to safely carry 20 amps, #14 is good for 15amps and #16 is probably rated for around 10 amps. Please make sure that the cable is rated for outdoor use.

Walt

Trust me, I have been doing research, and I think I am going to Lowes tonight to see all of the different types. Just to be safe, I am going to get the 15 amp, for both of my lines that I plan to put in, even though I will have only 2 Aristo Train Engineers seperate from one another. I have one of my Ultima's right now, and I have to go buy another one, one for each line, and then if I go into DCS, I have to buy one and wire it directly to the TIU. That is for later though.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, you have helped a lot in this process.[^]

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Remember, for this stuff you want as many strands as you can get for the gauge wire you're using, works better that way!

[Dick Friedman]

When I need that type of cord, I go to the hardware store (remember those?) amd buy some heavy "zip" cord. It'll hold up well indoors or out, no mixing it up with "power cord," and I dont destroy a precious extension cord, which I'll need immediately after cutting into it. (Don't ask me how I know this!)

[Tom The Brat]

Experience is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

I find that a painful lesson generally means I won't run into a situation to use that hard-won knowledge.

[markperr]

It strikes me as odd that using an indoor extension cord would cause your loco's to run slowly. How long is your run from the power pack to the track connection? You should try to make that as short as possible. Keep in mind that AC power will travel much further than DC power on the same line. This problem will be exacerbated if your power pack is only, say, a 1 amp supply. You'll lose most of your available current to line loss. Since your power pack output is most likely DC , you may just have to shorten the run between it and the track, especially, as I said, if it is a low current power pack.

As a related matter, I'd be interested to know how long anyone's run is from THEIR power pack to the closest point where the line couples to the track, and how much power drop do you experience. Mine is just a few feet and my power supply is an Aristo Ultima 10 amp, so my loss is inconsequential.

Mark

[tmcc man]

Mark, I never got to edit my post. What I meant was that the cord actually helped the electricity travel further, therefor preventing power drops.

[Tom The Brat]

The only problem with using an indoor cord outdoors is UV and weather exposure will cause the insulation to come apart. But not for quite a while. Just use something besides plugs and sockets for the connections[;)]