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This is a great example of- "penny wise; pound foolish" If you don't want the freezer to die an early death, or burn your house down- but the right cord! This is not the place to be a tight-ass!
Ditto. $40 for a good cord, even for temporary use, is not out of line. If you take good advice and put in a dedicated outlet, you will have other uses for that good heavy duty extension cord.
$40 is cheap to avoid a fire or ruining your freezer.
If you look at cheaper cords a lot of them are 16 gauge - which is fine for light loads, small battery chargers, etc. 16 gauge is definitely NOT OK for your freezer.
If you ever apply for a new homeowner's insurance policy and the company requests an inside visit by an inspector, using an extension cord on a large appliance would be discovered. You'd have to correct that, before the policy would be issued. Or maybe the company would turn down the application entirely. I used to be an insurance investigator and finding a hazard like that, would have made my day.
Think about what could happen, if using an extension cord in this way, did result in a fire. If the cause could be traced to that, your claim might be rejected. Insurance companies communicate about such things with their competitors and often, they use the same inspection companies. The company for which I worked, did inspections for all the insurance companies and the full file on each property and owner would be seen by an inspector, doing work for any of them. The message here, is to eliminate all hazards voluntarily, before an inspector finds them and you're forced to do it. And keep your file clean, in the process. Insurance and the inspections done for it, reduce hazards and keep people safer, as well as keeping their premiums lower.
Last edited by Steve McDonald; 12-06-2018 at 11:27 PM..
If you ever apply for a new homeowner's insurance policy and the company requests an inside visit by an inspector, using an extension cord on a large appliance would be discovered. You'd have to correct that, before the policy would be issued. Or maybe the company would turn down the application entirely. I used to be an insurance investigator and finding a hazard like that, would have made my day.
I have never heard of such a thing as an insurance company inspecting a home before issuing a policy.
get yourself some 10/3 or 12/3 so cord or the smaller sjo at a local supply house . that is as rugged as you would want . get some quality plugs and connectors like the leviton or hubbell versions of the 5266c and 5269n and you have an excellent heavy duty cord for not much money .
Search Walmart online for appliance, refrigerator or air conditioner extension cords. Figure out what length extension cord you need. The cord should be long enough so the connectors are not tugged on if somebody bumps the freezer and moves it a few inches, but not several feet longer than needed. Select one that is 12 gauge wire. Some appliance cords will be 14 gauge which might be adequate but I'd go with 12 gauge for a little safety factor. Don't buy one for 220 volts. Should be $12 to $15.
When its in use, at first, and from time to time, feel the connections for any heat build up which would reveal them to be inadequate or defective. If the connector gets hot, replace the cord or put a new connector on it.
Don't use the extension cord if it's gonna be exposed to damage from being stepped on, tripped over, or things falling on it, or your cat chewing through it, or any other physical threats.
So how bad would it be to use an extension cord permanently? My three choices are to: use an extension cord, not have the freezer, or go down to the smaller 5 cu. ft. freezer and hope the cord reaches (I have doubts).
I'm having trouble finding a short extension cord online at Lowe's or Home Depot that costs under $40. I'm doubtful that they'd have something in store that I could pick up today.
Go buy a 5/6 foot piece of 12ga extension cord off a spool from the wire rack idle and buy the two plug ends and make your own. Less than $15
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