12 gauge in-wall 20a wire vs. 12 gauge extension cord on 20a circuit?

[kooshball]

Is there going to be a difference in performance of a tool drawing 15amps (dust collector) if I plug a good quality 12ga extension cord into a 20a outlet vs. running another outlet closer to where I want the tool?

Obviously there is a safety risk with a cord laying on the floor but this is not intended to be a permanent setup; I am just trying not to run a whole bunch of conduit and 12-2 wire around the other side of my garage.

Thanks

 

[FredP]

shouldnt be a problem but you should use the shortest 12ga cord possible. IMO anything under 100 feet should be ok but under 50 would be better. I run a 15amp compressor on 100' 12ga all the time on job sites with no ill effects.

 

[Joe Scharle]

If in doubt, feel the plug for excessive heat.

 

[Gotcha6]

MTCW:
Drop cords are made primarily for intermittent use. You'll be using the DC somewhat more than intermittently, therefore, the cord will probably heat up. This is ok, because drop cords can do this. If they fail, any fire that may start is usually overt and therefore addressable immediately. You may experience premature failure of the cord in this application, depending upon the quality of the insulation. Conduit assemblies are designed for the rated amperages to dissipate any heat generated under normal loads up to and including the circuit limit. Any failure would be contained within the raceway. As a temporary measure, the cord should be fine, but if you've decided that's where the DC is going to stay, go ahead & run the conduit as soon as you are able.

 

[MrAudio815]

Well if you ever shopping at lowes and see you only need say 100ft of 12-2 wire, it's about $53, but hey if you look down the way, you see 250ft of 12-2 wire for $65. Hum so for $12 more a person can get an extra 150ft of wire.


Thats just insane...Yeah I learned the hard way. I bought 100ft and needed 135ft or so for all the plugs I put in. So i'd say buy the 250ft of wire and if you don't need the rest, sell it to another NCWW for a good price. You save money and so do they.

JMTCW

Matthew

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Well if you ever shopping at lowes and see you only need say 100ft of 12-2 wire, it's about $53, but hey if you look down the way, you see 250ft of 12-2 wire for $65. Hum so for $12 more a person can get an extra 150ft of wire.

And the 25ft box is like $35... This is why I've got about 210ft each of 12/2 and 14/2 sitting on the shelf in my shop! It's not like it goes bad....