How to get a 100' or 200' cord with right amps for a 10A electric string trimmer?

[bakersman]

Hey! So I bought this Black and Decker 14" corded string trimmer, GH3000. I'd like to run a 100' or really 200' cord with it, so I can go far back on my lawn.

But the owner's manual has a chart. The chart says two things:

- my cord shouldn't be more than 10Amp

- a 101'+ cord needs to be 12 gauge.

When I look online, all the 100 foot 12-gauge cords are 15 amp. (And I can't even find 200' cords.)

So how do I get a long cord with the correct amp rating? what happens if the amp rating on the cord is too high? Too much power?

Thanks!
Bill

 

[exotion]

Hey! So I bought this Black and Decker 14" corded string trimmer, GH3000. I'd like to run a 100' or really 200' cord with it, so I can go far back on my lawn.

But the owner's manual has a chart. The chart says two things:

- my cord shouldn't be more than 10Amp

- a 101'+ cord needs to be 12 gauge.

When I look online, all the 100 foot 12-gauge cords are 15 amp. (And I can't even find 200' cords.)

So how do I get a long cord with the correct amp rating? what happens if the amp rating on the cord is too high? Too much power?

Thanks!
Bill

Make one. Home depot has all the supplies and is not diffucult.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

I moved your thread to the Electric & Battery Operated Forum. :smile:

 

[Rivets]

Due to the amperage draw at 200' you are going to fry you trimmer by using that much cord.

 

[RSNovi]

You want a cord that can handle at least 10 amps. A 15 amp cord would be ok. Most residential outlets are 15 amp and some dedicated are 20 amp.

 

[bakersman]

Hey, thanks for all the quick responses. So far the options are:

- Make one. Like, by connecting some 25' 12-gauge 10A cords? (Despite warnings not to connect the cords.) Or by finding outdoor Romex wire that is somehow both 150', 12gauge, but also will only allow a max of 10A? Is that even possible? Could i put something on the end of the cord to enforce a maximum draw of 10A? I am totally new to this.

- Go with a 15amp - the higher amp rating won't hurt the engine.

- OR: the higher amp rating will fry the trimmer.

This is where I guess I need to understand basic electricity terminology. I'll go dig up some tutorials.

Does anyone else use a corded trimmer with more than a 50' cord?

For instance, here's an 80' cord reel with 14-gauge. If I plug in a 50' 16 gauge, now I have 130' altogether, which the booklet says should all be 12-gauge. Am I worrying too much? What is the worst that can happen if the total length of the cords = too thin a wire for a length? The booklet says "loss of power and overheating" -- anyone ever fried a trimmer or electric mower like this?

Bill

 

[MowerMike]

I think you misunderstand the instructions.

The cord size cannot be too big, but it can be too small.

The higher the current load from the motor (amps) or the longer the length of the cord (feet), the bigger the cord must be.

Wire size is measured in AWG, where a smaller number means a bigger size (diameter) wire.

For a 10 amp motor and a 200 foot cord you need about a 10 AWG cord to get a 5V drop from the electrical outlet, so if the outlet provides 120 Vac, then the motor will see about 115 Vac.

For 150 feet, you can use a 12 AWG cord.

For 100 feet, you can use a 14 AWG cord.

For 50 feet, you can use a 16 AWG cord.

You can make a longer cord by joining two shorter cords together. For example, you can make a 150 foot cord by joining a 100 foot and 50 foot cords together. Loop them together into a knot so that they don't pull apart. I've seen this done a lot on construction jobsites.

 

[bakersman]

Thanks, MowerMike. I hadn't thought much about the voltage drop.

The cord size cannot be too big, but it can be too small.

Well, this is where I'm unclear, because the instructions say "not more than 10Amps". I should clarify that I made a mistake earlier: the motor is actually 7.5 Amps, not 10 Amps. So for a 7.5 amp rating, the instructions say the ampere rating for the cord must be between 6 and 10 amps.

An earlier post seemed to suggest that if the amp rating on the card were too high (if the cord were too large, right?) then the motor could
pull too many amps and fry. Or maybe that post meant the opposite, that a 200' 16AWG cord would be too small and overheat.

You can make a longer cord by joining two shorter cords together. For example, you can make a 150 foot cord by joining a 100 foot and 50 foot cords together. Loop them together into a knot so that they don't pull apart. I've seen this done a lot on construction jobsites.

But if I join two 14 AWG cords, don't I now have a 150' 14 AWG that is too small, since it isn't the required 12 AWG?

Thanks again to everyone for help with these basic cord concepts. If someone posts a link to a good tutorial on this stuff I will gladly read it. Everything I find is either too conceptual (what is a volt?) or too specific (what gauge do you need to rewire your bathroom?).

Although, this article looks helpful: What痴 the Right Extension Cord Length for My Tools? | DO IT: Projects, Plans and How-tos
Obviously, it is dangerous to have too small a wire over too great a distance. Small wire = motor working too hard = fire/destruction. What I can't figure out is whether the wire can be too *big* (as the warning in the book seems to indicate, saying not to use a wire with a rating over 10 amperes).

 

[RSNovi]

Thanks, MowerMike. I hadn't thought much about the voltage drop.



Well, this is where I'm unclear, because the instructions say "not more than 10Amps". I should clarify that I made a mistake earlier: the motor is actually 7.5 Amps, not 10 Amps. So for a 7.5 amp rating, the instructions say the ampere rating for the cord must be between 6 and 10 amps.

An earlier post seemed to suggest that if the amp rating on the card were too high (if the cord were too large, right?) then the motor could
pull too many amps and fry. Or maybe that post meant the opposite, that a 200' 16AWG cord would be too small and overheat.



But if I join two 14 AWG cords, don't I now have a 150' 14 AWG that is too small, since it isn't the required 12 AWG?

Thanks again to everyone for help with these basic cord concepts. If someone posts a link to a good tutorial on this stuff I will gladly read it. Everything I find is either too conceptual (what is a volt?) or too specific (what gauge do you need to rewire your bathroom?).

Although, this article looks helpful: What痴 the Right Extension Cord Length for My Tools? | DO IT: Projects, Plans and How-tos
Obviously, it is dangerous to have too small a wire over too great a distance. Small wire = motor working too hard = fire/destruction. What I can't figure out is whether the wire can be too *big* (as the warning in the book seems to indicate, saying not to use a wire with a rating over 10 amperes).

Having too large of a gauge wire is not a problem. Pretty much never a problem as long as the physical size doesn't make it too heavy or too large. An extension cord is not designed to limit current. The motor will pull as much current as it needs. If there is a short or a problem than the circuit breaker will trip. Outside of that, you want the largest gauge wire needed to deliver the current without causing a voltage drop.

Chris

 

[MowerMike]

Well, this is where I'm unclear, because the instructions say "not more than 10Amps". I should clarify that I made a mistake earlier: the motor is actually 7.5 Amps, not 10 Amps. So for a 7.5 amp rating, the instructions say the ampere rating for the cord must be between 6 and 10 amps.

An earlier post seemed to suggest that if the amp rating on the card were too high (if the cord were too large, right?) then the motor could
pull too many amps and fry. Or maybe that post meant the opposite, that a 200' 16AWG cord would be too small and overheat.

But if I join two 14 AWG cords, don't I now have a 150' 14 AWG that is too small, since it isn't the required 12 AWG?

Thanks again to everyone for help with these basic cord concepts. If someone posts a link to a good tutorial on this stuff I will gladly read it. Everything I find is either too conceptual (what is a volt?) or too specific (what gauge do you need to rewire your bathroom?).

Although, this article looks helpful: Whatç—´ the Right Extension Cord Length for My Tools? | DO IT: Projects, Plans and How-tos
Obviously, it is dangerous to have too small a wire over too great a distance. Small wire = motor working too hard = fire/destruction. What I can't figure out is whether the wire can be too *big* (as the warning in the book seems to indicate, saying not to use a wire with a rating over 10 amperes).

One more time:

1) The required wire size is a minimum, not a maximum. A motor will pull the same current (amps), regardless of wire size. If the wire size is too small, it will overheat and the voltage drop will be too high so the motor will not get sufficient voltage to operate properly.

2) If you join cords to make a longer cord, then the cords each need to be the proper size. If you make a 12 AWG 15 foot cord from a 50 foot and a 100 foot cord, then each cord must also be 12 AWG.

3) If your motor only draws 7.5 Amps, then the minimum size cords you need are:

Up to 100 feet - 16 AWG

Up to 150 feet - 14 AWG

Up to 200 feet - 12 AWG