Too many things to plug in, not enough wall outlets
March 8, 2021 9:41 AM Subscribe
Though recently built, our apartment building is, in many ways, poorly designed. One way that is reflected is that there are not enough--and poorly situated--electrical outlets. Help us connect all our stuff!
We have extension cords and power strips everywhere! Now we are discovering that some of our things--particularly heating pads and heating blankets, really want to be plugged straight into the wall to work. In the places where we need some of these devices, plugging into the wall directly is not an option because some outlets are controlled by a wall switch and are already in use by another device.
Can someone point me to online resources or products that will:
a) help us understand in very basic terms why our heating pads and blankets need to be plugged directly into the wall to work (we have evidence that they do not work well plugged into a power strip), and
b) find a power strip or other solution that might make the heating pads/blankets think they are plugged into the wall while in fact being plugged into the power strip
We have extension cords and power strips everywhere! Now we are discovering that some of our things--particularly heating pads and heating blankets, really want to be plugged straight into the wall to work. In the places where we need some of these devices, plugging into the wall directly is not an option because some outlets are controlled by a wall switch and are already in use by another device.
Can someone point me to online resources or products that will:
a) help us understand in very basic terms why our heating pads and blankets need to be plugged directly into the wall to work (we have evidence that they do not work well plugged into a power strip), and
b) find a power strip or other solution that might make the heating pads/blankets think they are plugged into the wall while in fact being plugged into the power strip
The basic issue is that each circuit in your house is managed by a single circuit breaker (or fuse) that has a current limit of 15 or 20 amps. Probably 15 if this is an old apartment. And heaters draw pretty much the maximum power/current available.
So this creates two issues: one, sometimes the current draw trips the breaker that's built into the power bar as they're not always built for high power draw and two, once the heater device combines with other plugged in devices it's drawing more power than the circuit can deliver.
What does your breaker/fuse box look like? If you know which outlets are on which circuits this can help you figure out where to plug things in so to not overload any circuits. But for high-draw devices like heaters you may just be stuck.
posted by GuyZero at 10:03 AM on March 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
So this creates two issues: one, sometimes the current draw trips the breaker that's built into the power bar as they're not always built for high power draw and two, once the heater device combines with other plugged in devices it's drawing more power than the circuit can deliver.
What does your breaker/fuse box look like? If you know which outlets are on which circuits this can help you figure out where to plug things in so to not overload any circuits. But for high-draw devices like heaters you may just be stuck.
posted by GuyZero at 10:03 AM on March 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
Out of interest, what is the 'evidence that they do not work well plugged into a power strip'? And what continent are you on?
posted by StephenB at 10:05 AM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by StephenB at 10:05 AM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Have you tried heavy-duty extension cords rated for appliances? Using one per outlet, no power strip.
posted by mosst at 10:14 AM on March 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by mosst at 10:14 AM on March 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
(I say this recognizing that you said that there are other things plugged in as well, but perhaps there's a less conveniently situated outlet that you could access if you had an extension cord?)
posted by mosst at 10:15 AM on March 8, 2021
posted by mosst at 10:15 AM on March 8, 2021
Often, heating pads and blankets ask for direct plug-ins to avoid double multi-plugs (plugging a multi-plug into another multi-plug), which is for fire safety.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:16 AM on March 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:16 AM on March 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
Can I Use an Extension Cord with a Space Heater?
The issue is this: when you are pulling this much power over a cord, you're near the limits of what's safe. The more critical safety issue is that most extension cords and power strips can't handle this much current going through them for very long.
As you pull power through a conductor at these levels, the conductors heat up. Heating up conductors makes it harder to pull current through them, which heats them up more, and pretty soon you have a melted cord or, worse, a fire.
Your observation that your heaters "know they are plugged into a power strip" instead of the wall is not some magical software in your space heater or blanket.
It's an observation that the cord is already overheating and letting less current through.
I'd try a heavy-duty extension cord (20A or higher) if you can find one, like mosst says. But I'd be super careful and watch that cord closely.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:37 AM on March 8, 2021 [6 favorites]
The issue is this: when you are pulling this much power over a cord, you're near the limits of what's safe. The more critical safety issue is that most extension cords and power strips can't handle this much current going through them for very long.
As you pull power through a conductor at these levels, the conductors heat up. Heating up conductors makes it harder to pull current through them, which heats them up more, and pretty soon you have a melted cord or, worse, a fire.
Your observation that your heaters "know they are plugged into a power strip" instead of the wall is not some magical software in your space heater or blanket.
It's an observation that the cord is already overheating and letting less current through.
I'd try a heavy-duty extension cord (20A or higher) if you can find one, like mosst says. But I'd be super careful and watch that cord closely.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:37 AM on March 8, 2021 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: We are in the US, in an apartment building built six years ago.
This is not a heater, but heating pads and heating blankets. We are not running any space heaters, only the one built into the apartment.
The breakers are not tripping.
Out of interest, what is the 'evidence that they do not work well plugged into a power strip'? And what continent are you on?
posted by StephenB at 10:05 AM on March 8 [mark as best answer] [+] [!]
One of two things:
* not becoming reliably warm or staying warm or
* a blinking light on the controls or at the box on the cord, and not working at all
Reviews on Amazon and Costco for this "Brookstone Luxurious Electric Heated Throw 4-Heat Settings Easy One Touch Built-in Remote" bring up this issue of not working when plugged into a power strip as a frequent problem and cause for returns. I don't have and can't find online the original instructions that came with the blanket to see if it says anything in the printed materials.
Because it's a known issue with the blankets, and because the heating pads have the same problems, I'm assuming it's the same cause.
posted by QuakerMel at 10:38 AM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is not a heater, but heating pads and heating blankets. We are not running any space heaters, only the one built into the apartment.
The breakers are not tripping.
Out of interest, what is the 'evidence that they do not work well plugged into a power strip'? And what continent are you on?
posted by StephenB at 10:05 AM on March 8 [mark as best answer] [+] [!]
One of two things:
* not becoming reliably warm or staying warm or
* a blinking light on the controls or at the box on the cord, and not working at all
Reviews on Amazon and Costco for this "Brookstone Luxurious Electric Heated Throw 4-Heat Settings Easy One Touch Built-in Remote" bring up this issue of not working when plugged into a power strip as a frequent problem and cause for returns. I don't have and can't find online the original instructions that came with the blanket to see if it says anything in the printed materials.
Because it's a known issue with the blankets, and because the heating pads have the same problems, I'm assuming it's the same cause.
posted by QuakerMel at 10:38 AM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
In the US, your average residential outlet module costs about 50c, and is built to handle a limited number of insertion cycles, using a relatively poor design. If you have ever seen one with the brittle face having been snapped off or shattered because someone yanked too hard on a vacuum cleaner cord laterally, ... well, that sucks, but it isn't the only option.
The cheap outlets generally have a tough time trying to handle 12A (the derated maximum draw for a 15A circuit) being pulled constantly. This can be addressed by replacing them with high quality commercial or industrial grade ones. Look for ones made out of nylon, usually around $6-$8/each. The internal design of these will include a much more robust mechanism to grip the prongs, and allow power to be transferred with much less chance of the plug getting loose and arcing.
Once you do this, you can then move on up to a better grade of extension cord or power strip. Most of the ones you find at Target, Home Depot, etc., are residential grade stuff that is made to be cheap. They are not good. The good stuff is, quite simply, expensive.
A 15 amp residential circuit requires 14 gauge wire to handle 15 amps. You will often find extension cords made of 16 gauge, which means that you cannot draw a full 15 amps, but even with a 14 gauge cord, there is resistance in the cord and you lose some voltage by the time you get to the end of the cord. Typically, you fight this by using a larger wire gauge like 12.
As an example, you can get a Yellow Jacket (that's a specific brand) 2805 which is a TEN gauge 50 foot extension cord, which will have much less loss, but it will also run you a hundred bucks.
You can also get high quality power strips, such as those made by Wiremold and Tripp-Lite, that are designed for use in industrial environments, where the unit has been designed to be able to run the entire load of a circuit through the strip, even through a single outlet, without any real concern. These can be purchased as long strips, four or six feet long, and when plugged into a commercial grade outlet, should be able to deliver full current to any one outlet. Expect to pay $100-$200 per strip.
But these things cost money, real money. You aren't going to be able to find a $10 power strip that is able to manage these things.
I have 20 amp circuits in my office here, and a pair of very nice Wiremold 20A power strips running behind the desk and credenza. It was excessive but I wanted to be able to run a big laser printer alongside the large ViewSonic glass monitors and workstation grade computing equipment that I was using a few decades ago. There is no practical way to get to the outlets these strips were plugged into, short of moving the furniture, which would be a horrible experience.
This fellow spent some time tearing apart some of the cheap fifty cent outlets and comparing them; if you look at some of the related videos, you will find teardowns of better quality outlets.
These are not the only issues that are involved in all of this, but they are the ones that are relevant to the safety of power strips. As someone else commented, devices like space heaters can consume nearly the full capacity of a residential 15A circuit all on their own, but this is really something that requires some investigation to see how many circuits you have, etc.
posted by jgreco at 10:46 AM on March 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
The cheap outlets generally have a tough time trying to handle 12A (the derated maximum draw for a 15A circuit) being pulled constantly. This can be addressed by replacing them with high quality commercial or industrial grade ones. Look for ones made out of nylon, usually around $6-$8/each. The internal design of these will include a much more robust mechanism to grip the prongs, and allow power to be transferred with much less chance of the plug getting loose and arcing.
Once you do this, you can then move on up to a better grade of extension cord or power strip. Most of the ones you find at Target, Home Depot, etc., are residential grade stuff that is made to be cheap. They are not good. The good stuff is, quite simply, expensive.
A 15 amp residential circuit requires 14 gauge wire to handle 15 amps. You will often find extension cords made of 16 gauge, which means that you cannot draw a full 15 amps, but even with a 14 gauge cord, there is resistance in the cord and you lose some voltage by the time you get to the end of the cord. Typically, you fight this by using a larger wire gauge like 12.
As an example, you can get a Yellow Jacket (that's a specific brand) 2805 which is a TEN gauge 50 foot extension cord, which will have much less loss, but it will also run you a hundred bucks.
You can also get high quality power strips, such as those made by Wiremold and Tripp-Lite, that are designed for use in industrial environments, where the unit has been designed to be able to run the entire load of a circuit through the strip, even through a single outlet, without any real concern. These can be purchased as long strips, four or six feet long, and when plugged into a commercial grade outlet, should be able to deliver full current to any one outlet. Expect to pay $100-$200 per strip.
But these things cost money, real money. You aren't going to be able to find a $10 power strip that is able to manage these things.
I have 20 amp circuits in my office here, and a pair of very nice Wiremold 20A power strips running behind the desk and credenza. It was excessive but I wanted to be able to run a big laser printer alongside the large ViewSonic glass monitors and workstation grade computing equipment that I was using a few decades ago. There is no practical way to get to the outlets these strips were plugged into, short of moving the furniture, which would be a horrible experience.
This fellow spent some time tearing apart some of the cheap fifty cent outlets and comparing them; if you look at some of the related videos, you will find teardowns of better quality outlets.
These are not the only issues that are involved in all of this, but they are the ones that are relevant to the safety of power strips. As someone else commented, devices like space heaters can consume nearly the full capacity of a residential 15A circuit all on their own, but this is really something that requires some investigation to see how many circuits you have, etc.
posted by jgreco at 10:46 AM on March 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
This is not a heater, but heating pads and heating blankets.
Yes, but the same principle JoeZydeco brought up applies - the heating pads & blankets are drawing more power than any random chintzy power strip can handle. Which in your case seems to manifest as the pads not getting hot. Could be much worse, they could be tripping the breakers built in to most strips or, y'know, catching on fire.
So you need to just stop trying to use power strips for these. Use extension cords, IMO 14 gauge cords should be fine as long as you're running 25' or less.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:51 AM on March 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
Yes, but the same principle JoeZydeco brought up applies - the heating pads & blankets are drawing more power than any random chintzy power strip can handle. Which in your case seems to manifest as the pads not getting hot. Could be much worse, they could be tripping the breakers built in to most strips or, y'know, catching on fire.
So you need to just stop trying to use power strips for these. Use extension cords, IMO 14 gauge cords should be fine as long as you're running 25' or less.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:51 AM on March 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
Logically, "must be plugged into a wall" makes no sense.
Powerstrip, at best, adds a circuit breaker to the circuit in case the max amperage has been exceeded. It does not limit the power available. Each device will draw as much power as it needs, up to the maximum the powerstrip and the outlet can handle.
Personally, I think "only works at the outlet" really means "unplug everything else"
posted by kschang at 10:52 AM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Powerstrip, at best, adds a circuit breaker to the circuit in case the max amperage has been exceeded. It does not limit the power available. Each device will draw as much power as it needs, up to the maximum the powerstrip and the outlet can handle.
Personally, I think "only works at the outlet" really means "unplug everything else"
posted by kschang at 10:52 AM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Electric blankets don't typically draw more than 100 watts. Most top out at 75W.
Not sure what size your heating pads are, but I doubt they'd draw over 100 watts either.
FWIW, if your electric blanket or heating pad has blinking lights, it's indicating a malfunction. You can try replugging it, but likely the wires are dead.
posted by kschang at 10:56 AM on March 8, 2021
Not sure what size your heating pads are, but I doubt they'd draw over 100 watts either.
FWIW, if your electric blanket or heating pad has blinking lights, it's indicating a malfunction. You can try replugging it, but likely the wires are dead.
posted by kschang at 10:56 AM on March 8, 2021
Have you tried a heavy duty power strip? Or something made for power tools?
posted by amtho at 11:06 AM on March 8, 2021
posted by amtho at 11:06 AM on March 8, 2021
Can't find the instructions but here are my thoughts.
I think there may be a misunderstanding. It is not the case that you have to plug the blanket directly into the wall socket.
What is the case is that you must plug the cord and controller into the blanket before you plug the other end into a power socket. Doesn't matter whether it is a wall socket or a power strip socket. Just make sure you plug the other end into the blanket first.
What I suspect is happening is that when you plug into a power socket, either wall or power strip, the first thing the controller does is detect whether there is a blanket load on the other end. If no load, the controller does not properly initialize.
A heated blanket shouldn't require a lot of power. Probably less than a 100 watt light bulb, less than one amp. So power draw should not be a factor at all. You should be able to plug the blanket and other devices into a power strip and everything should be fine.
posted by JackFlash at 11:07 AM on March 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
I think there may be a misunderstanding. It is not the case that you have to plug the blanket directly into the wall socket.
What is the case is that you must plug the cord and controller into the blanket before you plug the other end into a power socket. Doesn't matter whether it is a wall socket or a power strip socket. Just make sure you plug the other end into the blanket first.
What I suspect is happening is that when you plug into a power socket, either wall or power strip, the first thing the controller does is detect whether there is a blanket load on the other end. If no load, the controller does not properly initialize.
A heated blanket shouldn't require a lot of power. Probably less than a 100 watt light bulb, less than one amp. So power draw should not be a factor at all. You should be able to plug the blanket and other devices into a power strip and everything should be fine.
posted by JackFlash at 11:07 AM on March 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
The breaker inside a cheap power strip is often very cheap and can overheat at a lower power than the breaker for the wall. This can lower the voltage to the blankets or do other weird things.
If you use a better power strip, it should be okay. Key is looking for 20A and not using over 12A. Seconding the comment about better outlets.
posted by flimflam at 12:07 PM on March 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
If you use a better power strip, it should be okay. Key is looking for 20A and not using over 12A. Seconding the comment about better outlets.
posted by flimflam at 12:07 PM on March 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
I always seem to want to plug everything into the same outlet, so have made good use of things like these, that convert your standard two plug outlet into one that can handle six. There are lots of other options (I particularly like the one that folds flat against the wall) on this page.
posted by DrGail at 2:24 PM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by DrGail at 2:24 PM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Just compare the power ratings of the appliances to those of the power strips. If they are limiting current in any way you just need power strips capable of carrying more amps.
posted by turkeyphant at 4:29 PM on March 8, 2021
posted by turkeyphant at 4:29 PM on March 8, 2021
I really don't think the heating pad issue has anything to do with power strips. The heating pad has no way of determining if it is plugged into the wall or a power strip. It doesn't know the difference.
A heating pad should use less than 1 amp. I don't think you will find a power strip that is rated less than 10 amps. Most are 12 amps or 15 amps. So you should be able to plug several heating pads or blankets at the same time into a functioning power strip with no problem.
As I suggested before, first plug the blanket into the controller. Second, plug the controller into the power strip. It should work properly.
If you plug the controller into the power strip without the blanket attached, the controller will think that a wire is broken in the blanket and not turn on the power.
posted by JackFlash at 5:30 PM on March 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
A heating pad should use less than 1 amp. I don't think you will find a power strip that is rated less than 10 amps. Most are 12 amps or 15 amps. So you should be able to plug several heating pads or blankets at the same time into a functioning power strip with no problem.
As I suggested before, first plug the blanket into the controller. Second, plug the controller into the power strip. It should work properly.
If you plug the controller into the power strip without the blanket attached, the controller will think that a wire is broken in the blanket and not turn on the power.
posted by JackFlash at 5:30 PM on March 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
Okay, confirmed, at least for Sunbeam brand electric throw blankets. Any sort of blinking light means THERE IS A MALFUNCTION.
Here is the full troubleshooting steps:
Here is the full troubleshooting steps:
If you have a digital control, it is designed to flash "FF" on the display to notify you that a problem may have been discovered. Gradient controls and warming throw controls use a blinking indicator light for this purpose.posted by kschang at 11:11 PM on March 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Follow the instructions on the flag tag to reset the control or follow the steps below.If the system still does not operate, disconnect the power cord and Contact Us.
- Unplug the system from wall outlet.
- Check that the control is well connected to the module.
- Plug the power cord into the wall outlet.
- Set the control to "on".
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posted by DoubleLune at 9:55 AM on March 8, 2021