Extension cords are made for temporary use. When one becomes a permanent part of a room, like behind the TV, across the garage or under the desk, it's usually a sign your home needs more outlets or another circuit.
Why permanent extension cords are a problem
- Overheating: cords that run under rugs or get pinched behind furniture can heat up and wear out.
- Overloading: plugging several devices into one cord can pull more power than the outlet and circuit were meant to handle.
- Tripping hazards: cords across floors and doorways are easy to catch a foot on.
Signs it's time to add an outlet or circuit
- You use the same extension cord in the same spot every day
- Power strips are plugged into other power strips
- A breaker trips when certain appliances run at the same time
- Lights dim when something big turns on
- You've added a freezer, workbench, home office or gym
Outlet or dedicated circuit?
If you just need a plug in a better spot, a new outlet may be all it takes. If you're running something that draws a lot of power, like a freezer, space heater, shop tools, a sauna or a mini-split, it should have a dedicated circuit of its own. That keeps it from overloading the circuit and tripping breakers for the rest of the room.
We'll find the right fix
We'll look at what you're plugging in, check your panel's capacity and recommend the simplest safe option, whether that's one new outlet or a few new circuits. When we added garage circuits for one customer's fridge, freezer and workbench, he said the price was fair and he could tell Landon cared about the work being done correctly.
