Plug microwave ovens or other cooking appliances directly into a wall outlet. Never use an extension cord for a cooking appliance. Check electrical cords for cracks, breaks or damage.
What kind of extension cord can I use for a microwave?
The extension cord must be a three-wire grounding type appliance cord that has an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approval and mentions the current it can handle. The extension cords are usually marked 15 or 20 amps.
Can you plug a microwave into a heavy duty power strip?
Never plug high power capacity appliances, like space heaters, refrigerators, or microwave and toaster ovens into power strips or extension cords. These appliances have higher power capacity and need to be plugged into a wall outlet directly.
Is it OK to use a heavy duty extension cord?
Quality is an extremely important factor when it comes to purchasing an extension cord as it could affect the overall lifespan and safety of the cord itself. Many heavy duty extension cords are specially designed for outdoor use and can be used safely.
Why do appliances say not to use an extension cord?
Extension cords are intended for temporary use and should never be used to connect a major appliance. The biggest concern with using an extension cord to power an appliance is using the wrong cord, which can lead to overheating of the cord, damage to the appliance, and increased risk of fire or electric shock.
What Cannot be plugged into an extension cord?
Power Strips: Larger appliances, such as microwaves and refrigerators, may not be plugged into a power strip or extension cord. Such appliances must be plugged directly into a properly installed outlet.
Do microwaves need a surge protector?
All microwaves have a varistor that protects the control system from powerline surges. There is no need to add an additional surge protector to the line unless you just prefer to do so, or unless the you live in an area where heavy thunderstorms and lightning are common.
Can a power surge destroy a microwave?
Protect your microwave with a surge protector. Electrical surges can wreck your microwave’s circuit board and ruin the entire appliance. Option B is to unplug your microwave when it’s not in use.
Is there a surge protector for a microwave?
MICROMATIC is an electronic device designed to prevent the damage caused by blackouts, surges and voltage drops. It is the most professional and reliable protector against high and low voltage for your microwave oven.
What is considered a heavy-duty extension cord?
Heavy-duty extension cords are suitable for drawing 10 to 15 amps of power. These are always grounded extension cords that include a third wire and plug prong for grounding and have plugs with three slots for accepting grounded appliance cords.
Is 1500 watts too much for an extension cord?
Don’t exceed load: The average extension cord is rated at 1250 watts, but many heaters go up to 1500 watts. The average extension cord could easily overheat when used with a 1500-watt heater. Faulty extension cords cause 7,400 home fires in the U.S. annually, causing 80 deaths and 260 injuries.
Extension cords can overheat and cause fires when used improperly. Overheating is usually caused by overloading or connecting appliances that consume more watts than the cord can handle. Damaged extension cords can also cause fires. Extension cords should only be used temporarily.
What’s the difference between light duty and heavy duty extension cords?
The lower the number, the thicker the wire, or bundle of wire, and the thicker the wire, the more watts you can expect to power through it. So a 10-12 gauge cord would be a heavier duty cord than a 16-gauge cord, which would be a lightweight cord typically used for less energy demanding applications.
Can you use extension cord with large appliances?
Never use extension cords to power appliances. Plug appliances directly into wall outlets. Never use indoor extension cords outdoors.
Is it safe to use extension cords for kitchen appliances?
Using extension leads safely: Some appliances use more power than others, so be mindful of not overloading your extension leads. Power-hungry appliances such as kettles, toasters and microwaves shouldn’t be on the same extension.
Are extension cords against fire code?
However, facilities should use caution when substituting fixed building power with temporary power sources such as power-strips and extension cords. The International Fire Code and NFPA 70 National Electrical Code both state that “Extension cords and flexible cords shall not be a substitute for permanent wiring.”
What is an appliance extension cord?
Extension cords deliver power when product cables can’t reach an electrical outlet.
Can a microwave be plugged into any outlet?
No, you cannot plug your microwave into any outlet. Most microwaves have a 20-amp plug that must be plugged into 20-amp outlets.
Is 1500 watts too much for an outlet?
As a rule of thumb, it’s safest to stick to a maximum load of 1,500 watts per outlet or circuit. The number of things you can plug into one outlet depends on the wattage of each device or appliance you want to plug in.
What appliances need surge protectors?
Small, cheap appliances like lamps, can be plugged directly into the wall. But bigger or more important items, as well as appliances that require constant power, such as computers, printers, televisions, and refrigerators, should all use surge protectors.
Reasons Why Your Microwave Is Tripping Your Breaker: In order for this type of reaction to occur, there must be one of two issues at hand: Too many items are plugged into the same circuit that the microwave oven is on, causing an overload. The microwave oven is defective and drawing an excessive amount of electricity.
Why does my microwave keep tripping the surge protector?
The microwave is overloading the electrical circuit. In other words, the circuit is rated to handle a certain amount of amps (unit of electrical current), and the microwave is exceeding that amount, causing the breaker to trip.
Can microwaves penetrate anything?
Microwaves have three characteristics that allow them to be used in cooking: they are reflected by metal; they pass through glass, paper, plastic, and similar materials; and they are absorbed by foods.
Can a microwave start an electrical fire?
Therefore any material which has dried out can overheat and ignite in a microwave oven. Also, any metal objects inside a microwave can cause severe sparking which could lead to a fire.
Can a microwave cause an electrical fire?
According to the National Fire Protection Association, microwaves cause 4 percent of cooking-related house fires per year (PDF) and 1 percent of associated deaths. A similar percentage of homes have a range or cooktop, yet those appliances account for 62 percent of cooking fires and a whopping 89 percent of the deaths.
What is a microwave shield?
Microsafe is a microwave radiation shielding cover which, after being attached to oven’s door, blocks 60-70% of its dangerous electromagnetic emissions. While in use, microwave oven emits strong EM field in all directions.
Is it safe to plug kitchen appliances into surge protector?
Portable heaters, refrigerators or large electrical draw appliances should never be plugged into the power strip, but rather a dedicated electrical wall outlet.
How many surge watts does a microwave use?
A 2,000-watt running watts inverter may have a peak output of 3000 watts. This inverter could easily handle both the 900 running watt and the 2,700-watt surge (starting draw) requirements of your microwave.
How many amps does an over the range microwave use?
A typical microwave oven uses on average 1000 watts of power, which is equal to about 8.3 amps. So, if you have a standard 120-volt outlet, your microwave will draw about 8.3 amps of current.
What is better than a surge protector?
While a surge protector functions like a power strip, uninterruptible power sources (UPS) work like temporary back up power. UPS devices work independently, providing power when the main power supply fails. A UPS protects users as well as devices during disrupted power.
How much weight can an extension cord support?
For the type of extension cord used for power tools, etc. AWG stranded wire will take about 65 pounds before stretching or breaking. So an extension cord with 2 conductors plus a ground of this stuff could hang an average adult.
What is the heaviest gauge extension cord you can buy?
Common household extension cords are available in 16 gauge (smallest), 14 gauge, 12 gauge, and 10 gauge (biggest). The lower the number, the bigger the gauge and the greater the amperage and wattage is.
