Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by gmc

.....cut....

I would think it is quite common practice to plug in devices less than the rated circuit... Do you ever plug a 15A cord into a 20A circuit at home?
This would have less protection than what we are talking about here since there is no protection downstream of the 20A breaker.

.....cut.....

Of course it's done on a regular basis. For example, the cord on some lamps with a 60-watt bulb isn't necessarily rated at 15 or 20 Amps. Since the bulb will limit power draw to less than 1 Amp, everything should be fine.

The bigger problem (and more likely) is when a homeowner plugs a 10-Amp rated extension cord into a 15 or 20 Amp circuit and then plugs in 15 Amps worth of Christmas lights without knowing he's exceeded the rating of the cord. That can lead to fires.

On a practical basis I agree with you that the risk is minimal, with exception I mentioned above; an RV owner could split power at motorhome and thus overload 30-Amp cord. It's highly unlikely anyone would do that, but it would be similar to powering too many Christmas lights with an underrated extension cord.