Not all extension cords are created equal. This much is clear to anyone who looks at two different extension cords with different wattage ratings. The American Wire Gauge System is the system by which industry professionals assign extension cords with number values that correspond to their wattage capacities. In that system, all extension cords are assigned gauge numbers. The higher the gauge, the smaller the cord’s diameter and its wattage capacity. These numbers are important indicators of an extension cord’s performance, but they are, unfortunately, often overlooked or ignored by consumers.

Underwriters Laboratories, a product safety testing organization base in the United States and recognized worldwide, has devoted a section of its website to increasing consumer awareness about the dangers of improper extension cord use. Some of the extension cord misuses that the organization proscribes include removing the grounding pins in order to fit plugs into ungrounded outlets and filing wide prongs in order to fit them into receptacles that aren’t wide enough for polarized plugs. Apparently, these behaviors are common enough that they warrant that kind of attention from an agency like UL.

What’s all the fuss about? What could go wrong if a consumer were to use a higher-than-appropriate-gauge extension cord with a power tool? What could go wrong if a grounding pin was removed. It’s true that consumers frequently get away with these behaviors, but the warnings are intended to prevent the exceptions from becoming more common. When there are problems caused by consumer cord misuse, they are often very severe. Just a short sample of the consequences of misuse includes electric shocks, burns and even fires. Some of the less serious consequences include damage to connected products or to the cord itself (it can become overheated and permanently damaged). For these reasons, companies that manufacture extension cords are always careful to label their products so that end users know exactly how they can be used.