Newb question

[Torc]

My electrical knowledge is pretty basic and my experience is pretty much limited to soldering on drones (not always successfully...



So to my question...

Can a lesser gauge extension cord restrict the output for my smokers element?

I ask because when I set the dial to higher settings the smoker tops out at 235.

 

[Winterrider]

Not electrically inclined either but extensions are not recommended because of heat loss. I made a short 5' extension out of 10 gauge household wire. Haven't ever noticed any heat loss with MES 40

 

[olaf]

It would be best to use the shortest 12 gauge cord necessary. There is a voltage drop across the extension cord. Turn off anything else that is plugged into the same circuit. If your home wiring has too long of a run it could also be a problem

 

[GaryHibbert]

Hi Torc.
First off, welcome to the forum.
Now, my electrical knowledge is about the same as yours. But I was told by an electrician to use a 10 gauge extension cord if I needed one for my MES 30. He also also told me to keep the extension cord as short as possible if one was required--if possible, no longer than 5 feet--the longer the cord, the greater the voltage drop at the MES.
I followed his advice and everything works perfectly.
Gary

 

[pineywoods]

These members are giving good advice the best thing is not to run the extension cord any farther than you have to, Depending on the age of your house I doubt the wire to the receptacle your plugging into is heavier than 12 gauge and if an older home probably 14 gauge. That being said I would not use less than a 12 gauge extension cord for up to 10 or 15' and a 10 gauge for up to 25' over that you need to figure out something else like change where your smoking at or run a dedicated circuit for the smoker from the breaker panel which depending could be easy or could be very difficult.

 

[Steve H]

Not using a extension cord is the best answer. In older homes you may come across 15 amp breakers. If it is tripping the breaker. DO NOT replace it with anything higher. I've used 50' 12 ga extension cords from time to time with no issues. Using a lighter cord at that distance can lead to voltage drop. Which increases the current. This can lead to a fire. And possible damage to the smoker.

 

[Torc]

Excellent advice everyone!

The good thing is that one of the past owner our house was a woodworker and upgraded the garage wiring and plugs. The downside is that one accessable plug is at the work bench in the back of the garage. So I'll need to run a cord out the window to the back patio but not more than a few feet.

 

[Torc]

Had a facepalm moment when I wondered what the unit plug (removable like a Presto electric skillet) size was.

Looked up the owner's manual and low and behold, it gives recommended extension cord size which is 12 or 14g.

 

[JLeonard]

Had a facepalm moment when I wondered what the unit plug (removable like a Presto electric skillet) size was.

Looked up the owner's manual and low and behold, it gives recommended extension cord size which is 12 or 14g.

Welcome to the forums. Yeah those owners manuals are kinda handy every now and then....
Jim

 

[tallbm]

My electrical knowledge is pretty basic and my experience is pretty much limited to soldering on drones (not always successfully...



So to my question...

Can a lesser gauge extension cord restrict the output for my smokers element?

I ask because when I set the dial to higher settings the smoker tops out at 235.

Hi there and welcome!
As other's have stated the answer to your question is "Yes".
For clarity, the longer the cord the greater the gauge needed to keep the power going over that length of the cord.
Gauge gets greater as the gauge number goes down so 10AWG is greater than 12 AWG, which is creater than 16 AWG etc.

There are charts out there stating how much wattage can be pulled over the different gauges by length of the cord.

So with all that kind of vague info stated here is specific info.
Get this a 12 AWG 25ft cord. Hook it directly to your house outlet. Plug your smoker into the cord and do NOT put any more cords in the mix. You do this and you should be ok provided you aren't pulling more than 1500watts which you shouldn't be unless you have a special heavier duty electrical smoker. If this cord is not long enough to do the job then find a spot where the cord is long enough to do the job. If you have no such situation then I think you are out of luck buddy.