Mixed sizes---extension cords and air hoses.

[bcp]

Sometimes all you have are needed to reach something.

Is it better to have the large one first or second? For example, a 50ft 14G cord first, then a 50ft 12G, or the reverse? Or a 50ft 3/8 air hose first, then 50ft 1/4 inch or the reverse. Or no significant difference?

I can tell you a 50 ft 12G orange cord will not work well connected to a 50 ft 3/8 orange air hose,

Bruce

 

[arlen4720]

If you aren't taking any loads off at the end of the first cord, then it doesn't make any difference.

 

[murphy1244]

Sometimes all you have are needed to reach something.

Is it better to have the large one first or second? For example, a 50ft 14G cord first, then a 50ft 12G, or the reverse? Or a 50ft 3/8 air hose first, then 50ft 1/4 inch or the reverse. Or no significant difference?

I can tell you a 50 ft 12G orange cord will not work well connected to a 50 ft 3/8 orange air hose,

Bruce

English or European?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Answered exactly right. It's ohms law. It all gets added up in series and doesn't matter the order.

But it feels better to have the heavier first, at least for me, maybe because in doing branch wiring you have the heavier circuits first and then work your way smaller towards the ends.

 

[Daver1963]

Most power cords have an amp rating. Don't put more of a load than the smallest one will handle.

Recommendations from Home Depot.

 

[Gary Fowler]

This is how an electrical engineer explained it to me since I was more into piping than electrical.
If you think of flow and restriction in electricity just like water in a pipe (basically electricity flows the same way-the larger the wire the more flow (current) and pressure (amperage) you can have for a longer distance without it falling off) having a larger size initially will allow more current to flow to the end without restriction and then the smaller one on the end would complete the flow. This is the reason that you require larger wire for a longer distance so the resistance of the flow in the wire is lower. Larger wire better flow of electricity; larger pipe better flow of water. It wont make a lot of difference but it maybe just enough to keep you from burning up your motor at the end of the cord.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Another thing regarding electrical cords. It is better to have a few short cords that you can piece together to use rather than one long one. ONLY use the length of cord needed to get to your work as in one 50 ft cord that is all you need rather than 1-150 cord with the rest coiled up on the ground, on a reel or in a bucket where it will tend to heat up due to resistance and magnetic flux fields. Larger wired cords are much better than the small stuff that you find in Walmart, Lowes etc. In construction sites we always made up our own extension cords from SO electrical cord which has heavier wire (I think 10 gauge maybe) and much better insulation than most of the cheap extension cords made from 14 gauge wire. We could run multiple grinders off one cord, run a couple hundred feet of cord and still not overheat our heavy duty grinders.

 

[aczlan]

This is how an electrical engineer explained it to me since I was more into piping than electrical.
If you think of flow and restriction in electricity just like water in a pipe (basically electricity flows the same way-the larger the wire the more flow (current) and pressure (amperage) you can have for a longer distance without it falling off) having a larger size initially will allow more current to flow to the end without restriction and then the smaller one on the end would complete the flow. This is the reason that you require larger wire for a longer distance so the resistance of the flow in the wire is lower. Larger wire better flow of electricity; larger pipe better flow of water. It wont make a lot of difference but it maybe just enough to keep you from burning up your motor at the end of the cord.

Thats how I would do it. Heaviest/largest one first, then the smaller ones.

Aaron Z

 

[Industrial Toys]

As I said, Ohms Law. Makes not the SLIGHTEST difference! But as the other poster correctly mentioned, it does if you are plugging in stuff somewhere along the cords.

Often I will just attach them according to price and conditions. Put the crappiest ones where they may get the most dirty or subject to damage.

 

[k0ua]

Also keep in mind on the long small air lines you can put an auxiliary tank at the end of the line, and it will help keep up the pressure up for a tool that uses a large amount of air for a short time. This won't do much good for a sander or grinder but will help a lot for an impact or something like that. This is sort of like a flywheel effect, allowing you to store air over time to be used in a burst to keep the pressure up.

As for the electrical cords, it wont make any difference, as every electron much flow thru every inch of all wires including the tool. The total resistance in the circuit is what will limit the current and cause a voltage drop.