Connecting electrical devices to power strips is super practical and economical. But did you know that this can involve certain risks?
In fact, plugging in high-power devices or overloading the power strip can cause real outages. It can damage household appliances, cause power outages, but also cause fires! How should I say that?
Well, simply because it happened to me. I can tell you that since then I have been very careful about what I do… Discover 9 devices you should never plug into a power strip.
First, look at the maximum wattage of the power strip
Before you get the list of electrical devices that you should not plug in, you need to know one thing. All power strips have the maximum power they can support marked on the power cord.
So the first thing you need to do before connecting your electrical devices is to look at this information. Then it’s very easy. You will need to add power to each device connected to the power strip.
How do I know what the power of this or that device is, will you tell me?
Well, like the power strip, this information is on every electrical device. I’ll give you a concrete example. Imagine that your power strip tolerates a maximum power of 3500W. When you connect your oven which consumes 2500W at the same time. Your vacuum cleaner that uses 800W and your kettle that uses 250W. They exceed 3500W (2500 + 800 + 250) = 3550W. In this particular case there is only one solution.
Unplug any of the electrical devices from the power strip to return below the maximum power threshold. Otherwise it can be very dangerous. Now let’s look at all the devices that should not be plugged into a power strip.
1. The oven The oven
is undoubtedly one of the most energy-intensive household appliances. Even if you don’t use it regularly, you definitely shouldn’t plug it into a power strip!
It is better to provide an individual socket to avoid the risk of dangerous overheating.
2. The refrigerator
So I know what you’re going to tell me. The refrigerator is not the household appliance that consumes the most of all household appliances. Since it doesn’t use too much energy, we tell ourselves it’s good.
It can easily be plugged into an extension cable. Well, no! Let’s not forget that a refrigerator is an electrical voltage that is sent to the power strip 24 hours a day. So plug this type of device into an extension cord, you forget. And then I’m talking about refrigerators, but that also applies to freezers.
3. The washing machine
A washing machine uses an average of 1150 kWh per year. It is therefore a very energy-intensive device and therefore not recommended at all for a power strip.
Plugging the washing machine into a power outlet eliminates the risk of a short circuit and overheating of the extension cord. The same applies to tumble dryers. They use way too much power to be plugged into a power strip.
4. Parking heater Another very energy-intensive device is the parking heater
. I’m not telling you not to use it, but remember to plug it directly into an electrical outlet. Never use an extension cord as this device will quickly overload the power strip.
5. The Microwave
Don’t think that this little metal box doesn’t use energy. A microwave can use an average of 70 kWh per year. You see, it’s not nothing. So you should avoid plugging it into an extension cord.
6. The coffee machine
Like in the microwave. You might think that a small machine like a coffee maker doesn’t use anything. In reality, it is quite energy intensive, with an estimated consumption of 165 kWh/year. So plug this device into a power outlet.
7. The toaster
.
Do you toast bread rolls every morning? This means you use between 500 and 1000 W per year! Yes, that’s a lot for such a small device. All this to tell you that you should avoid plugging it into a power strip.
8. Another expansion
Do you have a lot of electrical devices to connect? So you use several extension cables connected together. Very, very bad idea! In this way, the maximum permissible power of the power strip can be exceeded very quickly.
This type of bad practice is also the cause of many house fires!
9. The Internet box, the computer and the television
So the Internet box, the computer and the television do not use much electricity. On the other hand, these devices are particularly sensitive to electrical problems (surges, etc.).
So avoid plugging them into a power strip or equip yourself with a surge protector.
Conclusion There you have it; You now know which electrical devices you should not connect to a power strip.
Even though the risk of fire is fortunately quite low, prevention is better than cure! Because the risks of overheating are indeed real. To the wise…