Is it Safe to plug an Extension Cord into ANOTHER Extension Cord??

United States
January 10, 2009 7:42pm CST
I was just wondering if it's dangerous to plug and extension cord into another one to make it go farther? I just did that in my bedroom this evening. None of my outlets on one side of the room work because the stupid guy who put them in told me he was an electrician but I don't think he was! So I need to run extension cords from the other side of the room for everything on this side.....including my laptop computer. I should have a real electrician come and fix the outlets but I hate to have to pay someone else to fix the other guy's mistakes!!
3 people like this
8 responses
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
11 Jan 09
I asked my husband this question and this is what he said, definately you'd be better off getting it done properly however as long as the extension cords are heavy enough to carry the load... No it is not dangerous. he also said to check your breaker box because there is a chance your electrician forgot to turn the breaker on. Good luck my friend.
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Jan 09
Oh no, the breaker is on. If I try to plug something into the outlets, sparks come out! Haha!
1 person likes this
• Canada
11 Jan 09
Guess you're right the electrician casn't have too many papers that reveal his smarts. Hubby says best you get that fixed fairly soon, that can't be good. He figures the guy hooked up the wires wrong.
1 person likes this
@underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
11 Jan 09
When I need an extension cord I make sure that I am not putting too much load into it so it doesn't heat up. The size of the wire matters when it comes to extension cords. Cheers!!
@tsimay (59)
• United States
11 Feb 14
You can degfinitely do that. Extension cords are just cables that is connected to a wire and so I can be connected by another as well.
• United States
11 Jan 09
Then call that dingbat back to fix his mistake. Its not the best thing to do but people do it all the time, such as putting up Christmas lights.
• United States
11 Jan 09
He was a pervert. I don't want him to come back! Lol. I'll pay someone else to fix it.
@Barb42 (4214)
• United States
11 Jan 09
Although people do it all the time, it's not a good thing to plug more than one extension cord into the outlet. It could be a fire hazard. And, plugging in more than one does not give you the correct power supply. We tried doing that on our Christmas tree this year, and the lights became dull on those lines. As for plugging your laptop into any extension cord, I would not do it. I only plug mine into the wall outlet. The laptop costs too much to chance harming it.
@akiira (97)
• Australia
11 Jan 09
Ugh, that must suck. Anyway, I think it is safe to do that. We do it all the time at my house and everything's fine.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
11 Jan 09
It may be a really simple fix. You would hate even more to have your house burn down. I do not think you are going to get the best current by hooking extensions together. It would be better to get some of those industrial extension cords that are longer, and can carry more current.
• Turkey
12 Jan 09
My husband said that it could be dangerous. He said that if you have a bunch of extensions plug into that extension cord or outlet, it could potentially lead to fire but he says it's not likely. He said that if you have just one extension cord plug into another, it could cause a fire but it's really not likely to happen. I hope this helps some!