I used to have an abundance of extension cords, just cheap orange ones that I picked up various places, some free, some purchased.
Then Jean got chickens, and for years had to run power to chicken coops (heat lamps for cold nights, regular lamps on timers to keep them laying all winter), so most of my cords ended up outdoors for 5-6 years. Now the PVC jacketing is stiff and extremely annoying.
I'm thinking of spending the $$$ on a 250' roll of nice neoprene jacketed cable. Thinking of 14 awg instead of the 16 that most of my old cords were. The only trouble is, do I really need 10 cords? Maybe 6 25' and 2 50'? Keep some for machine cords?
What does everyone think? Worth it? By the time I put nice plugs on them, looking at $50 per cord. Strikes me as a bit crazy now that I write it all out, but I hate to replace all those 16 awg PVC jacketed junk with the same!
I haven’t messed with anything smaller than 12 AWG extension cords for years. I even have a 100’ 10 AWG cord. A 13 A circular saw, with voltage drop and startup inrush current is already pushing the limits of a 14 AWG cord.
Just for use in the shop I bought 2 15' 12 ga heavy duty cords. I keep on one each side of the shop. Both reach to the center and ends of the shop and there is not much to roll up,store or trip over like using a long cord inside. Just hang them near center outlet. I'd opt for pre made checking ebay and amazon.
Whether the outside jacketing gets stiff or stays pliable depends on the material it's made of. I have one that got very stiff; the rest have stayed flexible. I have no idea how to tell when buying one.
If these are exposed to the elements I would go with the longest cords possible simply to avoid more connections that can corrode. I coat every connector surface with dielectric grease and wrap the connection with something. You can buy plastic protectors for connections and plastic boxes to protect a junction if you need to split the power. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HBT5LZ6
About wire sizes, the way I understand things: It depends on what you will plug into a cord. A resistance load like a heat lamp and a tiny motor on a timer (or an electronic timer) won't pull enough current to matter much. If you put a bunch of heat lamps on the end of a long cord with too small copper all that will happen is the lights won't be as bright for the power you're paying for.
However, if you ever want to use them on an electric motor the wire needs to be sized large enough to avoid a significant voltage drop. A universal motor will try to pull the current needed for the rated horsepower. If the wire is too long and not large enough, the voltage will be too low and the motor will try to pull more current. This will increase the heat in the wires and the resistance will lower further and the motor will try to pull more. This can burn up the motor. A brother-in-law replaced a well pump over and over because of a long run at 115v. He finally changed to 230v power and motor and the motor lasted for decades, until he dug a well near the house. (230v requires 1/2 the wire size for the same hp.)
That said, I always use 12 gauge and even some 10 gauge extension cords for use around the farm. Probably 10 of them are 100'. I use them in the winter to power stock tank heaters, to run power tools when building a farm building (SCMS, TS, compressor for pneumatic nailers), and to power lights and a small air compressor at the barn. Three 100' cords have been on the ground in the woods under the leaves for 15 years now. In one place I dug a shallow trench to run the cord under a drive (embedded in sand to avoid damaging the insulation with sharp rocks.)
All THAT said, if you plan to continue this for years I think you would be far better off to do it right and run some underground direct burial cable. Run 10ga for that short length and you'll be able to power almost anything a chicken house would need. The entire run is protected from physical damage and corrosion. If you do the work yourself it can be a lot cheaper than buying extension cords. A cable should be buried fairly deep but if you want to cheat on the depth you can put it in sturdy conduit and run individual wires. (It's difficult to push/pull wires through a long conduit run so I like to lay out the wires beside the trench and slide each 10' length of conduit down the wires and glue it to the last one. I've put in hundreds of feet of underground this way, renting a ditchwitch from HD or simply digging with my backhoe (250' of 100 amps for the shop, 1000' of 80 amps down the horse pasture to the new barn site, 500' of 20 amps to the electric gate) It goes pretty quick. Just need to tie it into boxes on each end. BTW, when I lay electrical or water underground I put in a few inches of dirt, lay down a length of wide, bright red/yellow caution tape, put more of dirt on top, lay down a row of PT boards, some more dirt and another length of caution tape, then fill and tamp. That way if I or someone digs they will, if lucky, notice the caution tape before cutting into the wire.
Yeah, weather was their undoing. Actually sunlight as the PVC jacket on most purchased extension cords will not stand up to the UV we get at 7000' for more than a few months. The "T" in the long string of spec letters is usually what denotes a cheaper vinyl jacket.
Neoprene jacketed S cable makes a fantastic cord, but most manufacturers opt for the much cheaper PVC jacket material.
For current capacity, the real deal killer is the plugs.... this is why we jump on people daisy chaining power strips together in the workplace - I've seen melted plugs when the conditions are just right (or wrong, in a code sense ). Voltage drop at the end of the cord is the bane of medium duty extension cords, and reduced duty cycle for things like welders (seen that one too), but if its a long cord instead of three short cords, heat usually isn't the problem.
Since I'm in the big city this week, I think I may go see what I can get by the foot. My local Home Depot doesn't carry much.
It would, but the chickens are gone now. I'm just looking at how the cheap cords held up and thinking I want to replace them with something better. She may never get more chickens, but I'm sure some other project will come along that requires me to donate my new cords for a few years
). Voltage drop at the end of the cord is the bane of medium duty extension cords, and reduced duty cycle for things like welders (seen that one too), but if its a long cord instead of three short cords, heat usually isn't the problem.