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20 amp extension cord.

moebuster

moebuster

Super Member
I've bought n Adcom 7805 power amp that requires 20 amps and my closest tap for that is the dishwasher
which I am considering using as an extension cord point.( no, I don't use the dishwasher-ever)

THEN if the amp does the business i'll go from there to having an electrician come out and dedicate
an outlet or two to 20 amp service.

so- the question is what is the least expensive wiring/plugs I can use "just to see"?

it'll need to be about 20 feet long.
 
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I would get length of Romex or similar 2-wire plus ground, all solid copper, probably 12 gauge. Put connectors on each end, male/female--from Lowe's, Home Depot, or an electric or lighting supply. I don't think you can buy a 20-25 foot extension rated 20 amps anywhere near as cheap.
 
A 20amp cord will be 12/2 w/ground, and they do make 25' ones, but as budda said they may not be cheap, but time is money, so you may want to invest in one. It'll last years, only other choice is to find a 10/2 w/g which is a heavier 30 amp cord, may be cost effective depending on what's out there.

Last time I looked at cords in Lowes, they had a new line of pink and lime green cords. May look purty across the floor!!
 
WaynerN said:
It has to be a NEMA L5-20p
Click to expand...

I took a brief look through what I thought was a 7805 manual and didn't see anything about having a 20A cord set. Nor, did I see mention of a 20A plug/receptacle in a Stereophile review.

Of course, neither of those mean it doesn't have a 5-20P, but it doesn't necessarily mean it has one just because someone said it needs a 20A circuit.
 
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Well, the National Electrical Code says that it does. If the outlet is strictly a 20 amp, then the extension cord has to be a 20 amp, and that plug is an L5-20p. BTW, IMO, people that make audio stuff that requires a 20 amp circuit are just plain nuts.

If the outlet is a combo 15/20, then you can use a L5-15p, but then your audio component "may" be under-powered if you bring it to its limits. Starving equipment of a power requirement can never lead to anything good.

Just be advised......
 
Bear in mind that you can have 5-15P receptacle on a 20A circuit, as long as there is more than one outlet. A duplex receptacle counts as more than one.

But, we don't know the facts here other than someone is asking about a "20 amp" extension cord.

My bet is the amp has a 5-15P, but I could be wrong.

Obviously the amp will not draw anything near 20A during "normal" use with the duty cycle of music. Sine waves on test bench another matter...probably draw more than 20A under that condition.
 
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owners manual doesn't state current draw .. i would estimate it at about 2 or 2.5kw ... 5x300 watts output plus losses .
so at 120v 2.5kw would be about 20 amps .
 
petehall347 said:
owners manual doesn't state current draw .. i would estimate it at about 2 or 2.5kw ... 5x300 watts output plus losses .
so at 120v 2.5kw would be about 20 amps .
Click to expand...

Yeah, on a test bench. You'll never pull that sort of continuous power playing music. Short peaks, yeah, if all channels are driven balls to the wall.
 
WaynerN said:
Well, the National Electrical Code says that it does. If the outlet is strictly a 20 amp, then the extension cord has to be a 20 amp, and that plug is an L5-20p. BTW, IMO, people that make audio stuff that requires a 20 amp circuit are just plain nuts.

If the outlet is a combo 15/20, then you can use a L5-15p, but then your audio component "may" be under-powered if you bring it to its limits. Starving equipment of a power requirement can never lead to anything good.

Just be advised......
Click to expand...

Why does it need to be a twist lock plug?
 
If You Own Your House install an Outlet Box in Wall and run Romex Cable to Your Breaker Box(through attic or under floor) and make a Dedicated Outlet with a 20amp Breaker.

Or check Your Breaker Box and Find Breaker for Dishwasher then Go to Home Depot and get some 12-3 or 10-3 Wire and Install Plugs Bingo.

,Mike.
 
JP said:
Why does it need to be a twist lock plug?
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Sorry, I'm still hooked up to my arena lighting days. Forget the "L" which stands for twist lock. So it should be NEMA 5- 15P for 15 amp, NEMA 5-20P for 20 amp. The Nema 5 stands for 125 volt (even tho the standard is 120 volt).

Sorry to confuse.
 
Thanks guys. All of your inputs are considered.
I spoke with an Electrician friend and he's going to help me run a dedicated 20 amp outlet to the wall where the amp will reside.

having said that, I think I will do the temporary low budget "extension cord" setup to be certain that the amp will run under a load for a few hours
BEFORE I do a dedicated run.

just makes sense since as one of you mentioned-
when will I need a dedicated 20 amp outlet?
 
not having the correct power supply would be like owning a super car that has a block under the accelerator pedal ..
or possibly worse than that ..some circuits arent designed for brown outs .
 
moebuster said:
Thanks guys. All of your inputs are considered.
I spoke with an Electrician friend and he's going to help me run a dedicated 20 amp outlet to the wall where the amp will reside.

having said that, I think I will do the temporary low budget "extension cord" setup to be certain that the amp will run under a load for a few hours
BEFORE I do a dedicated run.

just makes sense since as one of you mentioned-
when will I need a dedicated 20 amp outlet?
Click to expand...

As I mentioned before you do NOT need a 20A circuit simply to test the amp unless you are going to run full power sine wave bench test stuff.

If it has a standard 5-15P power plug (did you check?) then just plug it into the wall and have at it.

Even playing music quite loud it'll not draw more than maybe 4-5 amps on average.
 
156,800 μF of power supply-filter capacitance sounds a lot to me .. i have no idea how to work out the inrush to charge it up . or the current to keep it charged at a reasonable output .
 
petehall347 said:
156,800 μF of power supply-filter capacitance sounds a lot to me .. i have no idea how to work out the inrush to charge it up . or the current to keep it charged at a reasonable output .
Click to expand...


I have a 100wpc stereo amp that has 130,000uf, and a 200wpc stereo amp that has 144,000uf.

Plus an assload, ok maybe not an assload but perhaps 8 or so, pro audio amps that are multi-kilowatt each.

The concern here is much ado over nothing as far as just plugging it in and cranking up some tunes to be sure it works.
 
well yes sorry i can carried away with things .. i do like to err on the side of caution just in case ..
13 amps works here for most but we have double voltage to compensate .. i have to do the maths and 20 amps is outrageous here .
 
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