Connecting electrical appliances to multiple socket outlets is super practical and economical. But did you know that this can entail certain risks?
Indeed, plugging in appliances with high energy consumption or overloading the power strip can lead to real breakdowns. It can damage household appliances, cause power cuts, but also cause fires! How can I say this?
Well, quite simply because it happened to me. I can tell you that since then I’ve been very careful about what I do… Discover 9 devices you should never plug into a power strip.
First look at the maximum power of the power strip
Before you get the list of electrical devices you shouldn’t plug in, there’s one thing you need to know. All power strips have the maximum power they can support indicated on the power cord.
So the first thing you need to do before you plug in your electrical devices is to look at this information. Then it’s quite simple. You need to add the power supply of each device that is connected to the power strip.
How do I know what the power of this or that appliance is, you will tell me?
Well, as with the power strip, this information is written on each electrical device. Let me give you a concrete example. Imagine that your power strip tolerates a maximum power of 3500W. If you plug in your oven, which consumes 2500 W at the same time. Your hoover, which consumes 800 W, and your kettle, which consumes 250 W. They exceed 3500 W (2500 + 800 + 250) = 3550 W. In this particular case, there is only one solution.
Disconnect one of the electrical appliances from the power strip to bring it back below the maximum power threshold. Otherwise it can be very dangerous. Let us now look at all the appliances that should not be connected to a power strip.
- the oven The oven
is undoubtedly one of the most energy-intensive household appliances. Even if you don’t use it regularly, you should never connect it to a power strip!
It is better to provide an individual socket to avoid the risk of dangerous overheating.
- the fridge
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 consume too much energy, we tell ourselves that it’s good.
It can easily be plugged into an extension lead. 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 appliance into an extension cord, you forget. And then I’m talking about refrigerators, but this also applies to freezers.
- the washing machine
A washing machine consumes an average of 1150 kWh per year. It is therefore a very energy-intensive appliance and therefore not at all recommended for a power strip.
If you connect the washing machine to a socket, you avoid the risk of a short circuit and overheating of the extension lead. The same applies to tumble dryers. They consume far too much power to be plugged into a power strip.
- parking heater Another very energy-intensive appliance is the parking heater
. I’m not telling you not to use it, but remember to plug it directly into a socket. Never on an extension lead as this appliance will overload the power strip very quickly. - the microwave
Don’t think that this little metal box doesn’t consume energy. A microwave can consume an average of 70 kWh per year. You see, it’s not nothing. You should therefore avoid plugging it into an extension lead.
- the coffee machine
Just like the microwave. You might think that a small machine like a coffee maker consumes nothing. In reality, it is quite energy-intensive with an estimated consumption of 165 kWh/year. So plug this appliance into a socket.
- le grille-pain
.
Do you toast bread rolls every morning? That means you’re using between 500 and 1000 W per year! Yes, that’s a lot for such a small appliance. All this to tell you that you should avoid plugging it into a power strip.
8 Another extension
Do you have a lot of electrical appliances to plug in? So you use several extension cords connected together. Very, very bad idea! In this way, the maximum permitted power of the power strip can be exceeded very quickly.
This kind of bad practice is also the cause of many house fires!
- the internet box, the computer and the television The internet box, the computer and the television
do not consume much electricity. On the other hand, these devices are particularly sensitive to electrical problems (overvoltage, 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 appliances you should not plug into a power strip.
Even if the risk of fire is fortunately quite low, prevention is better than cure! Because the risks of overheating are indeed real. To the wise…