When it comes to power strips and vacuum cleaners, it’s a no-go. Plugging your vacuum cleaner into a power strip or an extension cord may seem like a quick solution, but it’s a risky move you should steer clear of.
Why, you ask? Well, here’s the scoop: Vacuum cleaners draw a lot of power, and they can overload both power strips and extension cords. This excess load can lead to overheating, tripped circuit breakers, or even worse, electrical fires.
So, for the safety of your home and your appliances, it’s best to plug your vacuum cleaner directly into a wall outlet. It might mean a bit of extra cord wrangling, but it’s a small price to pay to avoid potential hazards.
Powerstrip vs. Extension Cord
Before I get too far, I need to state what I mean by a power strip or an extension cord.
A power strip is something that allows you to plug in multiple electrical items.
An extension cord gives more length to one single cord.
They do make power strips with an extension cord built-in, but you should not plug in a vacuum cleaner into those either.
Reasons To Avoid Power Strips
Power strips, surge protectors, or multi-connection power points should not be used for items that consume a lot of power like a vacuum cleaner.
Your vacuum cleaner will pull a lot of amps which can fry the power strip, and in some cases, destroy the other electronics attached to the strip too.
There are many cases where a powerstrip has caused a fire because it was overloaded, and this is why you never plug a vacuum cleaner into a powerstrip.
Reasons To Avoid Extension Cords
The same reason you avoid extension cords for vacuum cleaners is the same reason you avoid them for power strips.
Vacuum cleaners use a lot of power and running too much power through the wrong extension cord can cause a fire, as this video shows.
Only plug the vacuum cleaner directly into the wall outlet.
Also, check your wall outlets for any damage or if they’re loose. Only have one high-wattage item plugged into one wall outlet at a time.
High Power Rated
They make high amp and high wattage extension cords that can support the power needs of a vacuum cleaner.
But you should still avoid using it!
The longer the cord, the more power you lose for suction. This is even worse when connecting to something else, like an extension cord. Not only that, but extension cords don’t last forever, and most people keep them for a long time, and the older ones have corrosion and are worn out, which drops the power too.
You’re better off spending the extra 10 seconds to move to a different outlet.
If this is a significant problem, consider getting a vacuum cleaner with a longer cord from the factory or a battery-powered vacuum cleaner.
Most battery-powered vacuum cleaners you get today are far better than many of the ones you plug in. Battery tech has come a long way; this video does a fantastic job showing this.
Shop Vacuums
If you can, avoid using an extension cord with a shop vacuum, and 100% avoid powerstrips.
I know in some cases, a shop vacuum will need an extension cord. You want to stick to heavy-duty extension cords like this one (Amazon Link Ad). This means a 12 gauge, 3 pronged, and 25 feet or shorter; often has (12/3) on the packaging to say it’s a 12 gauge 3 pronged.
You also want to follow all the proper procedures for using that extension cord listed on its packaging.
To be honest, the wall-powered shop vacuums suck and not in a good way. I’ve been leaning more towards battery-powered shop vacuums to avoid the cord mess.
Battery tech is getting so good these days it’s tough to go back to the old ways.