is it a bad idea to plug a surge protector into a surge protector?

[SandEagle]

i have a surge protector with six outlets, 5 already used. what are the risks of plugging another surge protector in the available space which will enable to add another 6 devices?

i googled but no luck. is this a fire hazard?

 

[Mixolydian]

Is it possible? Yes. Is it a good idea? No.

 

[boomhower]

Major fire hazard. Yes, in theory the strip and/or breaker will trip if it get's overloaded but not something I am going to rely on when plugging that many things into a single outlet. Get a drop cord from another outlet.

 

[KaOTiK]

 

[Miramonti]

It's called daisy chaining, which should escalate your google skills in this area.

 

[SandEagle]

Is it possible? Yes. Is it a good idea? No.

i have clarified the topic and question. i sometimes forget that we have neanderthals and she-beasts roaming freely around here

 

[GobBluth]

Not a best practice by any means but we used to do it all the time in the desert.

 

[z1ggy]

To directly answer your question, yes it is a bad idea.

 

[PottedMeat]

it's fine if the load is small ( some wall warts at tens of watts each ). don't be stupid and try running some toasters and microwaves on it.

 

[darkewaffle]

According to our last fire code inspection our office should be daisy chaining power strips instead of using extension cords.

 

[Dirigible]

That's ridiculous. A surge protector can't provide power to itself.


You need at least two. Plug #2 into #1 so the second gets power from the first. Then plug the first into the second so the first gets power from the second. THAT'S how you get your infinite power.

 

[JTsyo]

According to our last fire code inspection our office should be daisy chaining power strips instead of using extension cords.

SHOULDN'T?

Like mentioned, you should be OK as long as your draw doesn't exceed what the outlet can provide.

 

[Krazy4Real]

Yeah, you can do it. It depends on the load how safe it will be though.

 

[darkewaffle]

SHOULDN'T?

Like mentioned, you should be OK as long as your draw doesn't exceed what the outlet can provide.

Nope, should. I have no idea why or how they came to that decision, but we're all power strips here. I'm currently sitting behind three rows of tables with five computers each row; each row is then powered by 3 or 4 daisy chained power strips which then, thankfully, go into the wall rather than another strip.

In retrospect it could be our "supervisor" misunderstanding them or something, but who knows.

 

[westom]

Daisy chaining power strips was accurately defined. A fire hazard. A hazard created by concepts often unknown to layman who even assume a circuit breaker is sufficient protection.

A dog kennel, some years back, daisy chained power strips. The resulting fire killed about 20 dogs. Circuit breaker did what it was designed to do. Never daisy chain power strips. Especially when powering many computers and other reactive loads.

 

[DesiPower]

are you talking about the surge protecting ability or are you worried about over drawing current?
If the later, you can easily calculate the total wattage being used by the current four equipments, I believe its not a good idea to go over 1000

 

[Miramonti]

However,
interconnecting these devices is a violation
of Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) regulations and
the National Electrical Code because doing
so can cause them to become overloaded,
leading to their failure and a possible fire.
(See the Office of Compliance “Extension
Cords” Fast Facts f or more i nformation)

http://www.compliance.gov/forms-pubs/eresources/fastfacts_daisychains.pdf

 

[xBiffx]

You can get fired for doing that here. So I guess the answer depends on your future job prospects.

 

[sdifox]

get a power bar with more sockets...

 

[Anonemous]

http://www.frys.com/product/6820336?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

[Veliko]

You run the risk of a sudden surge getting trapped in-between them.

 

[richardycc]

sure why not, my house has a whole house surge protector, and I also plug a surge protector at some of the outlets. no problem.

 

[tynopik]

1. chained surge protectors are a bad idea. just use a regular (non-surge suppressing) power strip like this.

2. fire hazard depends on total load. What sort of stuff are you plugging in to it? Running 7 alarm clocks? fine. Running 7 hair dryers? Not fine.

 

[Colt45]

Theoretically all the parts on the power strip should be rated for 15A service, and chaining them shouldn't be an issue. If the load is <15A everything works, and if over, the mains breaker opens.

In real life, they're cheap chinese shit that doesn't really meet that, I suppose. They probably melt at 14A, and more of them makes it easier to hit that level of current.

 

[coldmeat]

Two surge protectors is like a double negative, they cancel each other out and it could blow your electronics.