Electrical Question! Help!

[DouglasB]

Goal: Bring electricity to my barn via extension chords as safely as possible (which I know is not the safest, but it's what we must do for now)

Information you may need to know before I start asking my questions:

• Last winter we ran 2-3 extension chords from our garage to our barn. Distance: 150-200ft (barn used to house our chickens, but now houses sheep and calves)
• This winter we would like to use one 200ft 12 gauge extension chord to the barn
• Last winter, we had a couple of issues with our animals getting shocked while drinking water out of our plastic tank, which has a 250 watt farm innovator deicer.
• Power being used in barn:
  • MAX of two 250 watt deicers and 3 led lights. (which I believe would be under 5 amps if I did the math correctly?)
• Breaker for the barn is either 15 or 20 amp.

Questions:

1. Is a 12 gauge extension chord large enough to run from garage to barn?
2. Will a GFCI outlet box help with animals getting shocked by drinking water? a) If so, should this be installed at the garage outlet with the extension chord plugged in after OR at the end of the extension chord where the deicer is plugged in directly? Link: GFCI Box (link)
3. Are there any other safety precautions? Advice?

Everything your extension cords feed should be protected by a gfci outlet. I would put it where the cords plug in. 12 gauge wire 150 to 200 feet on a 20 amp breaker should be ok, but you will get some voltage drop in that distance.

 

[Folly's place]

Our farm insurance inspector wanted everything up to code out there! So, a buried line to the coop, all protected, and GFI outlets, covered cables in the coop, and a licensed electrician doing everything. Love it, all as safe as possible, and up to code.
Do everything with best advice, and up to code, as much as possible. Will your renters insurance cover any losses? How about the owner's farm policy?
Mary

 

[nao57]

You could also take special note of where water naturally pools between the plug in and the barn and everything in between to avoid having the cords go through areas that would have higher than normal water table issues that could affect where the power is sliding into that shouldn't happen.

I wish you luck.

And if you bury cords you'll have to be careful about having them deep enough that you don't have accidents later with digging machines or other projects later. (My dad knew someone that got killed this way.)

 

[Alex S]

Goal: Bring electricity to my barn via extension chords as safely as possible (which I know is not the safest, but it's what we must do for now)

Information you may need to know before I start asking my questions:

• Last winter we ran 2-3 extension chords from our garage to our barn. Distance: 150-200ft (barn used to house our chickens, but now houses sheep and calves)
• This winter we would like to use one 200ft 12 gauge extension chord to the barn
• Last winter, we had a couple of issues with our animals getting shocked while drinking water out of our plastic tank, which has a 250 watt farm innovator deicer.
• Power being used in barn:
  • MAX of two 250 watt deicers and 3 led lights. (which I believe would be under 5 amps if I did the math correctly?)
• Breaker for the barn is either 15 or 20 amp.

Questions:

1. Is a 12 gauge extension chord large enough to run from garage to barn?
2. Will a GFCI outlet box help with animals getting shocked by drinking water? a) If so, should this be installed at the garage outlet with the extension chord plugged in after OR at the end of the extension chord where the deicer is plugged in directly? Link: GFCI Box (link)
3. Are there any other safety precautions? Advice?

Most people are shocked when they find out I'm not a good electrician *Bu-dum tsss*