if electrical extension cords are meant to be used to connect to an outlet farther away then why is it still bad to plug certain things into them Ex: electric heaters, A/C units and so on?
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An extension cord is not as good as the nmd90 house cabling in your walls because:
A: extension cords are made up many small strands of copper, this is done to be flexible. House wiring is solid copper, 1 large conductor. Flexible enough for install, but that’s it.
B: the flexible wire can generate more heat due to its internal resistance. So it gets hot and if you pull enough current through it, it might not be rated for it and therefore breakdown and arc / fire.
C: extension cords are meant for a slip fit connection at the plug, it’s not as good for conducting vs a properly terminated wire into a screw terminal. Bad connection = more heat, see above comment.
That’s about as ELI5 as I get on it…
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