RT-1250 Power and extension cords

[bigboatBBQ]

Hello everyone!

I have a question about power consumption and extension cords. I have a 1250 which I love. I only have one outlet on my back patio. To get away from the house and out from under the overhang I plug my 1250 into a heavy duty extension cord with 4 outlets. I believe it's 6 feet long. My buddy is bringing his Bullseye over this weekend. My question, if both are plugged in will I trip the breaker? Should we start one, let warm all the way up or get close to temp and then start the other? Is this just a bad idea all the way around?

I know almost nothing about electricity. Please go easy on me.

Thanks in advance and smoke on!

Bigboat

 

[Jim6820]

There are several variables that need to be considered here. First, household outlets are either 15A or 20A by code. Converting amperage to wattage (120V x amps), you have either 1800W or 2400W of available power.

For safety sake, unless you can verify otherwise, assume that you have a 15A outlet. And, you also need to know what else might be drawing power from the circuit that the outlet is on. Frequently, several individual wall outlets are wired into the same circuit breaker.

Then, we need to better define “heavy duty extension cord?” What is the wire gauge? It will be imprinted on the cable sheath. If it is less that 12AWG (a number bigger than 12), it is probably not “heavy duty” enough for two grills.

Finally, we need to know the maximum combined power draw of the two grills—and, anything else that might be on the same circuit. I can’t seem to find the power requirements online for the 1250 or the Bullseye, but they will be shown on the grill (probably near where the cord enters the body of the grill). If the combined power draw exceeds 15A/1800W, you will likely exceed the capability of the outlet if/when both grills draw power at the same time.

The short answer, from my perspective of not having enough information to make an informed decision, is that you should not plug both grills into the same outlet unless you can verify that the combined maximum power draw is less than 15A/1800W. And, if you find another outlet somewhere, you need to verify that it is on a different circuit (breaker).

 

[dsurette]

There are several posts in the past about power requirements and about 350 watts at startup seems to be the average. If both of you start up at the same time that would be 700 watts, well under the 1800 watts or 15A supplied through the normal household breaker. If there is any other load on the same breaker then that has to be taken into consideration.

 

[C. Keeper]

Hello everyone!

I have a question about power consumption and extension cords. I have a 1250 which I love. I only have one outlet on my back patio. To get away from the house and out from under the overhang I plug my 1250 into a heavy duty extension cord with 4 outlets. I believe it's 6 feet long. My buddy is bringing his Bullseye over this weekend. My question, if both are plugged in will I trip the breaker? Should we start one, let warm all the way up or get close to temp and then start the other? Is this just a bad idea all the way around?

I know almost nothing about electricity. Please go easy on me.

Thanks in advance and smoke on!

Bigboat

Short answer, no problem!

 

[sdynak]

Address & time... so we can attend the event?

 

[Jim6820]

Short answer, no problem!

After looking at the schematics for the controller board for the 1250 (it has a 5A fuse in the power circuit), I would agree…as long as there is nothing else being powered by the 15A household circuit. While I was unable to find the fuse value in the Bullseye schematic, I can’t imagine it being more than the 5A in the 1250.

As long as the extension cord is properly sized, I don’t see a problem.

 

[Pops]

I have run my 590 and Bullseye off of one power cord, no problem, and it is on what I consider an overloaded gfci, unless the power goes out......

 

[bigboatBBQ]

After looking at the schematics for the controller board for the 1250 (it has a 5A fuse in the power circuit), I would agree…as long as there is nothing else being powered by the 15A household circuit. While I was unable to find the fuse value in the Bullseye schematic, I can’t imagine it being more than the 5A in the 1250.

As long as the extension cord is properly sized, I don’t see a problem.

Thank you Jim and everyone else! I appreciate you all taking the time to answer. Good stuff. Yes, it's a 15A circuit, that I know.

 

[AlphaPapa]

16 gauge wire has about 4 ohms of resistance per 1000 feet. If your extension cord is only 6 feet long (12 feet round trip) the resistance of the wire is 12X4/1000 = .048 ohms. So, at max current draw of 10 amps, the extension cord will only drop about a half a volt. Nowhere near a problem.