My place isn’t in East Austin, but okay. You are entitled to your opinion and assumptions about my personal situation.
So, back to the extension cord. My electrician hates extension cords and I know someone personally in the DFW area who lost 17 animals (foster/rescue situation) due to a fire caused by an extension cord. It had become pinched or frayed or something under/behind a sofa. The sofa material heated to the point of combustion and filled the home with smoke while she was at work. The house didn’t burn down though. After hearing that story I’ve spent thousands on adding outlets. All extension cords I use are heavy gauge/surge suppressor level and I’m extremely careful about their placement.
I advise everyone to inspect all extension cords monthly if you must have them. Don’t just look at them, inspect and feel them to see if they are too hot.
Great advice! I pulled all of mine yesterday with the exception of a surge protector power bar I need. I ordered some fairly inexpensive lamps with USB built in (I hope they are not cheap looking/feeling, we will see). While I am not amused by what those folks did at my place, I am thankful for the potential issue it brought to light. Lemonade out of lemons, as they say!
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I just stayed one night at an Airbnb in Nashville. In the bedroom there was an outlet in the floor and they had an extension cord plugged into it and run under the bed with a plug/usb thing on each side of the bed. It was covered with duct tape. I didn’t even want to look under the bed to see what kind of mess it was. I should have taken a picture. It was a definite “don’t do this” situation. Still, if I were travelling solo to Nashville again I’d try to stay there. LOL.
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Oh just something to be aware of. One option is you could install ARC FAULT BREAKERS for any “receptacle circuits” (receptacle is the more technical name for outlets).
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If you had these, and a guest did something “wonky” like those ass-clowns, the Arc Fault breaker WILL TRIP pretty much instantly, and that circuit will go down.
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However, Arc Fault breakers are VERY sensitive. If you installed a few of them, you may need to fix issues so they will hold and not trip after being installed. For example, EVERY screw on each outlet must be very tight and secure. Every wire must be wired perfectly. They are pricey but I’ve managed to score some at good prices on eBay.
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This is not my 1st recommendation but only to make you aware that it exists. IMO, the best thing is to NOT provide extension cords at all, and just add a few circuits if you need an outlet here or there.
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