people working from home rely on laptops, smartphones and tablets which, when you put everything together, add up to thousands of dollars worth of delicate equipment running a variety of complex software packages just to get our work done every day .
These delicate electronic devices play an essential role in our daily lives – if something goes wrong with one of these devices, we are unable to do our work or communicate.
Therefore, it is important to know the correct way to power these devices, and often a power outlet is the basic solution for powering them all.
So how many things can you plug into a power strip?
In fact, it doesn’t necessarily matter how many devices you can plug into a single outlet, it matters how much electricity is drawn from each device.
Each multiple is rated for a certain amount of electrical load, and exceeding that load can cause all sorts of problems.
In this article, we’ll look at how many things you can plug into an outlet and talk about a few things you shouldn’t plug into an outlet so you don’t end up learning an expensive lesson like I did.
How many devices can I connect to one power outlet?
When it comes to electrical service and common sense, well, common sense is not that common.
It’s not always easy to tell what you should do with the power cords to the various devices in your home.
But as a general rule, you shouldn’t connect more devices to a power outlet than there are available outlets.
That means a power strip, a device.
However, that doesn’t mean you can plug anything you want into a power strip.
Some devices and electronics should never be plugged into a power strip.
Other electronic devices also need a surge protector with a circuit breaker between them and the power outlets to prevent a surge from damaging vital equipment.
I learned this lesson the hard way personally.
I live in Florida so we are used to getting some pretty nasty summer storms.
One day we had one of those nasty storms.
I had a big lightning strike near my apartment and it took out my cable modem, router, external hard drive, and anything else attached to that outlet.
Fortunately, the rest of my main connected gear—my computer and all the other electronics in my office—were protected behind surge protectors.
It was very nasty and a costly oversight on my part.
If I had known I could have prevented this by routing all my connections through another protective waveI would have gladly done it.
So even though you may not think about it very often (if ever), surge protection is vitally important to the electronics you have inside of you. home and home office.
It’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t plug into an outlet, so let’s get into it.
What things can I plug into a power outlet?
Power outlets are utility devices that really work best when you’re turning several different items on or off at once.
That makes a power strip a perfect solution to turn on the lighting in your room, your standing electric desk.
These are devices that do not have complex and delicate electronic hardware.
Other items such as your smartphone, phone chargers, tablet chargers, monitors and other computer peripherals should be protected behind a surge protector power strip.
What things should I never plug into a power outlet?
What are some things you should never plug into a multiple?
There are some things that just shouldn’t be plugged into a power strip. Here are some examples:
Never plug your computer into an outlet that is not also a surge protector
Did you even know there is a the difference between a power strip and a surge protector?
If you don’t already know this, knowing that fact could be one of the most life-saving lessons you learn about how to make life work for you. home office.
A multi-outlet provides the ability to power multiple devices from a single wall outlet and turn multiple attached devices off and on simultaneously.
A surge protector is a special type of multiple that is specifically designed to withstand a surge and keep all your electronic devices connected to it safe.
If you’re using a cheap power outlet to power your computer and you have a power spike, you can quickly lose very expensive equipment and anything connected to that outlet.
Never plug a refrigerator or freezer into an outlet
A refrigerator uses about 1/3 the power of a regular light bulb. An air conditioning system uses even more.
These appliances consume a large amount of power which can very easily overload a power outlet and blow the fuse.
Then you end up with a fridge or freezer full of spoiled food and no one wants that.
Never plug a microwave oven into an outlet
Microwave ovens are incredibly convenient for heating up your food or drinks very quickly with little fuss.
But they also use an enormous amount of power, more than a power strip can handle.
Never plug kitchen appliances into an outlet
Just as plugging a microwave or refrigerator into an outlet is a bad idea, the same goes for most kitchen appliances.
Coffee makers, toaster ovens, Instapots, and slow cookers all draw a lot of current to use with a power outlet.
Never plug grooming and beauty tools into an outlet
Hair dryers, curling irons, and flat irons use a lot of power—too much for a multiple.
They must be plugged directly into a suitable wall outlet.
Never plug portable AC units or heaters into an outlet
You should not plug an air conditioner or refrigerator into an outlet because they use a lot of power.
The same goes for connecting a the space heater in those cold months in an outlet – it just needs it more power than a power strip can handle.
Never connect one outlet to another outlet
Power outlets are not designed to be daisy-chained, so do not connect one outlet to another.
Your electrical outlets are designed to carry only so much electrical load.
Just because you can plug in a bunch of different outlets and plug them into one outlet doesn’t mean you should.
You shouldn’t do that—unless you want to get a visit from your friendly neighborhood fire department.
The same goes for using an extension cord to power a multiple.
Can you plug too many things into one power outlet?
Yes, you can definitely plug too many things into a power strip.
This is called overloading and can trip circuit breakers or worse.
Make sure you understand the amount of power a device needs to operate properly before plugging it into a power strip.
