Daisy Chaining UPS Power Cable
I have a rackmount UPS. The UPS has a 6ft long 12AWG thick power cable that powers it from one of the server room's 20A wall plugs.
The current orientation of the cabinets is not ideal. All but this one are easily moved, however this cabinet's UPS' cable is too short to reach one of the 20A circuits if I were to move it.
Is it acceptable to attach the UPS's power cable to a thick (12AWG? or thicker?) extension cable? I'm no electrical engineer, but I think this will add impedance at the two cable's junction (ie. the plugs). I don't know if I should worry or not. Having an electrician come out and re-due the cable on the UPS is really not an option.
I know people generally don't recommend daisy-chaining surge protectors (even though it will work for most cases), but surge protectors are doing a bit more than just a plain cable.
(please don't just say "no don't do this!", please explain why, the risks, pros and cons.)
Solution 1:
There are a lot of things that prevent a direct answer to this question and should be considered before doing this:
- Fire codes in your area
- Regulatory requirements on your datacenter
- Warranty coverage by your UPS vendor
- Length of the extension and proper load calculation to prevent fire hazards
Personally I would HIGHLY recommend either of the following:
a) Contacting a licensed electrician to install a second 20A circuit closer to this location
b) Contacting the vendor of the UPS before using ANY type of extension or piggy-backing the UPS off another unit
As a side note: depending on the length of the cable needed, using a 20A rated cable to run a 20A rated appliance may not be what is needed. If it is a longer run you may need a heavier cable to provide the proper current without posing a threat to deterioration of the wire due to heat or worse, a fire. There are Calculators online to calculate wire sizes needed to deliver x Amps over y Distance at z Volts. I'd highly recommend researching this before using ANY extensions on this project.