How dangerous is octopus wiring?

Ever since faulty-electrical-wiring-related-fires began, electricians have advised us not to practice octopus wiring. Octopus wiring is pacing a lot of extensions to a wall socket. This is dangerous because if the total current that passes through the wires exceeds the indicated rating, it could create too much heat and start a fire (The maximum current rating is usually at 10 Amperes for household units).

Octopus wiring is not dangerous if the total current that passes through the wires is less than the indicated maximum rating. If all plugs are securely placed into sockets – meaning they are not loose, and if the total load that is placed into the wall socket is small, then there is no problem.

To find out the approximate current that a appliance will draw from an outlet, find its power rating. It is usually placed at the back of each appliance. Once you got the power rating, divide it by the voltage that is supplied by your wall outlets.

This is the maximum current that will be drawn by the appliance. To compute for the total current, just add all the maximum current values that you have acquired. If it is less than the maximum current rating of your wires – again, it’s usually 10A, then the wires won’t probably cause a fire.

Why did I use the word “probably?” because electrical spikes can surge current in your system. If at the time of the surge you exceeded 10 Amperes, then you have a problem. That is why you have to keep it way below 10 Amperes. At around 80% of the maximum current rating, you are safe.

Note that a pair of electrical outlets – those that are at the same place should be considered as one in computation. That is because they use the same wire.

This is the reason why the iron and the refrigerator or the computer is never plugged on the same outlet. It could cause an overload.

This computation can also be applied in determining the total load that your electrical system can sustain. You will need to compare the computed currents with the rating of your fuse.