Power strip is a mobile charging socket with a long cable. Household power strip is widely used because a decorated room only has wall sockets with few AC outlets, which is not enough for increasing number of home appliances and mobile electronics. A power strip with multiple AC outlets and USB ports can meet various charging requirements at the same time. Although a high quality power strip makes life easier, there are still safety hazards especially poor ones if it is improperly used.
Hazard one: narrow outlet space
The space between two outlets hasn’t been standardly measured internationally, but from the experience of daily life, the outlet space should be more than 40mm, which is better. If the outlet space is too narrow, the heat generated by current will be accumulated especially when the strip is connected with too many high power appliances. When heat is accumulated to a certain point, the plastic housing is easy to be burned.
Hazard two: over or low plug pulling strength
Pulling out plugs is a basic step to use each appliances and the pulling strength influences user experience. Too tight or too loose can’t give a good experience. According to national standard, the pulling strengths of a single pin, double pins and triple pins respectively are over 1.5N, less than 40N and less than 50N. If the plug pulling strength is too small, the connector of appliances is easy to get loose and even cause fire because of poor connection. If the strength is too large, users need more power to unplug the appliances, which may damage the physical structure of power strip and cause electronic shock. So, the plug pulling strength should be within the standards.
Hazard three: poor structural strength
The structural strength can be checked by drop test. A power strip with good structural strength should have solid housing and tight inside component structure. If a powers trip has poor structure strength, the harm is obvious. If you got a power strip with low price, you should be alert that the components or the shell are easy to get damaged if used improperly. That is also a cause of fire that can’t be overlooked.
Hazard four: over high ground resistance
Ground resistance is produced when the current is transmitted by a grounded device to the ground and then flows to the other grounded device. The ground resistance determines whether the electronic devices are connected with ground well or not. According to a current test, a good power strip should have a ground resistance less than 50m?. The higher the ground resistance is, the more difficult it is for external appliances to discharge. That can also bring damage to devices.
Hazard five: poor heating resistance capacity
Heat resistance capacity is an important safety index to measure up a good household power strip. A good heat resistance capacity can ensure the integrity and security of power strip. With a poor heat resistance, the power strip is easy to get burned because of overheating when there is instantaneous high current.
Hazard six: poor fire-resistance
Based on international criteria, a standard power strip must been tested under 750 degree high temperature for conductive part and 650 degree for non-current carry part. Some products are made of poor quality materials which are not fire-resistant as displayed on the ads. When choosing a power strip, you’d better make it clear whether the material is fire-resistant and what’s the fire-proofing grade. BESTEK power strips are all made of fire-resistant V0 PC materials and built-in full fuses. A reliable strip brand can ensure a better security.
Power strips are one of the frequently used household appliances but they are also left unnoticed. A good power strip can bring convenience to life but a poor strip can also threaten safety. When choosing a power strip, you should pay attention to its brand, outlets number and price, but should even more to material, protection system, and other elements that are easy to be neglected.
