Is there any significant loss or degradation of power when multiple, long extension cords are joined together?

Question

Several hundred feet all told. With a power lawnmower at the end.

Answer 1

There is a very significant loss in a long run of light wire.  You said several hundred feet without specifing so here is an example for you.  If your mower motor is 120 v., 15 amps, to run enough power 300 feet without burning it down you would need to use #4 wire.  Bigger motor, more distance and you can expect to keep increasing the wire size.  You may just as well buy a gasoline mower.  

Answer 2

Oh, yes, there is - the successful solution would use cords of a heavy enough gauge so as to not allow the voltage drop over a distance like that to cause damage to the motor or overheat the cord.  For example, a #14 cord can carry 15 amps (1800 watts) up to maybe a hundred feet - max.  Over that you would need a #12 cord the whole distance and may get 150 feet.  If you push your mower into some thick or wet grass you may need more juice and the choke point is the cord.

This can get pretty tricky, but there are ways to figure out what you need.  There's a little black book called the "Pocket Ref" and I believe there is a table on this topic.  There may be something on the web as well.  Your'e looking for voltage drop tables.

I could figure this out for you, but I've gotta hit the sack and don't have enough information.  Amperage draw, cord size, length and potentially, the circuit feeding it and what else is on that circuit all feed into the equation.

Good luck!

Carl

Answer 3

Yes there is and there's significant loss of safety.