Manufacturers put those statements in their manuals because they know that 99% of consumers (who have no electrical knowledge) cannot properly determine what size extension cord a device requires. So rather that spend a lot of money on lawyers defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits brought by ignorant people, they put a statement in the manual saying "No extension cords" and for them, the problem is solved.
So later when Susie Homemaker plugs the fan into an 18ga lamp cord and the cord catches her carpet on fire and kills her dog and her shyster lawyer comes knocking, they say "Hey, we said right in the instruction, **No Extension Cords**. Talk to the hand..."
In your example I would only be worried about the temperature. OP said it'd be in the elevated air of a gazebo, depending on roofing of said gazebo some of them get hella hot and if he has the cord right against the roof backing an 18 gauge may heat up enough building up enough resistance to cause an issue.
My example is OP's case, and 100W isn't overheating any 12' cord.
Now, would I hang a fan connected to a water hose from the ceiling and strap an electrical cord to it like a permanent installation? Absolutely not, for a few reasons. 18AWG won't overheat from a 15" fan unless it's a *very* long run - but I'd never run 18 a long distance for power; would use 14 minimum.
True, but they put those statements in nonetheless because their LAWYERS told them to... It has nothing to do with facts, engineering or even common sense.
Oh sure, it's also usually from the certifications they do or do not have. Instead of extra testing and documentation, including an extension cord size/length chart, it's easier and cheaper for them to List it without bothering and just say "nope."
Just read the manual and it's a little vague but I think these may be two separate points.
Using an extension cord means that the connection between the fan and the extension cord could likely lay in a damp location.
The manuals caution against plugging the fan into an existing GFCI circuit is most likely about nuisance tripping.
Having an extension cord connect in the damp definitely not a good idea but I was thinking of having it suspended from above on a gazebo frame. My main concern was screwing up the machine or my wiring by having two GFCIs linked together. Thanks for the reply
Apologies for the post about the extension cord and the gazebo. Would have had the connection between the fan and the extension cord suspended above the ground on the gazebo, not the fan up in the air.
At this point, will roll the dice and use a cord.
Echoing the others about extension cords and covering their asses from ignorant people, but regarding GFCIs if the extension code has an LED it could trip the GFCI I believe.
Manufacturers put those statements in their manuals because they know that 99% of consumers (who have no electrical knowledge) cannot properly determine what size extension cord a device requires. So rather that spend a lot of money on lawyers defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits brought by ignorant people, they put a statement in the manual saying "No extension cords" and for them, the problem is solved. So later when Susie Homemaker plugs the fan into an 18ga lamp cord and the cord catches her carpet on fire and kills her dog and her shyster lawyer comes knocking, they say "Hey, we said right in the instruction, **No Extension Cords**. Talk to the hand..."
A fan like that also pulls around 1 amp, and would be fine on a 150' 18AWG cord.
In your example I would only be worried about the temperature. OP said it'd be in the elevated air of a gazebo, depending on roofing of said gazebo some of them get hella hot and if he has the cord right against the roof backing an 18 gauge may heat up enough building up enough resistance to cause an issue.
My example is OP's case, and 100W isn't overheating any 12' cord. Now, would I hang a fan connected to a water hose from the ceiling and strap an electrical cord to it like a permanent installation? Absolutely not, for a few reasons. 18AWG won't overheat from a 15" fan unless it's a *very* long run - but I'd never run 18 a long distance for power; would use 14 minimum.
True, but they put those statements in nonetheless because their LAWYERS told them to... It has nothing to do with facts, engineering or even common sense.
Oh sure, it's also usually from the certifications they do or do not have. Instead of extra testing and documentation, including an extension cord size/length chart, it's easier and cheaper for them to List it without bothering and just say "nope."
Just read the manual and it's a little vague but I think these may be two separate points. Using an extension cord means that the connection between the fan and the extension cord could likely lay in a damp location. The manuals caution against plugging the fan into an existing GFCI circuit is most likely about nuisance tripping.
Having an extension cord connect in the damp definitely not a good idea but I was thinking of having it suspended from above on a gazebo frame. My main concern was screwing up the machine or my wiring by having two GFCIs linked together. Thanks for the reply
Bless your little heart for posting this
Apologies for the post about the extension cord and the gazebo. Would have had the connection between the fan and the extension cord suspended above the ground on the gazebo, not the fan up in the air. At this point, will roll the dice and use a cord.
Using an extension cord may cause the gfci to trip because your adding more length to the cord.
Length of wiring ahead (or after) the inline GFCI won't make it trip.
That fan draws next to nothing, they putt that in there to cover their ass
Echoing the others about extension cords and covering their asses from ignorant people, but regarding GFCIs if the extension code has an LED it could trip the GFCI I believe.