Outdoor extension cord
Southwire 12/3 50 ft Outdoor Extension Cord
A 50-foot, 12-gauge outdoor cord with a lighted end — the reach a portable generator needs to sit 20 feet from the house and still get power to what you're running.
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Best for
Running a fridge, freezer or space heater from a portable generator at a safe distance
Specifications
| Conductors | 12/3 — 12 AWG copper, 3 conductors |
|---|---|
| Jacket | SJTW — vinyl, weather-rated |
| Length | 50 ft |
| Rating | 15 A, 125 V, 1,875 W |
| Plug | NEMA 5-15P, lighted end |
| Listing | UL certified (Southwire) |
Specifications as published by Southwire. Confirm against the current spec sheet before buying — manufacturers revise models without renaming them.
What's good
- 12 AWG holds voltage drop to about 2% at a full 15 A over 50 ft
- The 20-foot CO distance plus the run to the appliance is exactly a 50-foot problem
- Lighted end shows at a glance that the cord is live
What's not
- Vinyl (PVC) jacket stiffens below freezing — for a cord that lives on the generator all winter, a rubber SOOW cord is tougher
- 15 A limit: keep the total of everything plugged into it under 1,875 W
Our verdict
CPSC's rule for generator cords is heavy-duty, outdoor-rated, undamaged, and rated for more watts than everything plugged into it. This meets it for one heavy load at the distance CO safety demands. Run one cord per big appliance rather than daisy-chaining, and never feed a cord to a wall outlet — that is backfeeding.
Compare with the alternatives
- Kidde COBD10 Carbon Monoxide Alarm — every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, before generator season
- Kidde 30CUD10-V Smoke + CO Alarm — hallways outside bedrooms, where a smoke alarm and a co alarm are both needed
- Reliance Controls Pro/Tran 10-Circuit Transfer Switch Kit (31410CRK / 310CRK) — portable generators up to 7,500 running watts with an l14-30 outlet