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Can Epiphany X plug into extension cord, what loss

My dedicated 20 amps outlets are app 15 ft from my Pass X 350.5 amps which now presents a few problems for me since my Epiphany are only 2 meters long: My trouble is what would be lost by attaching a extension cord to the Xs PC since there will be 4 pcs of plug-in (non-hardwired) connections instead of 2 like in a normal set up ?
1. Moving the amps are not an option.
2. What happens if I plug the Xs into DIY DH Labs Power Plus bulk cord which is 12 guage copper. Ends made up with Wattgates. Would the X not function as normal ?
3. Or make up the entension cord with the same Romex that is inside the walls instead of the DH Labs ?
4. Or remove the 20 amp Wattgate receptales and hard wire them with Romex to the box in the wall, now the oulets will be on the floor but the Xs can be plugged in and there will be 3 pcs hardwired air tight connections per box additional to the ones in the walls to the breaker panel. Of course the electrical code is broken, however, when I move things will be restored ?
5. Or make up 2 pcs of 15 ft bulk DH Labs ?
6. And lastly and most expensive, 2 pcs new 15 ft Epiphany X which will be extremely hard for resale ?
I am not sure if anyone has gone the 'simple-complex' situation. Power amps normally prefer the least amount of solid non-arching plug in connections.
Thank you in advance for sharing your experiances.
Terry
terryakhan

Showing 2 responses by nsgarch

nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
I think #4 is in the right direction, but I have a more elegant soloution. First tell me what kind of floor you have (conc. slab on grade, or wood over joists).

(BTW, you always want to use minimum 10 AWG for PCs for amps. And of course, 20A house wiring requires it. In fact if there has to be more than 30 feet of romex from your breaker panel to your outlets, you should probably go up to 8 AWG.)

Anyway, what kind of floor do you have??
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Well, it sounds like your dedicateds are already in so they're probably wired with the minimum 10 AWG - no point redoing them. I don't know how your panel is laid out but I hope #1 and #3 are on the same side of the neutral. If not (or you can't change them,) then use one circuit for amps and the other for front end stuff.

Why do you have two EP units? I have an SP (for front end) working off an EP (feeds the SP and the amps) but I live in an apartment w/ just 1 20A circuit.

Like I said, no need to go to 8AWG now unless you want to change everything all the way back to the breakers. It's just that you get a voltage drop over such long runs unless you go up a size. The downside is that most receptacle hardware (except for the clamping gas-tight hospital types) won't accept 8AWG wire. Stranded is easier to bend, etc. Solid is easier to connect.

Anyway, back to my elegant solution (I'm an anal retentive architect). If you want to do it right, remove a row of tiles from the wall box to a spot on the floor between the amps. Saw cut a 3" wide trench in the slab, install wire and conduit and terminate with a nice floor outlet box with one of those flush brass covers. OR, if you don't wan to remove the tile, (and don't mind bending the code a little) just saw cut a 3/4" groove along one of the tile grout lines, jamb some Romex into it and regrout. Make a pocket for the floor receptacle using concrete drills and chisels and grout it in. I know it sounds like a hassle, but it's so nice when you do it right!
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