I spotted what looked like a nice heavy 50' extension cord in the clearance section of a local CW the other day. It was a 15A cord, and the size of the cord made it look like a 10 gauge or possibly a 12. I picked it up and read the info:
"For recreational use only"
and
"16AWG"
I couldn't believe my eyes. I left it on the clearance rack....
Regarding the OP's question, I've seen a coiled cord that melted. The cord was properly sized for the job - a 14 gauge 50'. Problem is, my friend needed a short extension cord for his load of perhaps 10-12 amps, and rather than uncoiling the whole thing, he uncoiled a couple of loops off and plugged it in.
He brought the ramains to me a few days later. It was still tightly wound around the cord rack, never to come apart again.
It happens. Either loosely uncoil it, or go get a cord of the proper length and gauge to do the job.
