What’s the Best Way to Fix a Damaged Power Cord?
One of the tasks that’s sat on my to-do list far too long: repairing our old TV. Somehow a heavy object landed on the cord not long after we moved to Los Angeles (more than two years ago!) and it hasn’t turned on since. We had an old back-up that’s served us well enough for our bedroom TV so I haven’t felt motivated to make the effort to try and fix it. But in rearranging the bedroom today it was time to move the now dusty, way-too-heavy old set that I’ve lugged from apartment to apartment since college. So now might as well take the time to cross this off the honey-do list.
Anybody else have any other suggestions on the best way to make the repair? Or is the top YouTube video the best way to go?
I wonder how much Google and YouTube have cut into the appliance repair business… How sweet it is to use the free information floating around online to save money.
PJ Lifestyle’s Megan Fox has written about money saving tips in the past and she’ll have more on the subject in the future:
I Saved $230 A Month at the Grocery Store with Extreme Cooking
Seven Last-Minute, Do-It-Yourself Gifts for Under $20
A TV usually has a special plug on the other end where the cord attaches to the set, so replacing the plug is the best way. If you go to a big box hardware store, they likely also have two prong replacement plugs for two wire cords.
In cases where it is possible to change the cord on the equipment end, it is cheaper to buy a extension cord and cut the multi-connector socket end off and replace the whole cord. That way you get a one piece molded plug/wire and the new cord can be made longer as opposed to making it shorter. A new extension cord plus a new lamp socket is a low cost complete overhaul of an old lamp with a dodgy cord and/or switch.
A wire stripper – cutter is about $5 – $8 and is the right tool for that job. It is a good idea as you work on home projects to slowly build a tool kit, and I’d get the right tool if it isn’t too expensive because you’ll likely need/use it again some day. Over a few decades you can build a nice set of tools and they will pay for themselves by not paying others to do simple jobs for you.
I’ll second the wire stripper/crimper recommendation. Inexpensive and have settings for pretty much any gauge wire you’re likely to use around the house (or in a car), including speaker wire. You can get them individually or in an inexpensive kit containing more crimps than you’re ever likely to use.
I wouldn’t recommend the razor blade method of wire-stripping from the video. Even with fairly steady hands it’s too easy to nick the wire.
Keep a roll of insulating electrical tape on hand as well. It won’t be needed for the sort of plug in the video since there won’t be any exposed bare wire if done right, but you’ll want it if you ever do any other wire repair. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, save that you’ll want a bit thicker gauge for outdoor use. Added tip: for outdoor use or other potentially damp areas, use a heat source such as a hair dryer to set the tape. At room temperature, electrical tape will set watertight in 24 hours or so. A heat source’ll reduce that to a few minutes.
Get rid of all old CRT sets, not worth a $2 cord repair.
Probably best to call the Feds and ask what paperwork you have to fill out first, assuming it’s legal to attempt these complex repairs on your own.
I agree about a new tv. Used to have a second hand vacuum cleaner (R2D2′s older brother, R1D1.) The plug had shorted out a couple of times, fixed it until the last time it shorted out and the plug came out of the wall socket. Next day I got a new one.
Some replacement plugs, with two-piece outer casings, have a couple of “prongs” in the tapered section. These are positioned so you can thread the cord around them in an “S” shape.
This is a better setup than the one-piece casing shown, as the “S-loop” is there to take the strain if the plug is inadvertently yanked out by the cord, rather than by the correct method of pulling on the plug itself. (I.e, someone trips over it, the TV or whatever is moved without unplugging it first, “Ferocious Jungle Kitty Attack!!”, etc.)
If one or the other wire end pulls partway out from under its terminal screw, you can end up with it touching the other wire or other terminal. This is called a “dead short” with good reason; it’s a good way to kill the appliance. Not to mention your outlet, or the whole circuit, especially in older homes.
On a related note, a couple of years ago I went to the trouble and expense of having my home’s (old) fuse boxes and lead-in replaced with a pair of modern (commercial-grade) breaker boxes and a higher-amp lead-in. Plus checking the wiring and replacing any that couldn’t handle the amperage. (Most of it was heavy-gauge copper dating back to the Fifties, so no problem.)
Many people today have home computers, air conditioners, appliances, garage-door openers, and other gadgetry that require at least a 100-amp lead-in from the power lines, and should have several dedicated circuits off a modern set of circuit breakers. But due to the ages of many homes, they probably have 60 or even 50-amp lead-ins, and fuze boxes with at most two actual circuits. I know this because that was how my house was.
The potential dangers range from shorts and circuit failure to an actual electrical fire. Having once dealt with a fuze box fire in a lab, I can assure you that it is emphatically not funny. Not least because burning electrical insulation generates fumes you really do NOT want to inhale.
If you have or want all the modern electrical gadgets (let alone a Chevy Volt), make sure your lead-in, breakers, and wiring can handle the load. And above all, have it done by a licensed, professional electrical contractor; this is NOT a do-it-yourself job, or one to farm out to a “handyman”.
BTW, the contractor who did my house, while outside putting the lead-in up, looked at the backs of the houses either side of mine, and shook his head. According to him, neither one had more than a 50-amp lead-in, and one two doors down had a 40-amp.
All of the above had, and have, a lot of electronic equipment and heavy-draw gear like AC and garage-door openers. According to the contractor, all were accidents waiting to happen.
And according to the property tax estimates, this is a “high-end” neighborhood.
cheers
eon
1. Go buy an extension cord. They are cheap. Your TV probably uses a two prong plug and may or may not use a polarized plug. So buy a appropriate extension cord.
2. Cut the receptacle off the end of the extension cord, leaving the plug and the cord.
3. Wire in the new cord. You may be able to cut off the wires inside the set or outside the set. Inside is better but outside is easier. Maintain polarity if required, preferbaly by checking with an ohmmeter.
I prefer to wrap wires together, solder them and then wrap them with electrical tape, or better yet, use heat shink tubing.
Finally, every time some piece of equipment fries itself beyond repair, I cut the cord off and save that part if it is still okay. I have a drawerfull or three of them around.
Read a good book instead.