In this video, we'll show you how to take your extension cord to the next level.
Preventing it from breaking,
preventing it from tangling,
and adding an on-off switch.
[Captions by Mary V. at Y Translator] [Music]
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Extension cords are one of the greatest inventions ever.
They make it so you don't have to use your tools right next to the outlet,
but there are still some improvements
that I think can be made to extension cords,
and today we're going to show you what some of those are.
Here's the basic idea.
We're going to test a method for wrapping an extension cord,
so it doesn't get tangled when you stretch it back out.
Next, we'll stretch out a steel spring,
and add it to the plug to give the cable more durability.
Then we'll splice a switch onto the other end
so we can turn the power on or off whenever we want.
I think most people who have used extension cords a lot
can agree that the number one problem is how often they get tangled.
That gets really annoying.
You spend a lot of time trying to get knots out of your cord before you use it.
What I want to show you first is the very best way to wrap
an extension cord to prevent it from getting tangled.
You can see I can just pull the cord.
it's not getting stuck, wrapped up in itself.
The method I use to wrap the cord
is something that I learned was called the Roadie wrap.
Roadies are the ones who set up band equipment on tour,
and they have to manage all sorts of cables every single day.
This is the method they use to keep their cables tangled-free.
Starting by holding on to one end of the extension cord,
the cord is coming out the back of my hand toward my body.
The basic idea is that as we wrap the cord,
we'll be alternating which direction the loop goes.
We alternate the direction of the cord loops by alternating
the direction we grab the cord with our hand.
For the first loop, my thumb is pointing to the left,
and we simply make a loop in the cord.
For the second loop, my thumb points to the right,
and instead of just making another loop,
we twist the cord around.
We now have our extension cord passing in a loop,
and then going behind itself,
while it's being wrapped.
Moved back to the thumb pointing left,
add another loop.
Back to the thumb pointing right,
add another loop where the cord passes behind.
Normally when you wrap an extension cord in a loop or around your arm
like a lot of people do,
the cord is getting twisted as it wraps.
Alternating with this method,
it twists one direction and then it twists back the other direction.
So the net result is that the cord isn't being twisted at all.
Another nice thing about this method of wrapping is how well you can throw
the entire chord to have it extend out without it tangling.
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Not a single tangle!
It's beautiful!
Now even the very best cord wrapping job in the entire world
can become tangled
if the chords just hang loose, and then fall on the floor,
and wrap around each other additionally.
The next tip is very simple.
There are Velcro tabs specifically designed for attaching to things like
extension cords and hoses.
They're cheap and they work really well.
This Velcro strap attaches onto the cord in one spot,
and then wraps around the whole cord to keep it nice and organized.
To use, just past the narrow end through the slot while wrapped around the cord,
and tighten it down all the way.
The strap will now hold itself in place.
You can wrap it around your extension cord,
and it sticks right onto itself.
Cord will stay bundled up.
You can hang it up on the wall,
you can drop it down on the floor.
Either way, it's gonna stay just the way you wrapped it.
Sometimes after extended use,
extension cords can start to break and fray where the cord meets the plug.
This is usually a result of the cord being pulled sideways too hard
while it's plugged into an outlet.
We want to reinforce the point where the cord meets the plug,
and to do that, we'll use a small compression spring,
some pliers and some electrical tape.
The basic idea is that we will wrap this spring
around the head of the plug and part of the chord.
This will give the cord a flexible reinforcement
that will make it bend over a larger area,
preventing it from breaking down the line.
Now this spring is a good size for fitting around our chord,
but it's round too tightly to be able to get on easily.
So the first step is to take a couple pairs of pliers and stretch it out
until the gaps in between each loop can fit over our chord.
Our spring is now stretched out to a point where we should be able to
wrap it around our chord.
Let's trim off one end of the spring.
On the other end of the spring,
we'll widen the loop until it's large enough
to fit all the way around this bottom portion of the plug.
If cutting the end of your spring leaves a sharp edge,
you may want to smooth it out with a file.
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With one end of our spring cut and trimmed,
and the other stretched out so it should fit over the bottom of the plug,
we can now begin wrapping the spring down along the cord.
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With the spring wrapped around the bottom of the plug and the first few
inches of our extension cord,
now let's use a little bit of electrical tape to secure it in place
so it doesn't unwind.
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We know how to wrap our extension cord,
we know how to keep it nicely wrapped,
and we know how to prevent the end that goes into the wall from breaking.
But there's still more we can do to really improve
the usefulness of the extension cord.
Take this lamp for example.
It's a good little lamp.
Puts off a lot of light,
but it's cord is about 1 foot long,
so any time you use it,
you are going to need an extension cord.
The other downside of this lamp, however,
is that there's no on/off switch.
If it's plugged in, it's turned on.
There's no way to turn it off other than to unplug it.
If what you've got plugged into your extension cord
will need to need to turn on and off often,
you may not want to always unplug it just to turn it off.
What we're going to do is install a switch into the middle of our extension cord
so we can turn it on or off without having to unplug it on one end or the other.
With this 3 Amp 125 Volt inline switch,
all we need is a Phillips head screwdriver and a razor blade
to install it into our cord.
To start, remove the two screws using the Phillips head screwdriver.
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The switch then opens and you can see everything that's going on on the inside.
We want to carefully remove the outer covering of this extension cord about
as wide as our switch is long.
Very carefully with the razor blade,
I'm cutting through just the outside layer of the plastic.
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With the outside casing cut on both ends,
we now want to slice down the middle,
and carefully remove this entire portion of the cord.
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Let's now take the black wire,
cut it in the middle,
and then strip off the black plastic casing
back to just behind where the screws are in our switch.
We now want to fit the red and green wires down along the inside of the switch,
and wrap both ends of the black wire around these screws.
With the copper wires wrapped around the screws,
we need to tighten the screws down.
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With our wires attached to the screws,
we can now put the cover back on,
and screw that down in place.
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With our switch installed,
we now have the power to turn things on and off without unplugging them.
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A properly wrapped, secured, and reinforced extension cord
with an on/off switch installed right where you need it.
In my opinion,
this is now the ultimate extension cord.
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