It's really annoying when somebody "helps" you clean up by improperly coiling your power cords. The main way this happens is illustrated in the first picture. The person grabs the end of cord in one hand and then tightly wraps the cord around his or her elbow and hand repeatedly. This guilty twister is usually an impatient Type-A that thinks fast and hard is better. Here's a public service announcment: Fast and Hard is Not Better.
This is a quick trick I used to fix some of my cords that had become hopelessly twisted. It's not a guaranteed fix - but it does a great job at improving the condition. Think of it as laser-tatoo removal without all the pain.
This is a quick trick I used to fix some of my cords that had become hopelessly twisted. It's not a guaranteed fix - but it does a great job at improving the condition. Think of it as laser-tatoo removal without all the pain.
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This one is easy. All I used is a drill, an eyebolt, and some masking tape.
The drill can be corded (gasp) or battery powered.
You can actually use almost any tape you want.
The drill can be corded (gasp) or battery powered.
You can actually use almost any tape you want.
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Clear and sensible.
I like your technique for untwisting cords and have an extension cord that's just begging to be made whole again. I'm thinking that laying the cord in the sun after untwisting the internal copper wiring would also help to relax the plastic covering before recoiling the cord.
BTW, awesome drawings.
The main thing to keep in mind is the point is to try and keep the cord from getting more kinks in it than it already has. If you buy a new extension cord it will already have kinks in it from being coiled in the package. So, I try to coil power cords for tools and other appliances with the same pattern they came in.
With my extension cords, at least 25', I try to coil them in large coils, about 2'-2.5' in diameter. When doing this you hold the coils in one hand while coiling with the other. Your coiling hand will also be rolling the cord with your fingers to allow the cord to relax. I know that's a bit hard to imagine without a video, but like I said, Google is your friend. Also, this is the way I do it.
Others will have different ways. A couple of ways I've never subscribed to include the "over-under" technique and the "contractor" or "daisy chain" technique. "Over-under" is like mine, but you reverse every other coil to keep it from getting tangled. I've never had a problem with my technique tangling, I can still throw my cord out just as easily and I don't have to spend a lot of time teaching anyone how to roll my cords.
"Daisy chain" is a technique that some contractors use for one reason or another. Once again, I don't use it because my technique works and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Just remember to not bind up the cord. If you wrap it around your elbow it will get bound up and add undue stress to the cord causing it to wear out prematurely. Also, NEVER tie a knot in cords and cables. I'd also like to add that I'd probably not use the drill technique to "un-wind" my cord, unless I had a 100' or longer cord. You can usually shake out a "bad wind" in most cords and the cord will "remember" where it's supposed be.
Wow, sorry about the long rant.
I will sheepishly admit that I have been guilty of putting a knot in the end of power cords - using it to help hold the cord attached to given tool.
There are lots of ways to wind the cords. I'm grasping for words to explain in very short order how I wind em...
Everytime I try to put it in words - I start sketching. I think this may be a disorder. I'll post shortly the way I learned to coil them....
One other tip: Keep the ends extra long. Whenever an end accidentally goes through the loops, that's where knots come from.