How to Fix an Electrical Cord

Electricity and electrical appliances are a necessity in modern life. But occasionally wear and tear or an accident may damage the power cords that supply energy to these appliances. Damaged cords can cause fire damage to your home, putting yourself and family in danger. Here you will learn to utilize a few tools to repair these cords to keep you and your family safe and connected to the world.

Things You'll Need

• Damaged electric cord
• Wire cutters
• Wire strippers
• Electric tape
• Wire nuts (be sure to get wire nuts of the proper size for the job)
• Heavy leather work gloves
• Heavy rubber gloves
• Safety glasses
• Razor knife

Instructions

1. Move the cord to a well-lit work table. Be sure that it is not near a power source. Wrap the end in electric tape so that no one will connect it to a power source while you are working.

2. Cut the cord cleanly on both sides of the damaged areas. Discard the leftovers. Separate the cord in the middle (if it is a standard power cord for an appliance) or cut gently through the outer armor (if it is an extension cord) with your razor knife.

3. Strip the ends of the sections of wire using your wire strippers. Place the end of the wire into the tool and squeeze the handle. The ends should have 1/4 inch of exposed wiring.

4. Take an end of each portion of cord (match the colors if working on an extension cord) and hold them together. Slide them into a wire nut while twisting the nut in a clockwise motion. Continue twisting the nut until there is no exposed wire. Repeat until all of the wiring from both halves of the cord are connected.

5. Wrap all of the wire nuts separately with electric tape. Then wrap them all together with electric tape. Remove the tape from the plug end. Plug the cord into a power source and test it out.

Tips & Warnings

• Working with electricity can be hazardous. Use caution when servicing electrical cords and appliances. Always wear safety equipment when working on electrical appliances. Heavy leather gloves over heavy rubber gloves along with safety glasses is a safe combination to prevent electric shock.

References

• More Electric Cord Information