Electrical cord storage

[/pine]

I'm waiting for them to come out with cordless extension cords...!

(Steven Wright, paraphrased)...

 

[MossRoad]

Yesterday I went down to my MIL's to pressure wash her vinyl siding garage and carport. My FIL has been gone now for close to 2 years. Looking for some tools in his garage to help with his old pressure washer, I came across this one electrical cord. I have to admit, I thought is was kind of odd looking, but knowing my FIL, there was a specific reason why he did this and not just because it looks interesting. Anyone store cord like this, and why? He spent 30 years as a power lineman, and he always had his reasons.

View attachment 768409

I've seen that method several times in my life. I don't care for it. Probably because it takes more work and time, and if you've ever tried to undo one in very cold temps, you'll curse.

I roll mine up by making loops onto my hand with a twist, which greatly reduces tangling, or the elbow method if I'm in a hurry, which tends to put a twist in the wire and is harder to unwind.

I keep a loop of rope on my extension cords, and just use that to loop around the bundle and hang it by when I'm done.

That being said, your FIL seems like someone that took pride in their work and tools.

 

[tradosaurus]

Why I buy the cord on a reel.

30 ft extension cord reel

 

[mrmikey]

I use the twist method also. My daughter had a really nice 14ga 100 ft extension cord. It looked like a snake that had swallowed ping pong balls along pretty much the complete length. It was so bad the black line that was on the cover of the cord would make a complete revolution around the cord in less that 5-6", it was pretty much ruined. She grabbed one of mine tp coil it up for me the other day when I was at her place. One, "LOOK" from me and she dropped the cord lol.
When I was married, I had a 100' cord on a reel, just an old welding wire reel, and when I was done I'd roll the reel on a shovel handle to wind up the cord. The ex wouldn't, she'd just wrap it around the reel and wonder why the cord was all screwed up in knots

 

[/pine]

Tradesmen, construction mechanics, millwrights etc., etc...that use cords every day know what works best for them and where they store them day to day...

Personally anything over 50' I coil on the ground and can do it much faster than holding the coil with one hand and giving it a twist with the other...

Picked up this habit from coiling 600' of anchor line way too many times than I like to remember...!

 

[grsthegreat]

I roll all my long 100’ cords by daisy chaining them. Really easy to do, never tangles. Just comes second nature after years in the const trades. On smaller 25’ cords, i just roll them up. In my shop i have auto retracting cord reels on opposite sides of shop. Also self roll air hoses right next to the power cords.

all my long 100’ 12 g cords are all weather rated. Expensive, but dont freeze up in sub zero temps.

 

[Fixastuff]

I like this method also. Google crochet knot if you don't know how to do it. Lol.

 

[tshep]

It does seem like a user of this method would mark the middle.

I was an industrial electrician, and occasionally someone would do this, but rarely was an outlet very far away - shorter cords made more sense.

I have seen 'roadies' do this with band gear.

I elbow wind - even my long cords - and half hitch high, go backwards, and wind down some like a noose and then lock in the other end in the fitting. Works, throwable, etc. The 'back' is random enough that they don't show wear/kink.

 

[newbury]

I prefer reels and wraps when possible but the main thing is every cord and hose should be put away so it's easy to use the next time.

 

[ruffdog]

My MIL was throwing away a garden hose reel one time so I grabbed it. It works great for holding a few 100ft cords on it at one time and it reels/unreels fast.

 

[timbatrader]

I'm waiting for them to come out with cordless extension cords...!

(Steven Wright, paraphrased)...

I think this is what you are looking the battery pack to pug all / any corded tool into https://www.amazon.com/EF-ECOFLOW-Expandable-Generator-Emergency/dp/B09D7N1ZV8

 

[Torvy]

I'm no expert like the FIL. I would make a hot mess of something like that. I just elbow wrap and run a short bungie cord to keep it together. Loop the bungie on itself and the other hook hangs them nicely.

 

[GeneV]

Yesterday I went down to my MIL's to pressure wash her vinyl siding garage and carport. My FIL has been gone now for close to 2 years. Looking for some tools in his garage to help with his old pressure washer, I came across this one electrical cord. I have to admit, I thought is was kind of odd looking, but knowing my FIL, there was a specific reason why he did this and not just because it looks interesting. Anyone store cord like this, and why? He spent 30 years as a power lineman, and he always had his reasons.

View attachment 768409

I don't personally use this method, but I've seen cords stored this way, yes.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I acquired and continue to use a couple of these many years ago…. But they weren’t $14+ (or the inflation equivalent). For that kind of today’s cost… I’d learn, practice and use the Daisy chain. Just the “frugal guy” in me posting. But with being retired and with battery-powered everything, I hardly use use extension cords.

Sorry for the side track!

Absolutely they weren't $14! The last two I bought were something like $4 each. I'm thinking HD has caught onto that gauging thing. However, I do use both the loop method and the spool method.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I used to store all of my 50 foot and longer extension cords by chain tying them.

I got tired of having to redo them anytime anyone borrowed one, so I stopped doing it.

Not they're just coiled up into one loop coil and usually hung up on the corner of a shelf in my shop.

 

[bigtiller]

I roll my 50 & 100' drop cords up lariat style. But it has to be done in the correct direction...according to my trainer. He worked in the building trades and usually had to find an electrical outlet, which were never close to the work area.

Begin rolling with the female end in your hand and when it is rolled up, tie it off with the male end.

When you need to use it, the first thing you need is receptacle to plug it into. After you find it, then you can unroll it as you walk back to the work area.

 

[Oaktree]

Hopefully, not too far OT, but how about a good way to store old-school drop lights. I've tried hanging them from hooks on a rafter, etc. but the cord always seems to hang down and it seems you always knock the light off the hook if you bump into the cord.

 

[grsthegreat]

You can always break down and get one of these. Holds 150 ft of 10/3 so cord. I used it for 15 years on jobsites.

 

[John_Mc]

I hate dealing with long extension cords or ropes that are coiled. The problem with coiling or "elbow wrapping" is that you put a twist in each wrap as you coil it. Since people seldom undo that twist when uncoiling, it tends to twist up and tangle as pull an end out of the coil.

I tried the "daisy chain" method but it was a bit time consuming, and left some of my cords kinked up.

I ended up adopting a technique from my rock climbing days known as "flaking" the rope. The finished product looks like a coil, but avoids putting repeated twists in a rope or cord. I do this on anything longer than 50' or so. I'd try to describe it, but I'm sure I'd botch the description. There are numerous YouTube and other descriptions you can find by googling "Flaking rope" or "flaking climbing rope". If I get a chance, I'll make a video of it.

(NOTE: there seem to be a couple of different meanings of "flaking a rope": one definition ends up looking almost like a coil of rope. The other involves just laying the rope on the ground in such a manner that it will not tangle as you pay it back out. I'm talking about the coil-like method.)

 

[ponytug]

I do the climbing / mariner thing where you twist the coil in hand for every loop of the coil, so that there are no twists in the cord or rope.

I was told that the daisy chain method is storing cords was actually hard on the cord due to the tighter loops. I have no data and mentally filed it under the "might be true, might not be". Personally, I have never lost an extension cord due to a wire failure- cuts in the outer insulation, serial replacement of the ends, but never due to an internal wire break. YMMV...

All the best,

Peter