Patching Worn Electrical Cord

[Brian Henderson]

I was just thinking of this as I noticed that in one place on my vacuum cleaner cord, there's a place where the external insulation has worn through. Replacing the cord is not an option, Bissell doesn't sell the cord reel, they require you to take the vacuum to an authorized service center, which I think is stupid. I want to fix it but I don't want to do a cheesy electrical tape wrap which comes off quickly anyhow. The wires inside are just fine. I'd love to just do heat shrink, but that's not possible without removing the plug and I don't want to do that. I was also thinking plasti-dip, which should work but I was looking to see if anyone has any other ideas. Thanks.

[Chuck Wintle]

I was just thinking of this as I noticed that in one place on my vacuum cleaner cord, there's a place where the external insulation has worn through. Replacing the cord is not an option, Bissell doesn't sell the cord reel, they require you to take the vacuum to an authorized service center, which I think is stupid. I want to fix it but I don't want to do a cheesy electrical tape wrap which comes off quickly anyhow. The wires inside are just fine. I'd love to just do heat shrink, but that's not possible without removing the plug and I don't want to do that. I was also thinking plasti-dip, which should work but I was looking to see if anyone has any other ideas. Thanks.
your option is to replace the cord or the machine. Can you remove the reel and change the cord?

[Mike Lassiter]

if it rolls up on a reel you might take a tube of silicone (black maybe to match the cord) and smear it over the area and let it dry. It will still be flexible (liquid electric tabe dries hard and would make a stiff spot that might cause problems with the core being wound on the reel) and it is also nonconducting should there be a bare wire that needs covering too. Heat shrink wouldn't work either as it would be stiff and keeping the wire from flexing after you heated it and it shrank. It is usually some what flexible before heating it but it is also thinner walled then too.
Have you took it apart to see if you could replace the cord with an extension cord and splice a new cord to the wires inside the reel? If the cord is worn in one area, I would expect the jacket to be getting brittle everywhere and although you repair this place befoire long there will be another, and so on. Unless the cord is damaged from running the motorized brush over it and eating the jacket off and not so much old age.

[Kent A Bathurst]

........I don't want to do a cheesy electrical tape wrap.........

Correct - Good Housekeeping might see it and give you a bad write up for an etiquette foot-fault, eh? Can't have that. :eek:

35 cents of electric tape over the next year or...........?????

[Tom M King]

Use 3M 33+ tape. You can buy it in big box stores in the electrical section. It does make a difference. Wrap it neatly, and don't pull too tight-just tight enough so there is no tension in it, but not loose and wrinkly. Cut the end with a sharp utility knife and press it down without putting a finger on the adhesive side. It will last a long time-maybe even as long as the vacuum. I have clevis pin rings on sailboats done like this that lasts several years, and it lasts longer than rigging tape.

DO NOT pull it to break it at the end. That Always comes loose.

[Julie Moriarty]

I was going to recommend rubber tape, to replace the worn insulation, and regular electrical tape over that. On the jobsite, OSHA would make you replace the cord but if they show up at your house you can always take them out to lunch and get them drunk so they forget about the inspection. ;)

If you really hate taping it, you can use cold shrink, if it will fit over the cord end. It's pretty cool stuff. You slide it over the place you want to insulate then pull the inner zip wrap and it shrinks down to about 1/2 or less of the diameter it started. Once it's on, you have to cut it off to remove it. It would provide more insulation than you any other option other than multiple wraps of tape.
https://avalanche.tessco.com/productimages/250x250/226610.jpg

[Kent A Bathurst]

........OSHA would make you replace the cord.... if they show up at your house ...............

If OSHA ever shows up at your house, the very last thing you need to worry about is the electric cord on your household vacuum.

They will most likely be accompanied by INS.

[Brian Henderson]

your option is to replace the cord or the machine. Can you remove the reel and change the cord?

No, they refuse to sell you the reel, you have to take it to a service center and pay for them to do it.

[Brian Henderson]

Have you took it apart to see if you could replace the cord with an extension cord and splice a new cord to the wires inside the reel? If the cord is worn in one area, I would expect the jacket to be getting brittle everywhere and although you repair this place befoire long there will be another, and so on. Unless the cord is damaged from running the motorized brush over it and eating the jacket off and not so much old age.

It's not age, the machine is only a year or two old. I have no idea what happened, the cord got caught on something, I assume.

[Phil Thien]

Check eBay? I searched for "Bissell cord reel" and found a few. You used the term "reel" so I assume this is the auto-winding type.

[Curt Harms]

I was going to recommend rubber tape, to replace the worn insulation, and regular electrical tape over that. On the jobsite, OSHA would make you replace the cord but if they show up at your house you can always take them out to lunch and get them drunk so they forget about the inspection. ;)
...........................................


Giving away trade secrets on a public forum, Julie? :D

[glenn bradley]

Not sure I understand the reluctance to replace the plug. Cut the cord, use shrink wrap and add a new plug. You seem to be caught in a "cake and eat it too" scenario. Applied fixes aren't wanted and plug removal isn't wanted and the service center isn't wanted. I'm with the (quality) electrical tape crowd.

[Mike Cutler]

Brian

When you say that the external insulation has worn through, are you referring to the outer jacket, or the insulation on the inner conductors? In other words, can you see bare wire?

if you can see bare wire than the cord needs to be repaired, or replaced.
If you're not seeing bare wire, but seeing the inner insulation of the conductors than you can fix it without too much hassle. if you want to still have it retract into the reel, then it's a little harder.
Heat sharing can come as a tubing, and wrap on tape. Either come in just about any color you can think of. You just need some clear, electrical, heat shrink tape. If you can't find any of this, you may be able to find some clear, cable/wiring marking tape. Brady, Panduit, and many others make it.
Find an Electronics Supply business, not an Electrical Supply business, of some type in your area. They should be able to get you what you need.
Don't discount how much heat shrink can shrink down. The cheap stuff, like at a home center, probably won't do it. A higher quality product, like a Ray-Chem will.
I've installed a lot of after the fact heat shrink on already lugged conductors and the shrink factor is probably the same. (#10, or #12 lugs on 18-22awg.) It's a big lug for a little wire.


I agree, black electrical tape would be ugly.

[Bert Kemp]

Black pvc silicone permatex will take care of it from the auto section at wally world. I had a tear in my m/c seat spread some of this on it and sealed it right up was getting on and of that seat for a couple years and it held up fine. That bikes gone now .

[Art Mann]

There is such a thing as heat shrink tape, which both shrinks and strongly bonds to itself if correctly heated. That would be pretty much a permanent fix. I still don't see why you couldn't just cut the plug off and use heat shrink tubing. Replacing a plug is trivial if you own a screw driver.

[Phil Thien]

There is such a thing as heat shrink tape, which both shrinks and strongly bonds to itself if correctly heated. That would be pretty much a permanent fix. I still don't see why you couldn't just cut the plug off and use heat shrink tubing. Replacing a plug is trivial if you own a screw driver.

True but the replacement plugs don't last as long as the molded plug, especially when your wife stands six feet from the receptacle and "whips" the plug out.

[Brian Henderson]

True but the replacement plugs don't last as long as the molded plug, especially when your wife stands six feet from the receptacle and "whips" the plug out.

Which happens. On replacement plugs, all of the pressure is on the wires at the screws, on an original molded plug, all of the pressure is on the plastic coating at the plug connection. Plus, this is just a really minor cosmetic thing, going to a ridiculous expense or effort to patch something long term seems a bit ridiculous. Just electrical tape won't last because of the reel, it will come loose almost immediately and what's the point of a fix of you just have to keep on fixing it. Heat shrink tube won't work for obvious reasons and I looked locally for heat shrink tape and the only one that has it is Wal-Mart, but it doesn't come in black, which is stupid, but there you go.

I was just hoping there was an easy solution that I had overlooked and I guess not. So Plasti-Dip it is, a very light coat will stick and hopefully will not affect it retracting into the reel.

[Mike Cutler]

Art

You have my absolute guarantee that there is in fact "heat shrink tape". Tape that adheres to itself, and to the substrate jacket, to create an environmentally sealed, electrically qualified, insulation barrier, up to 6.9KV. Ray-Chem makes it. I think Ray-Chem's least qualified product is about a 1000 volts.

Panduit and Brady both have a line of flexible line of heat shrink tape products that would work, for what Brian needs.They are by nature used for conductor and cable jacket designators, and are required to be electrically non conductive. Their rating is very minimal though. These do not adhere to the substrate jacket, but to itself.
There are also cold shrink products.
The problem is that most of these type products are not readily available to the normal consumer to repair appliance cords, and can be very expensive, but they do exist. There are lower tier products, but you have to go to specific types of businesses to obtain them. Which has a tendency to intimidate some folks because they don't "speak the language".

The easiest fix is to cut the plug and slide some heat shrink over and put a new plug, with built in strain relief, on the end of the cord. Brian expressed a desire not to do that though.

[Kent A Bathurst]

........ especially when your wife stands six feet from the receptacle and "whips" the plug out.

Now that you have identified the problem, you know what the solution is - eliminate the problem. I, however, would not go that far over a vacuum cleaner cord.

Your call. ;)

[Myk Rian]

I was going to recommend rubber tape, to replace the worn insulation, and regular electrical tape over that. On the jobsite, OSHA would make you replace the cord but if they show up at your house you can always take them out to lunch and get them drunk so they forget about the inspection.
Or take them out back behind the shed and show them what's what.

[Art Mann]

Art

You have my absolute guarantee that there is in fact "heat shrink tape". Tape that adheres to itself, and to the substrate jacket, to create an environmentally sealed, electrically qualified, insulation barrier, up to 6.9KV. Ray-Chem makes it. I think Ray-Chem's least qualified product is about a 1000 volts.

Panduit and Brady both have a line of flexible line of heat shrink tape products that would work, for what Brian needs.They are by nature used for conductor and cable jacket designators, and are required to be electrically non conductive. Their rating is very minimal though. These do not adhere to the substrate jacket, but to itself.
There are also cold shrink products.
The problem is that most of these type products are not readily available to the normal consumer to repair appliance cords, and can be very expensive, but they do exist. There are lower tier products, but you have to go to specific types of businesses to obtain them. Which has a tendency to intimidate some folks because they don't "speak the language".

The easiest fix is to cut the plug and slide some heat shrink over and put a new plug, with built in strain relief, on the end of the cord. Brian expressed a desire not to do that though.

I am not sure why you are responding as if I had some doubt it exists. I have used it for 20 years and have some in my shop at this moment. I usually use 3-M brand because it is commonly available where I live. I did an internet search on heat shrink tape and the following link is the first place I came to. Looks like it would work.

http://www.buyheatshrink.com/heatshrinktubing/heat-shrinkable-insulation-tape.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjw8qetBRCj6vKH8IC_kwoSJADGQ8d SXnqUoa1xTcBmCvRxdeSq5cUCzw4CY1XzjoKE7ITt3BoCKT3w_ wcB#B

(http://www.buyheatshrink.com/heatshrinktubing/heat-shrinkable-insulation-tape.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjw8qetBRCj6vKH8IC_kwoSJADGQ8d SXnqUoa1xTcBmCvRxdeSq5cUCzw4CY1XzjoKE7ITt3BoCKT3w_ wcB#B)

[Art Mann]

True but the replacement plugs don't last as long as the molded plug, especially when your wife stands six feet from the receptacle and "whips" the plug out.

If my wife continued such a practice after being informed that it is destructive to the cord, I would consider that I have more serious problems than a worn vacuum cleaner cord.

[Bert Kemp]

Which happens. On replacement plugs, all of the pressure is on the wires at the screws, on an original molded plug, all of the pressure is on the plastic coating at the plug connection. Plus, this is just a really minor cosmetic thing, going to a ridiculous expense or effort to patch something long term seems a bit ridiculous. Just electrical tape won't last because of the reel, it will come loose almost immediately and what's the point of a fix of you just have to keep on fixing it. Heat shrink tube won't work for obvious reasons and I looked locally for heat shrink tape and the only one that has it is Wal-Mart, but it doesn't come in black, which is stupid, but there you go.

I was just hoping there was an easy solution that I had overlooked and I guess not. So Plasti-Dip it is, a very light coat will stick and hopefully will not affect it retracting into the reel.

The guys here have given you at least 10 easy ways to fix it and do it right you just don't want to do any of them. Go buy a new vac then.

[Keith Westfall]

Where is the worn part? If close to the reel end, cut it off and reattach.