Orville Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Anyway, I don't know if anyone has ever tried this, I have, and it works very well.Remember when it's time to coil up, wrap and put away those "stiff" extension cords? Sure you do, then when it's time to pull them out again for use, they are very difficult to get back into a nice straight extension cord?Well you can lay them out in the yard and let the sun heat them up, which may take forever, or you can do what I do, you know those Hair Dryers your wife uses to blow dry her hair?Well these work fantastic on the low heat setting {thicker cords may require the higher heat}, just turn it on, put it on low and let it heat up for a moment, then as you unroll your extension cord, go along the cord with the hair dryer, heating it about 2"-3" inches away from the cord as you go, it helps to soften the cord and let you get it straighted out from it's last 6-9 months stored in a bag, container, box or however you store your extension cords.If you do use or need to use higher heat, pull back another 2"-3" inches from the cord. You sure don't want to ruin or destroy the cords insulation or melt it rendering the cord completely useless and possibly now shorted.So with any type of project, be careful with how you do it and do it safely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shfr26 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Hey Orv, it's Florida, it don't get that cold here. :) I have never had a problem here but this may be good info for others in a colder climate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) I don't know if that would fix my problem though... Sometimes the neighbors septic tank over flows in my area. And every time it does, my cords get stiff. My theory is he's using too much Viagra or Cialis. After about four hours, they loosen up. Edited August 20, 2012 by wbottomley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Leonhardt Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) I don't know if that would fix my problem though... Sometimes the neighbors septic tank over flows in my area. And every time it does, my cords get stiff. My theory is he's using too much Viagra or Cialis. After about four hours, they loosen up.I'm glad to see your cords not staying stiff, i would hate to see you take all your cords to the ER, to get deflated..... Edited August 21, 2012 by Larry Leonhardt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Hey Orv, it's Florida, it don't get that cold here. :) I have never had a problem here but this may be good info for others in a colder climate.Maybe not, but I just unrolled a cord I had stored and it was as stiff as a board, tried unrolling it and pulling on it, kept wanting to roll back into its coiled shape from being stored. Use the hair {blow} dryer along it, smoothed and softened it up so I could run it to where I needed it to go.So even if you're in Florida, like you and I are, it may still be needed for some of those cords that just refuse to unroll/uncoil.The ones that usually give me the biggest problem with this are the outdoor rated green cords, the orange cords don't ever seem to stiffen up as bad as the green ones tend to. Of course once they're outside in the Florida sun, they stay pretty limber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torqumada286 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 You could just turn the power on for a little while. The heat from the electricity will soften the cords as well and probably be a bit more efficient than a hair dryer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 You could just turn the power on for a little while. The heat from the electricity will soften the cords as well and probably be a bit more efficient than a hair dryer.I hope you're joking. If not, you're in serious trouble this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 ...Well you can lay them out in the yard and let the sun heat them up, which may take forever, or you can do what I do, you know those Hair Dryers your wife uses to blow dry her hair?Not sure why your cords even do this in the first place, but I can't imagine warming them up inch by inch if you have miles of extension cords. Seems laying them all out in the sun at once, go grab a drink, and come back in an hour or 2 would accomplish the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H1 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Maybe not, but I just unrolled a cord I had stored and it was as stiff as a board, tried unrolling it and pulling on it, kept wanting to roll back into its coiled shape from being stored. Are you sure that you're not uncoiling a corn snake that got into your storage building?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Maybe not, but I just unrolled a cord I had stored and it was as stiff as a board, tried unrolling it and pulling on it, kept wanting to roll back into its coiled shape from being stored. Use the hair {blow} dryer along it, smoothed and softened it up so I could run it to where I needed it to go.The ones that usually give me the biggest problem with this are the outdoor rated green cords, the orange cords don't ever seem to stiffen up as bad as the green ones tend to. Of course once they're outside in the Florida sun, they stay pretty limber.I'm wondering if this thread should be rated for adults I have a huge amount of cords and never had that bad of a problem. I guess it depends on how tight you make the roll. About a 2 ft diameter roll works pretty good for me. Besides, it would take me forever with the amount and length I'm using. If anything, a space heater I would think be more effective for the whole roll at once. But to each their own. Edited August 21, 2012 by Santas Helper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGabriel Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I don't coil, I weave mine.Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 First off, it is only the GREEN OUTDOOR CORDS that I have had this issue with, all the other extension cords uncoil just fine. So it's only about 4 cords in my case, I also don't go down the cord inch by inch, the blow dryers heat heats up the copper inside the cord, so I may only have to do this every 2 feet give or take a few inches. So it doesn't take too long. And if you're really in a hurry, you could use the blow dryer on the coil and heat it, then unroll it, you just might have to reheat any areas where it might "kink", that is not unroll flat. I also store all my extension cords in an enclosed tote inside my home in a storage closet, so no snakes in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shfr26 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Where I'm going when I die, I won't have to worry about it being cold. No need to heat the cords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Gillespie Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Pete are you coming to Alberta?? (bring your blow dryer) Edited August 22, 2012 by Don Gillespie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torqumada286 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I hope you're joking. If not, you're in serious trouble this year.I'm not joking. I noticed it last year. Why would I be in serious trouble?Torqumada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I'm not joking. I noticed it last year. Why would I be in serious trouble?TorqumadaIf your cords are heating up, that means you're pulling near or too much current through them. And by them warming up would create a fire hazard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Gillespie Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 If your cords are heating up, that means you're pulling near or too much current through them. And by them warming up would create a fire hazard.Have to agree with William on this, if your cords are heating up you need to take imediate action to prevent this, this is not even an accident waiting to happen, this is a tradgedy that can be prevented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torqumada286 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 If your cords are heating up, that means you're pulling near or too much current through them. And by them warming up would create a fire hazard.They will warm up through regular use. A wire will heat up when electricity flows through it. That's what I am talking about. I'm not talking about actual heat you can feel through the insulation. I used 100% LED in last year's display and was only using about 1/5th of the maximum rated power. I am using more lights this year, but also have more circuits in play so the number of lights per circuit will be even less than last year. I was and am not in any danger of a fire hazard. I'm a very careful person. I don't want the guys from my local fire station to actually have to do any work. I see them enough at work as it is.Torqumada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Just for the record, when or if you use the blow dryer method, DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT have those cords plugged in to anything! That would and could be disasterous if you heated the cord to excess and shorted it!So if using the blow dryer method, make sure that cord IS NOT plugged into any electrical outlet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 They will warm up through regular use. A wire will heat up when electricity flows through it. That's what I am talking about. I'm not talking about actual heat you can feel through the insulation. I used 100% LED in last year's display and was only using about 1/5th of the maximum rated power. I am using more lights this year, but also have more circuits in play so the number of lights per circuit will be even less than last year. I was and am not in any danger of a fire hazard. I'm a very careful person. I don't want the guys from my local fire station to actually have to do any work. I see them enough at work as it is.Torqumada.Can you elaborate on this a little more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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