You probably don’t try to fix electrical plugs at home yourself. It’s easier to just throw away those kinds of things, right? Not so fast. Did you know most electrical plugs can actually be fixed? And, most of the time, it’s cheaper than buying a new appliance.
So, don’t throw away your favorite lamp just yet. Fix it.
Checking The Appliance
Checking your appliances‘ electrical cord is pretty easy. Unplug the cord and check it for any obvious damage. Frayed, loose, or obviously damaged wiring needs to be replaced ASAP. But, what if the prongs are a little loose? Maybe all that needs to be done is a good tightening.
If the plug contains screws, tighten those screws and see if that fixes the problem. If it’s held together using a clamp or fitted strain-relief device, you’re going to have to unscrew the terminal screws or pull the pressure connectors apart. Then, loosen the clamp or remove the strain-relief device. Finally, once that’s done, you’ll be able to remove the cord.
For female connectors, a few simple screws is all that holds them together. Unscrew then, and you can access the terminals.
Reassembly
Reassembling a terminal isn’t too hard, but there are several important steps you must follow.
First, insert the cord end through the plug opening and then pull it about 5 or 6 inches through. Next, strip off the outer insulation without damaging the wiring. Give yourself 2 inches of exposed wire. Next, remove 1/2 inch of insulation from the end of each conductor wire.
Now, twist the exposed wires clockwise into a solid prong. After doing this, tie a tight knot with the inner wires around the cord. Next, pull the plug down over the knot and leave the exposed ends of the conductor wires out.
If you have a two-wire plug, loop each wire around one prong and toward a screw terminal. On a three-prong plug, do the same thing, but connect the ground wire to the ground plug.
The only thing left now is to slide the insulator over the blades of the plug (the prongs). If it’s a clamp-style sleeve, make sure it’s firmly in place.
Upload A Tutorial
Once you’ve finished, it’s time to upload a video of how you did it. So, make sure you’re video taping the entire process. It’ll help other people out – you wouldn’t believe how common a problem this really is, especially on 10 year old appliances and gadgets.
Once the video is done, do a little lite editing and upload it to a shared site like YouTube. If people want to watch it, they have two choices. They can either watch it directly from the web or download it using a program like the one on http://www.youtubedownloadersite.com.
These types of programs will download the video directly to a mobile device for later viewing. This can be especially helpful if Internet connectivity is spotty or non-existent in the part of the home where the plug is being repaired or if the plug is being taken into a garage where there’s no Internet connectivity. Remember to respect IP when using downloaded content.
Steven Young is a self-confessed DIY addict. When he’s not creating his latest project, he’s writing about them.
