rolling up electrical leads

The older I get, the more I look for solutions that minimise frustration. One of the things that annoys me most are cables. Cables on tools and chargers always seem to be trying to mate whenever I reach for one. Extension leads invariably tangle up when they are uncoiled. I've tried all the known ways of rolling them, wrapping one this way, one behind, backwards and standing on one leg with my eyes crossed, never seems to work. Lately I've been tying them in a slip knot (not sure what it's called) and just bundling them in a pile. They always come out untangled. I simply plug them in and anchor that end so it can't pull out then just pull the other end and it all unravels to the length I want.
To make it, tie a loop in the pronged end, even a slip knot, then feed a bight through the loop, then feed another bight through that bight, then on until it is all done. Doesn't sound very easy eh? but it is. Maybe someone knows the name of this so you can find a better description on the web.
Hope that helps someone out.

i am an industrial abseiler and when we store ropes in that fashion we call it...

'daisychain'

however, i prefer the alpine rope coil for electrical extension leads.

Rob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaguarrh

i am an industrial abseiler and when we store ropes in that fashion we call it...

'daisychain'

however, i prefer the alpine rope coil for electrical extension leads.

Rob

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Daisychain, thanks Rob.

How does the alpine rope coil go?

Cheers
Michael

Where are the electrical experts?

Surely this is bad practice. ( a good idea but a bad habit)

Electrical leads should be fully uncoiled for use.

My long lead lives on a hose reel and I unwind it all. It is very quick to wind it all back on the reel.
Short leads for close work, medium leads for medium work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blackhole

Where are the electrical experts?

Surely this is bad practice. ( a good idea but a bad habit)

Electrical leads should be fully uncoiled for use.

My long lead lives on a hose reel and I unwind it all. It is very quick to wind it all back on the reel.
Short leads for close work, medium leads for medium work.

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Maybe. Having them coiled on a hose reel or coiled in the traditional way is bad practice due to the heat generated by induction. Daisychaining presents no problem because of the rather random nature of the coiling and when stretched out (but still daisychained) presents no chance of induction and heat generation. I assure you, it's perfectly safe.

Cheers
Michael

mic, i just did a search for alpine coil, and it is not the method i was thinking of.

i will look further and try to find pics.

too hard to explain otherwise (in my semi anebriated condition anyway)

:no:

Rob

When I roll up a lead I run it out full length on the ground and face the side of the lead and put the first loop in my right hand and then drag the next loop with my left hand and put it in my right hand which makes a loop of about 21/2 feet and keep repeating this. If a loop want to form a figure eight I roll the lead with my fingers in my left hand until it will form without the figure eight.

I keep this up until there is about 3 feet of lead left and then I run that around all the loops several times and slip the end around one side of the roll and then slip it through itself. It will stay tied up.

When uncoiling I undo the end plug the plug into the power point then lay the loops on the ground and with the loops facing up the way I did them up and walk away with the socket end and it will uncoil without any knots or loops.

The worst way to roll up a lead is to wind it around your arm. This will really twist a lead up and not only that it will twist the internal cables within the outer casing and actually end up destroying the lead.

It is difficult to write about the correct way to do it but much easier to demonstrate it..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barry_White

When I roll up a lead I run it out full length on the ground and face the side of the lead and put the first loop in my right hand and then drag the next loop with my left hand and put it in my right hand which makes a loop of about 21/2 feet and keep repeating this. If a loop want to form a figure eight I roll the lead with my fingers in my left hand until it will form without the figure eight.

I keep this up until there is about 3 feet of lead left and then I run that around all the loops several times and slip the end around one side of the roll and then slip it through itself. It will stay tied up.

When uncoiling I undo the end plug the plug into the power point then lay the loops on the ground and with the loops facing up the way I did them up and walk away with the socket end and it will uncoil without any knots or loops.

The worst way to roll up a lead is to wind it around your arm. This will really twist a lead up and not only that it will twist the internal cables within the outer casing and actually end up destroying the lead.

It is difficult to write about the correct way to do it but much easier to demonstrate it..

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I tried to imagine what you are describing BW, but had to stop when my left hand somehow was tied behind my neck to my right hand.:oo::D Is it the first one on this link. Note the daisychain method in the same link.

Cheers
Michael

Looks like crochet to me.:D

I am a bit paranoid because I have seen electrical leads melt and burn.

It's easy to stuff up any way of coiling. Yours looks like daisy chain. Way back when, we used it for gathering parachute shroud lines for easy transport before re-packing. Not very tidy, though.

Figure-eight coiling (works with hoses, too) can prevent kinks from developing. Regular coiling allows kinks.:oo:

The problem with any of these is in the UNcoiling. If not done properly, multiple knots can be formed. It takes some practice to get it right, and multiple partners don't help if everybody isn't on the same page.:-

About a year ago, I almost posted a thread about it. But I did a forum search first; [coil cord] should provide most of the past advice. So I didn't post my thread. I like the figure-eight method, but I have to keep my wits about me, and haste still makes waste sometimes.:-

Cheers,
Joe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mic-d

I tried to imagine what you are describing BW, but had to stop when my left hand somehow was tied behind my neck to my right hand.:oo::D Is it the first one on this link. Note the daisychain method in the same link.

Cheers
Michael

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My method is similar to the last one but finish off similar to the first one but with only a single cord wrapped around the bundle.

I have been wrapping or coiling leads, ropes and hoses this way for 40 years in the building trade and never had a knot or a rats nest ever.

The method shown in the first pic is the worst ever way to coil a lead and I have told my wife never to roll up any of my leads because that is the method she uses and as you can see from the the picture the inner cores are all twisted up making all the little bumps along the lead.

All the leads in the house are like that. eg. vacuum Cleaner lead, fan lead and sewing machine lead. AArrgg:oo::o:no::~

I agree with barry, his method is easy to use and you can hang up easily and when you go to use the lead again it unfolds easily.No kinks.

Wrapping on hose rells and around the arms creates kinks in the internal wires and is hell to use as it wants to keep kinking in use.

The lead in the 3rd photo would be thrown out as it would be a pain to use.

Thanks for everyone's replies, I'll have to try that reverse coiling method again.

Cheers
Michael

Clarification:

What I called "figure-eight" coiling is actually the "reverse-coil" of the link I didn't notice on the first pass. In effect, the reverse coil method creates a FOLDED figure eight on the single coil with each pair of loops. The trick is to alternately flip the hand for each loop, as shown in the video. I halfway remember being taught something like it in a surveying class almost 40 years ago for steel measuring tapes, which could be destroyed by kinks.

I discussed this with a couple mates: A video producer who swears by it (as long as the whole team is following the script) for video cables, and a gardening expert who likes it in principle, but abandoned it for household use (wife and two kids), because of the uncoiling problem.

I didn't grasp the correspondence of the methods until Barry's second post. His first description didn't register very well; I guess the Mother tongue failed us both. And maybe I should learn to read slower than I type.:-

Cheers,
Joe

Ok... voice of experience... no joke... I'm a commercial cleaner.... my own business... 20 years... on my 2nd extention cord...TRUE Use daily/5 days a week

My late husband who ran the business for over 30 years taught me a very simple & easy trick to winding up extentions cords...

If you use the yellow extentions cords that have the red strip on them...you will see this work as you wind up cord...

1st you always start the coil from the "male" end of the cord... ( part that plugs into wall) always always always....
(ok Im right handed)
Holding the mail plug in left hand slide your right hand along cord as if your measuring out lengths of rope... at the extent of you arm span... grab hold of cord as you bring it back into left hand to hold it .... give a slight 1/2 twist ...( it staighten the loop... you will see it) the red line remains in the center of the cord and hangs flat ... ok you just keep repeating that... slide your hand along again grab cord as you bring it back to your left hand again 1/2 slight twist... usually the arm span is 1 meter... like a swing in motion... repeat until fully re-wound.... every time you wind the cord... you will use the same number of re-coil swings.... each coil you bring in you give that 1/2 twist...
Now... the important part of the trick is next time you use the cord....plug cord into wall.... then lay the side that the female socket is to the top.... so the extention feeds freely from the coil... hard to read... easy to do ... get someone to read this out as you try....

You can actually see how straight the red line is kept... just a slight twist... it really works in front of your eyes...
OK... of course you do this from when cord it new.... now if the cord is older and some coils have started to curl.... lay cord out in sun for a few hours the roll up using that technique... remembering you may have to twist a little more to help re-correct damage done...( but safer to throw aways as you weaken the electrical wire & then you create heat spots in wire... its then too dangerous... throw out...)

Hope this helps you...
I have a bright yellow & red warning on my extention cords... as a cleaner our equipment is often left on jobs that are done on a regular basis.... my notes say..." anyone is welcome to use the vacuun cleans when ever they need to.... But DO NOT TOUCH EXTENTION CORD>>> Believe me I will know! ... the note works.....

cheers... try it... 20 years & two extentions cords and only had to get new one as old one got some cut/slice marks from running over with vacuum... it truly works... Kerry

Greenwood & Districts Cleaning Service... KEKEMO... Mandurah..WA...

Thanks everyone for your replies. Looks like there are a few promising methods but the failing of them all might be the others that get their grubby little hands on them:wink:

Cheers
Michael

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kekemo

Ok... voice of experience... no joke... I'm a commercial cleaner.... my own business... 20 years... on my 2nd extention cord...TRUE Use daily/5 days a week

My late husband who ran the business for over 30 years taught me a very simple & easy trick to winding up extentions cords...

If you use the yellow extentions cords that have the red strip on them...you will see this work as you wind up cord...

1st you always start the coil from the "male" end of the cord... ( part that plugs into wall) always always always....
(ok Im right handed)
Holding the mail plug in left hand slide your right hand along cord as if your measuring out lengths of rope... at the extent of you arm span... grab hold of cord as you bring it back into left hand to hold it .... give a slight 1/2 twist ...( it staighten the loop... you will see it) the red line remains in the center of the cord and hangs flat ... ok you just keep repeating that... slide your hand along again grab cord as you bring it back to your left hand again 1/2 slight twist... usually the arm span is 1 meter... like a swing in motion... repeat until fully re-wound.... every time you wind the cord... you will use the same number of re-coil swings.... each coil you bring in you give that 1/2 twist...
Now... the important part of the trick is next time you use the cord....plug cord into wall.... then lay the side that the female socket is to the top.... so the extention feeds freely from the coil... hard to read... easy to do ... get someone to read this out as you try....

You can actually see how straight the red line is kept... just a slight twist... it really works in front of your eyes...
OK... of course you do this from when cord it new.... now if the cord is older and some coils have started to curl.... lay cord out in sun for a few hours the roll up using that technique... remembering you may have to twist a little more to help re-correct damage done...( but safer to throw aways as you weaken the electrical wire & then you create heat spots in wire... its then too dangerous... throw out...)

Hope this helps you...
I have a bright yellow & red warning on my extention cords... as a cleaner our equipment is often left on jobs that are done on a regular basis.... my notes say..." anyone is welcome to use the vacuun cleans when ever they need to.... But DO NOT TOUCH EXTENTION CORD>>> Believe me I will know! ... the note works.....

cheers... try it... 20 years & two extentions cords and only had to get new one as old one got some cut/slice marks from running over with vacuum... it truly works... Kerry

Greenwood & Districts Cleaning Service... KEKEMO... Mandurah..WA...

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Kekemo:2tsup::2tsup:

That is an excellent explanation of how I do it. You took the words right out of my mouth that I couldn't express properly in the written language. Only someone that uses extension leads for a living can appreciate the frustrations :C of having some one roll up one of your leads the wrong way and end up with a complete rats nest. :oo:

I use the over-under method that roadies use to roll up audio leads. It prevents the half-twist that you put in the lead when you roll it up 'normally' which eventually causes the outer insulation to separate from the inner wires and you get that curly noodle look.

Hard to describe but basically the same as described above except that for every other loop, you put your hand on the other side of the lead and pull it up so that the tail of that loop is between the last loop and the new one.

The problem with this method is that if a person who is unfamiliar with it tries to uncoil the lead and they do it wrong, you end up with a knot in the lead for every second loop. The advantage is that it saves you having to install that half twist and run it out to the end of the lead when you do the normal single twist loop described by Kekemo.

Like this:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/3...ables-roll.htm

The other bonus of kekemo's technique is that if you hold onto either end of the cord (not the plug) you can under/side-arm throw the coil and get it to unroll and land straight over a distance. I've been using it for donkey's years in live music and photographic (schools, deb balls etc) situations where we're in big rooms and lay cables covering fair distances.

If you're using the same cords all the time you learn how to hoik them accurately without the sudden, damaging, snap at the end if you've had too many weet-bix in the morning.

I never get a tangle from this method.place the two ends side by side find the centre of this "u" and coil from this centre to the two plus end .wrap end around bundle and you got it. no tangles.billym:)

What silentc said.

Professional cablers are taught to use this method (under-over; folded 8, or whatever you like to call it) to make cables less likely to knot, to prevent permanent twists and avoid kinks and interior damage. Only problem, as he said, is the mess of many knots that results when you might pull one of the ends through the middle of the coils when you unwind it, instead of pulling it away from the coils so that it unfolds as it unwinds - so you need to make sure each end stays on its own side.

:)