On 1/31/2017 11:23 PM, Ed60062 wrote:
On Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 11:06:48 PM UTC-6, wrote:
On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 23:51:42 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 1/31/2017 11:14 PM, Ed60062 wrote:
I have a vacuum cleaner cord with a cut in the insulation. I could
cut the cord short and use with an extension cord but I was wondering
if it is acceptable to cut out the bad part and use insulated butt
connectors to join the ends and wrap the joint with electrical tape.
I've never seen it done so maybe it's unsafe?



I'd consider cutting the cord short and put a new end if it would not
cause a lot of problems in use.

How bad is the cut? If minor just on one side I'd tape it up, but only
if it can be done safely.


As long as it's not a retractable cord putting on a new end would work
- if it's done right. Vacuum cords take one heck of a beating - and
short ones even more because you are always at the end of the cord,
putting stress on the plug.. I've always been of the opinion that a
$20 OEM replacement cord is cheap insurance. I've occaisionally fitted
a cord from something else depending on the machine and how it is
fastened to the machine - but often the McGyvering required makes the
original cord a bargain - assuming it is available. I've done some old
retractors where the original part was not available, and it took some
searching to find a flexible enough cord that would handle the current
and still retract smoothly.

It isn't retractable. In the past, I've cut the cord, put on a new plug and used an extension. That works, but having a connector and plug is kind of bulky; that's why I was thinking of butt connectors. I'm curious as to why that is not acceptable?


Other than for underground wiring connections, which are about like a
skinny cigar tube and have clamping screws and silicone gel to
weatherproof them, I don't recall seeing butt connectors rated for
household voltages. All that I have or have seen were for low voltage use.

Just replace the cord. BTW, if you look for it, you can find bulk
electrical cord made for vacuum cleaners (obviously flexible for the
retractable units). I once bought some for one of those older
Cord-O-Matic extension cord reels.

Heck, even Amazon.com has generic 30' replacement cords with molded
plugs for around $14