Extension cord storage

[abrahamfh]

I find myself in possession of more extension cords than I know what to do with, ranging from your everyday 10' to 50' 110 and a 50' 8/3 220.

How do you store your extension cords?

 

[chief ben]

I have 2 10/3 that are hard wired in so no one runs off with them,
the one at the front of the shop is 20 foot, the one at the back of the shop is
35 foot, and I have 6 12/3 from 20 to 50 foot hanging on the wall.
and we have one 100 foot on the back porch for weed eater & leaf blowers,

 

[v7guy]

I keep mine stored on one of these, the problem being that they bow and twist as they age, had it for quite a few years now and I'll probably get a roll up style in the near future. For now they hang on a hook on the wall wrapped around that frame.

 

[stellar91]

Wish I had a pic, in my last garage I had a cheap metal wall mount coat rack with upper and lower hooks like this and had the cords loose wrapped (around my arm) left a few feet loose to tie them up and had big cords on top and little cords below. I only remember buying 1 or 2 but I must have 10.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I just roll mine up and hang them on bicycle hooks.

 

[James E]

I use the velcro straps that waterskiiers use to hold their coiled ropes. It's heavy duty, cheap and they have a grommeted hole that you can hang the extension cord and ******** the wall with.

I just coil the cord, plug it into itself so it can't unwind and wrap the nylon and velcro strap around it. Then hang it on a hook in a closet. You can buy them at most boating supply stores or order them from Overton's.

 

[brownbagg]

i use a piece of rope and a nail. cant afford bicycle hooks or velcro

 

[Tscott]

I recently tried something new with my cords. I had an extra 5 gallon bucket handy and decided to cut a whole in the side near the bottom. I string the plug end out that whole and then coil the cord in the bucket. For Storage I plug the male end into the female end and this keeps it from dragging behind the bucket. They take up more room than a cord on a wall, but I store it under the work bench out of the way. So far I like the way it works out.

Tom

 

[1320stang]

 

[GTO]

Milk Crate

 

[ishiboo]

I recently tried something new with my cords. I had an extra 5 gallon bucket handy and decided to cut a whole in the side near the bottom. I string the plug end out that whole and then coil the cord in the bucket. For Storage I plug the male end into the female end and this keeps it from dragging behind the bucket. They take up more room than a cord on a wall, but I store it under the work bench out of the way. So far I like the way it works out.

Tom

My buddy whose cleaning my garage does this with his and it seems to work out very well. Keeps a 100' cord no problem. I think his are the squareish kitty litter style buckets.

 

[babzog]

Basket weaving with extension cords?

 

[jfd]

What are the issues re. heat buildup from using a cord on roll up partially unrolled?

 

[Tscott]

What are the issues re. heat buildup from using a cord on roll up partially unrolled?

I suppose this could be an issue if you had high loads around 15A to 20A that were more or less continuous, but my main uses for extension cords are either short duration loads (Angle grinders, saws, and drills) or low amperage continuous loads (lights mostly)

So as a practical matter I would say it is not an issue.

Tom

 

[jbs]

x2. My Dad taught me this method and I have always used it. The nice thing is that the cord doesn't get twisted like it does when you roll it up (each coil adds a twist unless you are careful and reverse every other coil). Once you get used to it, its quick and you can pull out just what you need.

 

[84scrambler]

I just have one of those 5$ hooks from lowes holding up my cords. I have two yellows and one red. The color difference and one of my yellow cords is a lot dirtier then the other definitely helps grabbing a cord off of the hook.

 

[Free Willie]

My Post & Beam garage has built in ext cord hooks
Oak pegs that hold it together sticking out everywhere - Good for holding tools and anything else that will hang on a peg.

 

[bazzateer]

Looks like that dog is about to take a dump!

 

[crewchief888]

i have approx 2000 ft of ext cords for halloween and decorations coiled and tied, and stored in a plastic storage totes.

i keep a couple hanging on storage hooks in the reloading room, for house use. 2 more in the garage for "work" and 175" of cords in my service truck

 

[1320stang]

What are the issues re. heat buildup from using a cord on roll up partially unrolled?

I ALWAYS fully pull all the loops out of my braided cords. That's the reason for 100', 50', 25', I think that cord is one of a pair that had a bad part or cut, so I added the nice black/white ends to each and made shorter cords. I have no idea how long either one is.

 

[ihredo4]

For the small drop cords for X-mas lights and such. Say up to 12 feet. I use the tube from a toilet paper roll. Fold up the cord like it was when it was bought and slide it thru the tube. For the 50 feet and longer cords I use a cord reel.

 

[ChargedUp!]

Looks like that dog is about to take a dump!

That's the exact same thing I thought!

 

[Hardware]

Dog? what dog? extension cord? what extension cord?

Seriously I thought the same thing about the dog!

 

[Jayincali]

This

Just be careful the wifey doesn't "help" because if the braid is backwards, you can't just pull the cord out, you will have to pull the entire cord through each loop, and with a 100 foot cord, it's a real pain in the azz.

 

[stellar91]

I recently tried something new with my cords. I had an extra 5 gallon bucket handy and decided to cut a whole in the side near the bottom. I string the plug end out that whole and then coil the cord in the bucket. For Storage I plug the male end into the female end and this keeps it from dragging behind the bucket. They take up more room than a cord on a wall, but I store it under the work bench out of the way. So far I like the way it works out.

Tom

Been doing that for years too , not quite storage but by far the best way to keep my most used frog hide extension cord handy and untangled. Best part is you plud in the whip from the bottome and only pull out what you need

 

[robertgreen79]

This is how I prefer to store my extension cords:

 

[y2knole]

two things...

1) I got a retractable one that hangs from teh ceiling in the garage, and plugs into the outlet above with the garage door openers. I find myself using this more than anything else. Its no good for welding or super heavy stuff, but for 99% of what I need a cord for, it works great. Its GREATLY cut down on my extension cord mess, cause I hardly ever have to get the other cords out anymore, which means I can hardly ever get lazy and LEAVE them out

2) the others are just coiled, have a velcro strap around em, and I Hang them on the last 1' of garage door track that the garage door never uses. They're off the wall (leaving wall space for other ****) and on the side where I hardly ever am. works like a charm!

 

[thomfr]

two things...

1) I got a retractable one that hangs from teh ceiling in the garage, and plugs into the outlet above with the garage door openers. I find myself using this more than anything else. Its no good for welding or super heavy stuff, but for 99% of what I need a cord for, it works great. Its GREATLY cut down on my extension cord mess, cause I hardly ever have to get the other cords out anymore, which means I can hardly ever get lazy and LEAVE them out

Use also in my (small) cave two of these for al regular jobs:

Make sure you get ones with 2,5mm2 cables (for EU 220volt system, do not know the equivalent square diam. for 110 volt) not the supermarket thin ones. They are rather cheap and keep the place tidy. For heavy work I keep the 3 phases etc. on coils.

The same basic thing for compressed air.

Thom

 

[flat6]

I have a few of these,they are not cheap if you need a bunch,but work great..Cordpro
http://www.cordpro.com/cp100.html

 

[SuperSocket]

Use also in my (small) cave two of these for al regular jobs:

Make sure you get ones with 2,5mm2 cables (for EU 220volt system, do not know the equivalent square diam. for 110 volt) not the supermarket thin ones. They are rather cheap and keep the place tidy. For heavy work I keep the 3 phases etc. on coils.

The same basic thing for compressed air.

Thom

I've been hanging mine, what a mess. I plan to buy a couple of the retractable cords to hang from the ceiling, makes it much easier to work with.


As for your mm2 comment, we use gauges (ga) here instead and 3 phase here would call for quite an impressive cable (US 3PH is mainly industrial)

 

[ctfortner]

I just have one of those 5$ hooks from lowes holding up my cords. I have two yellows and one red. The color difference and one of my yellow cords is a lot dirtier then the other definitely helps grabbing a cord off of the hook.

So after you sandblast the parts, do you wash and dry them? Or are you sandblasting your clothes that dont get clean?

 

[Ender-DI]

So far, I just Cable Cuff them and hang them on a hook.

 

[abrahamfh]

I have a few of these,they are not cheap if you need a bunch,but work great..Cordpro
http://www.cordpro.com/cp100.html

That is a pretty neat idea.

 

[whelenfan]

Milk Crate

i use a milk crate too.

 

[Marmaduke]

What are the issues re. heat buildup from us ing a cord on roll up partially unrolled?

I had a 150' rolled up, I had a 1500 watt heater plugged to it and the extension cord melted where it was still rolled up. So I don't suggest doing it.

 

[Mattlt]

Been doing that for years too , not quite storage but by far the best way to keep my most used frog hide extension cord handy and untangled. Best part is you plud in the whip from the bottome and only pull out what you need

I second this method!

 

[zeebad1]

I picked up a bunch of Gecko's Toes at a farm show a year ago, but thought they were kind of "cheesey."


http://www.geckostoes.com/


After using them for almost a year, I think that they're the greatest things since sliced bread!!

Simple & easy to use.

 

[Vinko]

I've made hooks in various sizes. Larger ones for 220v. extension cords that are about 50' long.

 

[sscustom]

i just have mine hangig up on hooks and there other wrped around a portable wind up rack type thing

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

My Post & Beam garage has built in ext cord hooks
Oak pegs that hold it together sticking out everywhere - Good for holding tools and anything else that will hang on a peg.

Is your dog taking a dump in front of the food?