How to coil up electrical cords?

[Toolhorder]

Forgive me as I am a mechanic but how do you construction guys coil up the electrical cords in those round coils and then pull one end and it comes apart all nice like. I got a really nice 50' thick electrical cord but it's a pain in the *** to lug around.

 

[BHH]

This will only work with new cable/cords. Once the cable/cord is fucked its fucked for life.

 

[Danglerb]

Its just like knitting. Which means I have no idea.

Bonehead easy once you watch it.

 

[BHH]

Its just like knitting. Which means I have no idea.

Bonehead easy once you watch it.

Wow, that seems like a terrible way to do it. I would not recommend doing it this way. The method I posted will keep your cables working properly for life. This way just seems like a convient way to be lazy.

 

[cashishift]

http://www.cordpro.com/

Work great, and Made in the USA.

I have 2 CP-100's both hold a 50 ft 12/3 extension cord.

One caveat.. one of my cords has a 3 outlet tap on the end.. and that does not fit inside, but the other with just a standard single outlet works fine..

 

[Toolhorder]

http://www.cordpro.com/

Work great, and Made in the USA.

I have 2 CP-100's both hold a 50 ft 12/3 extension cord.

One caveat.. one of my cords has a 3 outlet tap on the end.. and that does not fit inside, but the other with just a standard single outlet works fine..

**** won't work then. The hose in question is 10 gauge with a 3 outlet end.

 

[BHH]

**** won't work then. The hose in question is 10 gauge with a 3 outlet end.

Just learn the "over under" method I posted. It takes 5 minutes to get good at and it is free...

 

[Walterchang]

Over under is the only way to go. That is the motion picture standard, you will get laughed at for doing it any other way.

 

[Nor*Cal]

http://www.cordpro.com/

Work great, and Made in the USA.

I have 2 CP-100's both hold a 50 ft 12/3 extension cord.

One caveat.. one of my cords has a 3 outlet tap on the end.. and that does not fit inside, but the other with just a standard single outlet works fine..

I had several of these and hated them. My dad on the other hand loves them. I really dislike how they feed out and get caught on almost everything. Like how cleanly they keep cords but not a great daily use item. I prefer the first two methods and have used both extensively. The one BHH prefers is my go to.

 

[hobie1dog]

Ending up with a 10 ft long knitted cord is a pain in the ***. Murphy's Law of Cords states that if a cord can catch on something.....it will. How can a cord that long be manageable? I've battled co-workers miscarriages most of my life trying to lug those long-*** cords out of trucks, or seeing them swaying in the wind hanging off of service vans going down the expressway, or up 32' ladders catching on things.

 

[blue dog]

Its just like knitting. Which means I have no idea.

Bonehead easy once you watch it.

The op asked regarding thick chords and how construction guys do it, what Danglerb posted is exactly that.
I have piles of heavy gauge chord in the shop rolled up in this method and have been for many many years without a single issue. If the weather is very cold it is hard to unwind them and i do not recommend this if the mercury is way down there.

 

[not-required]

If its thick, daisy chain it.

 

[countryroad82]

Its just like knitting. Which means I have no idea.

Bonehead easy once you watch it.

This is my actual preferance to wrapping up a cord, it doesn't get dogknotted up like a roll will because it can't tie itself up within itself. I have the same extension cords I started with 10 years ago that I bought new and never had a failure and I use them constantly.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I prefer over under, the only problem is if you get mixed up while coiling you end up with a knot every few feet. I did sound and lighting throughout school and coiling cables this way saved me so much time.

 

[mike13u]

The op asked regarding thick chords and how construction guys do it, what Danglerb posted is exactly that.
I have piles of heavy gauge chord in the shop rolled up in this method and have been for many many years without a single issue. If the weather is very cold it is hard to unwind them and i do not recommend this if the mercury is way down there.

Yes, I too notice that contractors in my neck of the woods use this method.

 

[Jawn]

Just learn the "over under" method I posted. It takes 5 minutes to get good at and it is free...

TRUTH.

Learning this has made my life (in the tv broadcast world) so much easier. Side effect... I'm now totally **** about over-and-under-ing my air hoses and extension cables at home.

The op asked regarding thick chords and how construction guys do it, what Danglerb posted is exactly that.
I have piles of heavy gauge chord in the shop rolled up in this method and have been for many many years without a single issue. If the weather is very cold it is hard to unwind them and i do not recommend this if the mercury is way down there.

...but he asked about those nice neat round coils of cords.

 

[metaldad]

Over and under, and then secure the spaghetti with 1/4 orings I make out of cord stock.

 

[Mike662]

I've always used the "over/under" method that BHH posted. Like Jeffmoss26, I learned that method on sound cables, but it seems to work well on extension cords and air hoses too.

The "chain knot" method that Danglerb posted works too (probably not with air hoses), but the cords seem to take up more room that way. Might be the way to go with really heavy cords, though. This method is also great for rope and tubular webbing, if that's your cup of tea.

 

[speed bump]

For flat cords I use the daisy chain method and the under over method for round cords.

Worst thing about daisy chaining them is if you need less than a full cord you have all of your extra in the middle which can sometimes be a pain.

 

[Zias]

Its just like knitting. Which means I have no idea.

Bonehead easy once you watch it.

Exactly how I do mine. Those who don't understand will criticize it.

 

[BHH]

Exactly how I do mine. Those who don't understand will criticize it.

I am criticizing it because its a bad way to wrap cable. You can see clearly by the video that it has twisted the internal coper for starters. And second it is huge. Why would you want to store a 10' "wrapped" cable when you can do it the right way and store a 1 foot coiled cable? Also there is no advantage to using this method, if i only want 10' of cable out of a properly wrapped cable i just simply unwind 10' and than when I am done put that 10' back into the coil. This is a terrible method and really anyone that uses it is either stubborn or lazy it will damage any sensitive cable guaranteed.

 

[deathbound]

Over/under works better for the heavy electrical cords-like the OP asked about & daisy chain for smaller ga electrical cords. Over/under is the way we learned to coil commercial dive hose-the ONLY way for this. The last thing you want feeding out dive hose is an ******* in the middle of it. The one thing you can't control is, if there's an ******* at the END of it.

Besides-there's more than one way to skin a cat & opinions are like.......never mind.

 

[kythri]

I am criticizing it because its a bad way to wrap cable. You can see clearly by the video that it has twisted the internal coper for starters. And second it is huge. Why would you want to store a 10' "wrapped" cable when you can do it the right way and store a 1 foot coiled cable? Also there is no advantage to using this method, if i only want 10' of cable out of a properly wrapped cable i just simply unwind 10' and than when I am done put that 10' back into the coil. This is a terrible method and really anyone that uses it is either stubborn or lazy it will damage any sensitive cable guaranteed.

Because coils of cable get kicked around and tangled, and never pay out correctly. The "knotted" method pays out quite easily, and is far more convenient for regular use of heavier extension cords.

And perhaps I watched the wrong video, but did someone put that wrapped cord under an X-Ray machine?

If it's such a bad way to wrap cable, it's a miracle that hundreds of thousands of construction folks and contractors still continue to do it to this day yet don't have problems. If it was really damaging to their cables, they'd find a different way to do it instead of constantly replacing them.

And since when are extension cords "sensitive" cables? The OP said electrical cords, not namby-pamby speaker wires.

 

[BHH]

Because coils of cable get kicked around and tangled, and never pay out correctly. The "knotted" method pays out quite easily, and is far more convenient for regular use of heavier extension cords.

And perhaps I watched the wrong video, but did someone put that wrapped cord under an X-Ray machine?

If it's such a bad way to wrap cable, it's a miracle that hundreds of thousands of construction folks and contractors still continue to do it to this day yet don't have problems. If it was really damaging to their cables, they'd find a different way to do it instead of constantly replacing them.

And since when are extension cords "sensitive" cables? The OP said electrical cords, not namby-pamby speaker wires.

So because lots of contractors do something the wrong way it's all the sudden the right way? I won't bother ranting on contractors but quick and dirty gets the job done and on to the next one...

Using a velcro tie will prevent the coil from unwrapping no matter how much kicking around it gets.

Extension cords are not sensitive, but why have different methods for wrapping cords when the correct method works every time for every cable/cord.

I guess working in the film and video industry has taught me that doing something the right way works every time and saves hundreds in doing something the wrong way. If you wrapped a Mic cord like that it would destroy it and you would lose your job.

 

[blue dog]

I am criticizing it because its a bad way to wrap cable. You can see clearly by the video that it has twisted the internal coper for starters. And second it is huge. Why would you want to store a 10' "wrapped" cable when you can do it the right way and store a 1 foot coiled cable? Also there is no advantage to using this method, if i only want 10' of cable out of a properly wrapped cable i just simply unwind 10' and than when I am done put that 10' back into the coil. This is a terrible method and really anyone that uses it is either stubborn or lazy it will damage any sensitive cable guaranteed.

Here is a chord that is 15 years old, still going strong. Like Deathbound said, more then 1 way to skin a cat. Do not like this method, by all means, use your over under method. The over under method is much easier with small or thin chords.
Now, maybe you movie guys do not use this method, but it is widely used in the construction field all across the board.

 

[BHH]

Here is a chord that is 15 years old, still going strong. Like Deathbound said, more then 1 way to skin a cat. Do not like this method, by all means, use your over under method. The over under method is much easier with small or thin chords.
Now, maybe you movie guys do not use this method, but it is widely used in the construction field all across the board.

Sure this is fine for thick electric cord. The OP Asked how to do the coil...

 

[jeffmoss26]

BHH, I threatened bodily harm on people when I saw them wrapping mic cords around their arm! LOL

 

[BHH]

BHH, I threatened bodily harm on people when I saw them wrapping mic cords around their arm! LOL

I just don't understand how you can even get a job if you can't wrap a mic cord properly. I can over under just as fast as someone can wrap around their arm.

 

[blue dog]

OP original question

Forgive me as I am a mechanic but how do you construction guys coil up the electrical cords in those round coils and then pull one end and it comes apart all nice like. I got a really nice 50' thick electrical cord but it's a pain in the *** to lug around.

From that, i get he is asking about the method Danglerb posted the video of.
To each is own.

 

[BHH]

OP original question

Forgive me as I am a mechanic but how do you construction guys coil up the electrical cords in those round coils and then pull one end and it comes apart all nice like. I got a really nice 50' thick electrical cord but it's a pain in the *** to lug around.

From that, i get he is asking about the method Danglerb posted the video of.
To each is own.

Danglerb's looks like a braid not a round coil. I could be wrong. No point in fighting OP can chose how he wants to skin his cat at this point.

 

[speed bump]

I am criticizing it because its a bad way to wrap cable. You can see clearly by the video that it has twisted the internal coper for starters. And second it is huge. Why would you want to store a 10' "wrapped" cable when you can do it the right way and store a 1 foot coiled cable? Also there is no advantage to using this method, if i only want 10' of cable out of a properly wrapped cable i just simply unwind 10' and than when I am done put that 10' back into the coil. This is a terrible method and really anyone that uses it is either stubborn or lazy it will damage any sensitive cable guaranteed.

Well since the daisy chain cabling method only really works on thicker cables that will lock together your getting all bent out of shape is pretty pointless. Its a popular method with contractor because even after rattling around for a month in the back of a pickup it will neatly uncoil. With heavy cables that velcro is long gone and the cable is a mess or something grabbed it and pulled that neat roll and turned into into a tangled mess.

BTW the op was asking about coiling a 14-10 ga extension cord and not a microphone cable.

 

[ert01]

I'm a construction electrician (industrial) and I HATE it when people daisy chain my extension cords. Not a single employee of our company daisy chains our cords. I understand why it is done but I hate the space it takes up in the crib, I hate the fact that it twists the he'll out of the copper inside so it never lays flat on the ground... It looks like a stretched slinky across the floor. Major tripping hazard. I know it can be done without that happening, but I also know that it only takes one goofball to do it wrong and screw the cord up bad.

 

[BHH]

BTW the op was asking about coiling a 14-10 ga extension cord and not a microphone cable.

He was also asking for the round coil method. And why not learn the method that will work 100% of the time for 100% of the cables?

 

[blue dog]

.

BTW the op was asking about coiling a 14-10 ga extension cord and not a microphone cable.

Exactly. Try the over under on a 100' 10 gauge chord and see how well it comes out.

 

[mtwaterguy]

Forgive me as I am a mechanic but how do you construction guys coil up the electrical cords in those round coils and then pull one end and it comes apart all nice like. I got a really nice 50' thick electrical cord but it's a pain in the *** to lug around.

Looks like the real answer is we, construction guys, don't coil our electrical cords. You need to ask someone in the film and video business how they coil up their cords. Course they'll probably tell you their way is the only "right" way to store any cord.

 

[Freeborn John]

To neatly coil hoses or cables I hold one end and turn on the spot, coiling it around my waist, not too tightly obviously.
I try to do this while no one is watching since it makes me look rather silly...but it works.

 

[deathbound]

To neatly coil hoses or cables I hold one end and turn on the spot, coiling it around my waist, not too tightly obviously.
I try to do this while no one is watching since it makes me look rather silly...but it works.

What if somebody pulls the other end REALLY hard before you're done?

 

[bobemmerich]

I have a 10 gauge 50" cord that is heavy duty. What I did was took a 5 gallon bucket, punched a hole in the bottom just big enough for the plug end to stick out, pulled about 3ft. out so I could plug it in and coiled the rest up inside the bucket. Makes it a lot easier to put away and store.

 

[BHH]

Here is a chord that is 15 years old, still going strong. Like Deathbound said, more then 1 way to skin a cat. Do not like this method, by all means, use your over under method. The over under method is much easier with small or thin chords.
Now, maybe you movie guys do not use this method, but it is widely used in the construction field all across the board.

Can you take a picture of this cable unwrapped without any tension on it? I am curious to see if it lays flat in a straight line.

 

[blue dog]

Can you take a picture of this cable unwrapped without any tension on it? I am curious to see if it lays flat in a straight line.

5 minutes in the warm southern California sun and it is straight as can be, might not work so well on the east coast of Americas hat.