You can find it everywhere: in any office, house or apartment. It is not possible to do without it. Of course, also in our office similar devices so many that I even find it difficult to count them all. And, of course, not a single piece of equipment is insured against breakdowns, and carriers are no exception. They fail for us, but this is absolutely no problem, because they are without an application special effort can be repaired. I know how to do it right and I will share some tips, as well as secrets, with you. And I want to immediately assure you that absolutely anyone can do the repairs; this does not require any special skills or an electrician’s diploma.
Possible causes of malfunction
So, we have a seemingly insoluble problem: The electrical extension cord does not work. First of all, you need to establish the cause of the malfunction. There can be three possible places of damage:
- cable;
- fork;
- block with sockets.
Most common reason breakage - fracture of the core in the cord.
Method for detecting a broken cable section
A way to detect a possible break area is to use a device that will indicate that it is on or off. A radio receiver, any desk lamp and much more.
We connect the selected device into the carrier and then, starting from the plug, every 5 cm we begin to bend the wire in different directions. When the wire is bent in a certain place, the device will turn on. Therefore, this is where the cliff area was discovered.
How to repair an extension cord yourself?
Repair is very simple. Unplug the extension cord from the outlet. Take a knife or scissors and cut out part of the wire in the break area. It’s better to indent it to be safe. Now you need to connect the wires. They can be closed with a soldering iron or simply twisted tightly. The insulating tape will help insulate each core, after which you will need to twist them together.
When the break point is in the extension plug, you need to unscrew it, remove about 10 cm of wire and screw the plug back. We simply cut off the non-separable plug, buy a new one and screw it in place of the old one.
If after all the checks it turns out that the cord itself is intact, then it is necessary to check the block. First you need to disassemble it and see if there is contact between the wire and the copper plates. If the cable itself is securely screwed, this means that there is no contact between the plates and the plug. If such a problem is detected, the contacts must be cleaned. Use a file and remove plaque from the metal. After cleaning, pay attention to the color of the plaque. If it is green, this indicates that moisture has entered the power cord. Gray or black coating means that weak contact has been detected between the plates and the plug of the device. To make it high, it is necessary to strip it to a copper shine and bend the copper plates one to the other. It is correct when the fork fits tightly into the block.
If there are through holes in the copper plates in the areas of contact with the plug, it is advisable to replace such a block.
These are all the subtleties of repair. As you can see, nothing complicated. Now you can repair extension on one's own, relying on own strength, and don’t buy a new one over and over again.
Most extension cords and surge protectors have a simplified structure - all their sockets are made on three common buses - zero and phase and ground. And there are already three wires going to these buses. There is no need to run a wire to each outlet.
In such models, the reason why one of the sockets does not work, provided that the others work, can only be weakening of the contacts of the plates, which do not create the proper crimp for the pins of the plug.
In any case, in order to find out the reason, you will have to open the “patient” and it would be advisable to have a multimeter to test the continuity of individual parts.
If we find such common busbars, then we can simply bend the loose contact of the corresponding socket.
There are extension cords with an autonomous shutdown for each outlet. In such cases, as a rule, one of the buses goes in common, the other contact goes through the switch. Less often, and in more expensive models, the switch “breaks” both phase and zero at the same time, and only “ground” goes directly. When repairing such an extension cord (rather, it can already be called a surge protector - because such models are already necessarily equipped with protection against interference and a thermal fuse to prevent excess of the total power.
So, in these models, when identifying the cause of a non-working socket, I would start with the switch. Check to see if the switch is working in both positions. Along with a malfunction of the switch, improper clamping of the contact strips to the plug cannot be ruled out.
In extension cords where each socket is autonomous but does not have a switch, attention should be paid first of all to the reliability of the connection of the wires to the screws of the socket contacts.
The algorithm for searching for causes and eliminating them led from the condition to the question “..Only one of the five sockets does not work”
If everything did not work, then there would be more reasons in the power cord, in its plug, in electronic unit, in the fuse, and even ultimately in the source itself where the extension cord is connected.
If suddenly your ordinary household electrical extension cord breaks down, do not rush to throw it in the trash. It is easy to repair it yourself, without having much knowledge in the field of electrical engineering.
Extension cord repair
The first thing you need to do is determine where the breakdown occurred, in the plug, in the cable, or maybe in the block with sockets.
Very often, in electrical extension cords, a core in the cord (flexible wire) breaks (breaks). In order to find the location of the wire break and repair the breakdown, you will need to connect any household electrical appliance to this extension cord. The main thing is that you can clearly see or hear whether it works or not. Such a device could be a table lamp, a radio, a mobile phone charger, etc. Next, we do this: plug the extension cord with the connected electrical appliance into the outlet and begin to bend the wire in different directions, approximately every 3-4 centimeters, starting from the plug or the extension cord itself. If the problem is a broken wire, then you connect the break by bending the wire - your electrical appliance will turn on, for example, the red indicator light in the phone charger will light up. This means that it is in this particular place that the vein is broken.
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In this option, if the wire breaks, you will need to unplug the extension cord from the socket, take a knife or scissors and cut out a section of the wire at the break point, to be safe, retreat 5-10 cm in each direction. After this, we strip the wires of insulation and connect them. It is, of course, advisable to connect the wires using a soldering iron, but a good twist will do. More details about connecting wires can be found in this article - ““. You need to insulate the connection using insulating tape, first insulating each core individually, and then the entire wire.
If the cause of the breakdown is in, then it needs to be untwisted, if the contact has oxidized, then we clean it, and if the wire breaks, then we cut off 10 cm of the wire from the plug, clean it and screw it back on. If the plug is not removable, then you need to purchase a new one and screw it in place of the old one. 
If the cause of the failure is not in the wire or plug, then check the extension cord. To do this, we disassemble it and look for the presence of contact between the wire and the copper plates; if the wire is screwed well and securely, then there is no contact between the (consumer) plug and the plates themselves. In order to clean all contacts, you need to take a needle file and remove plaque from the metal. If the raid green, it means moisture got into the carrier; if it’s black or gray, it means there was poor contact between the plug (consumer) and the plates. For good contact, we clean everything to a copper shine, and bend the copper plates to each other, the plug should fit tightly into the block. If the copper plates have through holes in the places where the plug contacts the plates, it is best to replace such a block.
That's it for repairing an electrical extension cord!
Network filter - useful device, protecting sensitive electrical appliances from power surges and impulse noise.
Externally, a household filter resembles a regular extension cord, but it is additionally equipped with a built-in unit that absorbs all frequency fluctuations.
To protect against large surges, the device is equipped with a fuse, which in case of critical overloads instantly disconnects electrical appliances from the network.
Like any other devices, surge protectors can break down during intensive use.
One of the most common reasons for the failure of a surge protector is a breakdown of the on-off button, or rather, burning of the contacts inside this button.
First, when turned on, it begins to spark, heat up and make strange sounds, and over time it stops working altogether. At frequent use The filter button may wear out physically or become mechanically damaged.
Attention! If the surge protector button begins to spark, heat up and/or crackle, further operation of the device is unsafe! You should immediately disconnect the filter from the mains to avoid fire! For safe work filter, you need to check the condition of the switch contacts and, if necessary, clean them of carbon deposits.
Let's look at the button diagram of a typical surge protector:
As can be seen from this diagram, there is nothing complicated in the device surge protector activation buttons no, so you can repair it or replace it with a new one yourself.
Repair - what to do if the surge protector button is broken
If, when you turn on the surge protector button, extraneous sounds begin to be heard, which are accompanied by the smell of melting plastic, the device should be immediately de-energized. Next, you need to disassemble the surge protector and check the condition of the contacts on the switch.
To do this you will need the following tools:
- soldering iron,
- crosshead screwdriver,
- tester,
- sandpaper-zero.
If the contacts are burnt out, then the tester readings will confirm this (in in this case output voltage from the button in the “On” position will not be). To clean the contacts, the switch needs:
- Disassemble the surge protector housing by unscrewing the mounting screws;
- Unsolder the button and remove it from the filter housing. The button is held in the housing by plastic clips, which should be carefully squeezed out.
- Disassemble. To do this, you need to disconnect the key by picking it up with a flat-head screwdriver.
- Take out the contacts and clean off any black deposits.
- Assemble the button. After this, we assemble the button in the reverse order, install it in place and solder it.
If the contacts have burned very badly and melted the plastic of the switch housing, it should be completely replaced.
To do this you need:
- Disassemble the filter;
- Unsolder the button;
- Remove the switch from the housing;
- Install a new one in its place (sold in radio parts stores, costs about 30 rubles);
- Solder the button and assemble the filter housing.
Often the button on the surge protector does not work because of mechanical damage. The most common case is the breakdown of the latches that hold the switch key in the housing. In this case, it is not necessary to buy a new button - the latches can be restored.
For this you will need following materials and tools:
- screwdriver (or drill) and drill with a diameter of 3.5 mm;
- toothpick;
- cotton swab;
- side cutters.
The process itself is very simple:
- A through hole is drilled in the key into which a cotton swab is inserted (it will act as a latch).
- A toothpick is inserted inside the cotton swab for greater rigidity. On both sides, the improvised retainer is trimmed with side cutters so that on each side it protrudes approximately 3-4 mm.
- Now all that remains is to insert the key into the body - to do this, just slightly bend the sides seat screwdriver
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How to make a surge protector directly, without a button
If the old button has completely failed and you don’t have a new one at hand, you can connect the surge protector directly, turning it into a regular extension cord.
To do this you need to do the following:
- Open the mains voltage filter housing by unscrewing the mounting screws with a screwdriver;
- Unsolder the wires from the button and solder them according to color, bypassing the button;
- Insulate the joint with insulating tape or heat shrink;
- Assemble the extension cord and test its functionality.
To avoid the surge protector switch problems described in this article, consider the maximum power rating of the connected load and the maximum load current when selecting a device.
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If the total power of the equipment exceeds the maximum permissible power of the filter, then you should opt for a more powerful model.
In order to repair electrical extension cord you don't have to be certified electrician. Even without having special knowledge it can be easily repaired. By taking 5 minutes to read this article, you will learn quickly determine and eliminate the cause of extension cord failure.
First of all, you need to determine the cause of the problem. It may consist of a wire, plug or block on which the sockets are located.
The most common reason is fracture of the cable core . The fracture site can be found using any household appliance, which, when connected to the network, immediately shows that it is working. It could be Charger For mobile phone, equipped with a power indicator (LED), a table lamp or a regular radio.
Plug any of these devices into the carrier and start bending the cord in different directions every 5-7 centimeters. If the cause of the malfunction lies in the wire, then at some point your device will work. This means that it is in this place of the cable that the core is broken.
This problem is resolved quickly. Using a knife or scissors, cut a piece of cable at the fracture site; for greater accuracy, step back another 10 centimeters in different directions. The contact of the wires at the broken point can be restored tightly twisted or soldering. If you have a soldering iron in the house, then it is better to use the second method. Having connected the wires together, they must be insulated. Each core must be insulated separately, otherwise short circuit guaranteed.
The wire may be broken and in the carrying fork itself. In this case, you need to unscrew the plug, cut off a few centimeters of the cable, insert it and twist it back. If the plug is not a collapsible type, you will have to purchase a new one.
If the wire strands are not broken anywhere, then you need to check the block with sockets. Disassemble it with a screwdriver and see if the wire with copper plates is well twisted. If everything is in order, then most likely the cause of the malfunction is the lack of contact between the device plug and the plates.
Using a file, you need to clean all contacts and clean the metal from plaque. By the color of this coating, you can determine the cause of the breakdown: if the coating is green, moisture has entered the block; if gray and black - was bad contact between the device and the plates. To restore normal contact, you need to clean everything until it shines. Then you need to press the copper plates together so that the plug fits tightly into the block. Availability through holes at the contact points between the fork and the plates threatens possible wiring fire. It is better to replace this block.
Always remember the safety rules when working with electrical devices!
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Article prepared by: samparam(from Advego - approx. ed.) especially for the official website of the Electro911 company.