Nothing can be quite as dangerous as electricity and hence, you must take measures to ensure your safety whenever you spot something wrong with your electrical appliances or connections. One area that warns about a poor connection is the burnt electrical plug of your extension cord. Besides warning about a poor connection, a burnt plug can also be hinting about frayed wires inside the plug. Whatever the case, the plug is no good for use and you need to replace it.
How Do You Replace The Plug?
Replacing the damaged plug is easy and should take only a few minutes of your time. First, begin by cutting off the burnt plug. Then remove the insulation or jacket; slice ¾ inch of the insulation from the end of the cord. You can employ the services of a utility knife for this task. After stripping off the insulation, you should have a clear view of three insulated wires.
From the end of each wire, remove ½ inch of the insulation material. Disassemble your new plug using a screwdriver and locate the terminal screws; these are the screws that the wires will attach to.
Then attach your exposed wires to the right terminals; the white or neutral wire should be fixed to the silver screw, the green wire should be fixed to the green screw, and the black wire should be fixed to the brass screw. Hold the wires in their terminals by tightening the screws. Finally, put the pieces of the plug back together.
How Do You Prevent The Plug From Burning?
After replacing the plug, the next measure you have to take is a preventive one; you have to put measures in place that ensure that the plug will not burn in the future. This is not hard because some causes of burnt electrical plugs can easily be avoided. For instance, you need to stop overloading your socket.
Overloading extension cords is one of the reasons why plugs burn. Check the readings of the electrical current (current rating) your extension cord is able to supply and ensure that the combined rating of your appliances do not exceed the readings of the extension. For example, if the current rating of your extension cord is 10A, the combined readings of the appliances that you plug into the extension should not exceed 10A. Otherwise, you risk burning the plug of the cord. The current rating of an extension cord is usually indicated under the extension cord. Also avoid plugging an extension cord into another extension cord.
For assistance, talk to an electrician.
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