Electric Cables

[stornoway]

A friend said that her father, former electrician, had always told her it was safer to leave cables from electrical appliances (irons, vacuums e.g.) loose when putting them away. I on the other hand, have always wound them up. Is there a right and wrong way please?

[buildersmate]

A coiled cable with a substantial AC current flowing through it creates an inductor. This can cause the copper cable to warm up, and it extreme cases to get hot.
However you can be sure that the designers of vacuum cleaners have worked out that their coiled cable will not be subject to an excessive impact of this (and a cleaner typically consumes 1000W - 4Amps).
I've never seen an iron with a coiled cable - have you? This could be more of an issue because an iron uses more current - 10 Amps perhaps.
The situation one must avoid is using an extension cable when coiled up - particularly if one is driving a high current device close to 13A. These things should be uncoiled before use at high current.

[knobbynonut5]

Yea but bob if you read the question it is when they are stored and not plugged in.
It is better to leave them a bit loose (but you can wind them up but not tight) as if you coil them up tight then over the years it could damage the sheath of the flex.

But as you say bob if they are still plugged in and switched on then they could heat up

[carlton23]

How`s about cables like transformers as in Mobile Phones, and Electric Shavers, Black & Decker Drills etc, I always wrap them around my hands and then put an elastic band around them. Is that ok?

[chas2008]

former electrician ? does this mean hes retired ? back in the good old days wires/cables had a habit of perishing / breaking up etc. (which is quite often why houses needed rewiring) due to age and over use i.e. coiling/winding up . Early irons were particularly prone to this as the cables were rubber and due to the constant use broke up easily. But technology in plastic/rubber has come a long way over the years and as many appliances now auto rewind the cable for storage or a facility to wind it around the product it cant be a problem, they just wouldnt risk it.