Extension Cord Project

I once saw my father save a severed extension cord that our neighbor was throwing away. My dad wired the broken ends together and used electrical tape to join the severed ends. Years later I would find myself with a similar circumstance. My dad had given me a heavy duty extension cord that somehow got sliced open and could no longer be safely used. I decided to repair it using a commercial electric box and some basic electrical wiring know-how...

Basic tools required: Wire Stripper, Box Blade, Screw Driver, 2 electrical outlets, 5" romex wire, commercial double gang box with cover ($5), wire strain relief, and wire nuts/connectors.

Step 1: Strip the wires to expose "hot", "neutral", and "ground" on the broken extension cord. Next, knock out the desired hole in the gang box to run the cord though and install the wire strain relief which will pinch down on the extension cord and prevent it from pulling away from the gang box. Thread the cord into the gang box receptacle but don't tighten the strain relief yet.

Step 2: Bend the outlet drywall screw holes off using pliers.

Step 3: This step requires basic electrical knowledge but I essentially wired the the electrical outlets together and joined them to the extension cord's "hot, neutral, and ground". I then wrapped the outlets with electrical tape to prevent shocks and attached them to the faceplate with the provided screws.

Step 4: lastly, attach the faceplate and outlets onto the gang box and secure the extension cord wire with the strain relief. Give the wire a slight tug to check if the connection is secure and adjust as necessary. If all is secure, plug in the extension cord and test to make sure each outlet works!