Rewiring an Electrical Cord for the Not so Handy

I’ve never considered myself an electrical genius, however one good chomp and my pet rabbit bit my television cord in two. A few sparks, and one startled bunny later I was left with an inoperable television. After a mini rant and brief inspection of my television, I realized that the cord was adjoined to the TV. With a sinking sensation I realized that I would have to invest in a new television…unless…

I decided to play electrician. First of all unplug your television from the wall or the power strip it is connected to. It may seem like common sense, but with no power surging through to your television it’s easy to forget when there is no picture on your screen. Next, unplug all electronics attached to your television (DVD Player, Tivo, VCR, Cable Box, Game Systems, etc.)

Next, cut the cord above and below, in this case, the bite mark.

Use wire strippers to pull back the wire on the cord about an inch and a half on either side. There will be two wires inside, both covered in rubber. Use the wire strippers to gently cut around the encasement and strip away about Ã?¾ of an inch on either side. You can cut back more, but through trial and error, anything less than Ã?¾ of an inch won’t leave you much room to operate.

After peeling back the wire, carefully twist the corresponding cords together. In my case, one was in a white rubber encasement and one was in a black encasement. Be sure that you put the correct wires together; otherwise you will get more fireworks.

Once the wires are twisted tightly together, take electrical tape and cover them snuggly. Be sure that all the wire is covered well so that the two different wires won’t touch. To be sure I covered them enough, I stretched the electrical tape about half an inch paste where I should have, and made sure to encircle it twice.

Once both of the inner wires are covered well, use electrical tape to cover these wires together. The tighter you wrap it together, the easier it will be to disguise.

Next, just to be sure, plug your television in before connecting all your electronics. My theory was if something was incorrect, I’d just be out the TV I’d thought I lost initially rather than all my electronics.

Success!

My ten minutes as an “electrician” made me feel like the most competent independent woman ever. Now when my furry friend is running around, I squint my eyes at her as if to say “Come on! Make my day.”