Can this two-wire lead be used as an extension?

[pooksahib]

Hi. My old strimmer had a very short lead and you would attach the main lead by way of a 2-pin 'joiner'. Having taken it apart (picture) I see that the lead does not have an earth wire. My new strimmer doesn't have such a 'joiner' feature and the plug is moulded on so I don't know if it's cable has an earth wire or not.
I was using an extension lead with the old strimmer but on the new strimmer it's not long enough so I was planning to use the old strimmer's lead as an 'extension to the extension'. Thinking it through, though, if the new strimmer IS using an earth wire it seems unwise to have a section of cable without an earth wire.
Am I right or could there be a way to use the old strimmer's lead?
Thanks.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You are right, but first:

Does your new strimmer plug have a plastic 'earth' pin?

 

[conny]

There should be a label on your new strimmer which, if it is only using a two cable lead, will show a small square with a smaller square inside it.
This shows it is double insulated and does not require an earth. It should also state in the instruction booklet if it is double insulated or does not need an earth.
You could always cut the plug off and examine the cable to see if it has 3 cores. If it does, then it needs an earth and you can then fit a suitable plug back on to the cable.

 

[plugwash]

Most likely the new strimmer is "double insulated" and does not need an earth. This should be indicated by a "square in square" symbol on the product label.

If the new strimmer is indeed double insulated you can remove the 13A plug and fit the two pin "joiner" to the cable of the new strimmer.

You should not fit a 3 pin socket on the end of a cable with only two cores. Sure you may think you will remember to only use that cable with appliances that don't need one, but people forget things over time.

 

[pooksahib]

Thanks guys. The manual is silent on the matter of double insulation but the square-in-square symbol appears on the box and on the motor of the strimmer. The writing along the cable includes '2x0.75mm'. All of that seems to point to an earth-free cable, no? But to answer EFLImpudence, all three plug pins are metal so does that suggest there ARE three wires?

 

[plugwash]

Thanks guys. The manual is silent on the matter of double insulation but the square-in-square symbol appears on the box and on the motor of the strimmer. The writing along the cable includes '2x0.75mm'. All of that seems to point to an earth-free cable,

Correct.

all three plug pins are metal so does that suggest there ARE three wires?

Not really. The presence of a metal pin doesn't means it's connected to anything.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thanks guys. The manual is silent on the matter of double insulation but the square-in-square symbol appears on the box and on the motor of the strimmer. The writing along the cable includes '2x0.75mm'. All of that seems to point to an earth-free cable, no?

I think that settles the matter.

But to answer EFLImpudence, all three plug pins are metal so does that suggest there ARE three wires?

Not conclusively but the other way round would be.
I.e. plastic pin; definitely no earth.

 

[pooksahib]

Thanks, plugwash and EFLI. Final question then: I'll plug the new strimmer into my existing extension cable. This is a 3-wire extension cable (3-pin plug at one end, 'female' receptor at t'other). I'm going to take the plug off and connect that 3-wire cable to the 2-pin joiner that I snipped off the old strimmer using just the brown and blue wires. I can then make a connection to the old strimmer's cable which will be the one going to the mains. A safe and sound plan? Thanks again. Gotta log off now, back tomorrow.

 

[SUNRAY]

I don't quite understand your suggestions. It sounds like you are proposing making joins in cables. Perhaps pictures of everything may help?


OK so looking from the beginning again I think I've got a better grip on this

I think you have this lead left from your old strimmer

I assume it has a 13A 3pin plug on the other end.

And you have removed this from your old strimmer

From the pic I can't see that they are compatible, please confirm.

If they are compatible. and your new strimmer has a fitted cable marked

The writing along the cable includes '2x0.75mm'.

with a 13A plug without such a join, something like this:

I'd offer that all you need to do is remove the plug arrowed in orange

and replace it with this:

 

[pooksahib]

Hi Sunray. My previous post had a wee error which I've now corrected. You're right about the lead for the old strimmer and the 'tail' that I clipped off it which held one half of a 2-pin joiner (the other half of the 2-pin joiner being on the long section of lead). I agree they don't look compatible in the picture but the black half definitely connects to the orange half.

I have my new strimmer with an attached cable (A). I have an exisiting extension cable (male plug one end, female socket t'other - B). I have the detachable lead from the old strimmer (3-pin plug one end, 2-pin joiner, t'other - C). I have the other half of the 2-pin joiner (D).

I'm planning to plug 'A' into 'B'. I'll remove the 3-pin plug from 'B' and replace it with 'D'. Then I'll connect both halves of the 2-pin joiner and plug C into the wall.

As you can see, I'll have a lead made up of three sections: new strimmer lead/existing extension lead/ old strimmer lead. Both strimmer leads have 2 cores but the middle section has three. That middle section will be connected to one-half of a 2-pin joiner using just blue and brown wires with the earth wire going nowhere. From what's been posted already , this seems OK but another confirmation would be great. Thank you, guys.

 

[robinbanks]

Next time you're shopping for a strimmer, consider a cordless one; garden power tools with a cord are a pain in the ar..

 

[SUNRAY]

Hi Sunray. My previous post had a wee error which I've now corrected. You're right about the lead for the old strimmer and the 'tail' that I clipped off it which held one half of a 2-pin joiner (the other half of the 2-pin joiner being on the long section of lead). I agree they don't look compatible in the picture but the black half definitely connects to the orange half.

I have my new strimmer with an attached cable (A). I have an exisiting extension cable (male plug one end, female socket t'other - B). I have the detachable lead from the old strimmer (3-pin plug one end, 2-pin joiner, t'other - C). I have the other half of the 2-pin joiner (D).

I'm planning to plug 'A' into 'B'. I'll remove the 3-pin plug from 'B' and replace it with 'D'. Then I'll connect both halves of the 2-pin joiner and plug C into the wall.

As you can see, I'll have a lead made up of three sections: new strimmer lead/existing extension lead/ old strimmer lead. Both strimmer leads have 2 cores but the middle section has three. That middle section will be connected to one-half of a 2-pin joiner using just blue and brown wires with the earth wire going nowhere. From what's been posted already , this seems OK but another confirmation would be great. Thank you, guys.

You are suggesting this

I suggest: cut plug off of (A) and fit (D) in its place.
Plug (A+D) into (C).
Plug (C) into (B).
Plug (B) into wall.
That way you have a normal extension lead (With 3 cores) that can for used other purposes and a strimmer that can be use with just 1 extension lead ( just 2 cores) when you don't require all 3 leads.

Additionally you don't end up with a pair of cables resulting in a 13A plug to socket cable with no earth.

Of course the nicer way would be to buy a longer 13A plug to socket extension lead long enough to do away with the 2pin plug and joiner.

 

[pooksahib]

Hi Sunray. You've made a lot of effort with your replies so thanks for that, much appreciated. Your suggestion is good but there's no way I'm cutting the plug off a new strimmer - warranty and all that. The new strimmer only has 8m of cable so I need my existing extension plus the old strimmer cord to get me the same distance as before (though now I can get even further, not that I need to...). I made the connections earlier today and it works fine. The combined cable may prove a tad unwieldy when I have a proper strim to do in which case I'll just buy a reel. For now, I just wanted to see if my idea worked. Thanks again and all the best.

 

[SUNRAY]

Hi Sunray. You've made a lot of effort with your replies so thanks for that, much appreciated. Your suggestion is good but there's no way I'm cutting the plug off a new strimmer - warranty and all that. The new strimmer only has 8m of cable so I need my existing extension plus the old strimmer cord to get me the same distance as before (though now I can get even further, not that I need to...). I made the connections earlier today and it works fine. The combined cable may prove a tad unwieldy when I have a proper strim to do in which case I'll just buy a reel. For now, I just wanted to see if my idea worked. Thanks again and all the best.

Well done. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Next time you're shopping for a strimmer, consider a cordless one; garden power tools with a cord are a pain in the ar..

But, they go on, and on, and on