Extension Cord Reel Design

How to keep your extension cord tangle free FOREVER.

While cod fishing off LI New York in a hundred plus feet deep water, I observed how a couple hundred feet of anchor line was brought into the boat. Thinking that this procedure was done every day and this anchor line never tangled had me asking one of the boat mates where the line was going when fed below deck. He said it was dropping into a fifty-five gallon drum. Knowing there were only two mates and the Captain in charge of the boat, no one was below deck feeding this anchor line into the fifty-five gallon drum. I questioned the mate further; he said the line naturally feeds into the drum in a circular motion and they never have a problem with it getting tangled.

Being a home improvement contractor and using extension cords daily, I thought this principle would make a great extension cord reel. I applied this principle with the use of a five gallon bucket. I first pulled one of my hundred foot cords straight, ( getting the kinks out of it from daily windings around the hand to elbow method of wrapping up extension cords). Then cut a round hole at the bottom / side of a five gallon bucket, big enough to pass the male end of the extension cord through. Pulled the male end ten feet through the hole and started coiling the remaining electric cord into the five gallon bucket. When complete, simply hand coil the ten foot male end of cord and place on top of the ninety feet of coiled electrical line in the bucket. It’s ready for use.

The ease of use is so simple. Take the ten foot male end from the bucket, plug into an outlet, grab the female end of the extension cord and walk to where you’ll be needing power. When you’re finished, simply feed the cord back into the bucket in a circular motion. The extension cord will be trained in this manor after just a few times of use and storage.

It has been suggested to me many times to professionally design and patent this idea. It’s probable this could make money as there are several extension cord storage devices on the market. Yet none offer the simplicity of use of this design. The design, of being able to pull the extension cord out to the desired length, and quickly, with no tangles or bent up cord is the greatest part. And of course, the ease of coiling the cord back into the bucket.

I’m sure you will find this method a pleasure to use compared to wrapping the extension cord around your hand. If there is a down side to this idea, it’s the storage of the bucket. Whereas with the usual method of wrapping a cord up and hanging it on a nail in the garage, in view and out of the way. I leave the bucket outside; any rain will drain through additional half inch holes made to the buckets bottom.

I have found extension cord reels that sell for over one hundred dollars that can handle a maximum of eighty feet of cord. The simplicity of use was not there, not to mention the mechanics of the extension cord reel having possible problems.

My extension cord reel design is free from ever having any mechanical breakdown problems. It’s more convenient to use and store then expensive designs. Most importantly, it’s FREE.

Below is a simple drawing of the design: