Have you ever experienced charging cables and other gadgets becoming stiff or tight during winter? I should write about this and tell others why this happens, why you should know about it, and how you can fix it.
Many of us don’t pay attention to charging cables and other wires, and due to lack of it, we need to change them in one or two years. But like batteries, you can take care of them and increase their lives easily. You have to follow some of the tips I shared in this post.
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Why do cables taut or get stiff in winter?
All cables contain wire which is made of metal. It can be aluminum or copper. Metals expand in heat and contract in the cold. As the temperature drops during winter, the metal in the cables contracts, causing them to shorten and become tighter. Also, it feels like the cable will break from the inside if we wind them or use them under stress.
I have mainly observed this with smartphone charging cables, fancy decoration lights, and laptop charging cables.
Similarly, during summers, during an increase in temperature, the wire length increases a little bit, and they become loose. To avoid this problem, I have some quick fixes to make the cable lose and the wind quickly.
What happens when cables get stiff?
The main problem I have observed is that the cables break in half or the wire inside it gets cut. This happens due to an increase in the hardness of cable wire. Other than this, one major issue that can be observed in some cases, the current flow gets disturbed, or your device may not get charged.
How to fix stiff cables?
These tips that I have shared here will take you around 5-10 minutes to perform, and your wires can easily be fixed or become the same as you bought
Keep your cable in sunlight
The best way to make your cable relaxed and accessible is to keep it under the sunlight for about 10-15 minutes. It depends on the intensity of the sunlight. If it is high, then your cable will be back to normal.
One thing you should avoid here is keeping your cable under the sunlight for a long. It may make your cable delicate and damage it if you do this daily.
Use a hairdryer
Not only in winter, but when there is a temperature drop, you can also observe cable stiffness. This can also be seen in the rainy season, and sunlight may not be there during that time. To fix this problem, you can use a hairdryer.
Use a hairdryer as it blows warm air out, and use it on the cable you are trying to fix. Don’t keep your cable too close near the mouth of the dryer to avoid any damage.
Read – Charger Heating Problem: 12 Reasons That Causing Problems.
Tips to keep your cable organized
Here are some tips you can follow to organize your charging cable.
- Buy a cable organizer and keep your cables in one place.
- Buy braided cables because they have less possibility of getting stiff due to the outer covering.