Hot Dyson plug?

[vacuuman101]

So the other day I was vacuuming with my Dyson DC07 and by the time I was done I went over to unplug the vacuum from the wall,and I touched the plug and it was HOT!(and this has been a problem for about a month now). So felt the cord around the plug and it was very hot as well. So ageist my better judgement I found a cool part of the cord and puled it out of the wall. Then while I was winding it backup I felt the two prongs and they almost burned my finger. The vacuum has the original cord I will also post pictures of the vacuum and cord/plug.

(by the way my house was built in 1976 and the electrical is pretty good and the outlet was replaced in the last 10 years and it doesn't get used much.)

 

[wyaple]

Jeremy,

Your plug-end is most likely failing. I have a DC14 and a DC28 and the 28's prongs got very hot and then the machine started cutting out completely. I could easily tell that one of the prongs had broken loose in the molded plug, so I replaced just the crappy aluminum molded plug end with a real copper pronged one. Cost me $1.75 and no more heat build up anywhere!

Bill

 

[human]

You say your house was built in 1976. Does it have aluminum wiring? It was all too common in that era. They quit using it because it was a fire hazard. The wiring would overheat just like your plug. The prescribed fix is to 'pigtail' the outlets with a few inches of copper wire to act as a heat sync. My house, built in 1970, has aluminum wiring and I had an ongoing problem with burnt wires on my furnace until I had an electrician pigtail the wires at the furnace and at the breaker. Better to fix it than have a house fire like my sister and her first husband did with a similar vintage house.

 

[tolivac]

Does your Dyson plug heat up if you plug the machine into another outlet and run it?If so--you will need a new cord.If it heats up from the outlet-then your outlet or its wiring has problems.Then its time to see your electrician.

 

[vacuuman101]

Thank you for all the replies, I'm not sure what my house has for wiring but we don't have tripped backers or burnt wires. But when I plug it in it will do the same in every outlet. But I will try to buy a replacement plug and see if that works.

 

[human]

Sounds like your wiring is probably okay, at least for the load the vacuum cleaner is pulling. I checked and it appears they quit using aluminum wiring after 1972. Replacement plugs are very inexpensive as Bill said. You can find them in any hardware store. Get one with a round hole for the cord and brass fittings and you'll be fine.

 

[vacuuman101]

To day I went to lowes and bought a plug, I just need to get wire strippers to fix it.

Thanks for all the responses they really helped me!