My power cord is ripped open in the middle. It still works fine. Can I keep using it until I buy a new charger or is it dangerous and I should throw it away right now? (I don't have the means or time to fix it myself)

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My power cord is ripped open in the middle. It still works fine. Can I keep using it until I buy a new charger or is it dangerous and I should throw it away right now? (I don't have the means or time to fix it myself)

I have ripped a piece of my power charger. My macbook is a 11' inches Pro Retina from 2014 and the power adapter still works fine despite the rip, but I'm afraid it might damage my computer in the long run and obviously be dangerous externally since the grey wire is apparent.

Here are a few images for perspective :

I have ordered a new one but it will take time to arrive as I bought a cheap one online. My question is should I throw this power adapter right away or can I keep using it until I receive the new one? Also, I've had infrequent jumps on my screen and since I ran a hardware test and it gave nothing, I wonder if it might be caused by this damaged power cord. (It charges the mac as usual, though).

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Jul 31, 2017 3:48 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 31, 2017 7:58 AM in response to marsilou90

There are two conductors inside the cord. One is as expected -- it is the innermost, fully insulated wire.

The other is the "braid" -- the many-stranded wire that surrounds and shields the entire cable, which is now exposed in yours. As long as there is still a reasonably complete wire there, your power adapter should continue to work as normal. Momentary glitches are NOT caused by power adapter problems unless your battery has been removed for some reason.

Use "regular" Vinyl electrical tape, any color. Wrap from about an inch above the fist sign of weakness to at least an inch below.

Two thicknesses of Vinyl electrical tape is good for up to 600 Volts. That is why it is used in the high-Voltage wiring inside your walls.

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