Problem with Farberware cooktop

I found a Farberware cooktop at the flea market. After I got it home, I noticed the plastic cover over the box where the wires connect to the power cord was a little melted! I decided to have a look inside and didn't really see any damage, but the clamp on the power cord was really tight and seemed to have smashed the cord.

I am wondering if the power cord could have overheated due to being compressed too much, but the cord doesn't seem to be melted. If it did overheat it would seem it would have melted the cord clamp as well. I am wondering if I should cut the crushed part of the cord off and reconnect it to be safe, but I don't have the proper crimp connectors and they are probably special high temp ones anyway, given the wiring is cloth.

Maybe something else caused the melting of the cover? I did plug the unit in, the "power to" light came on and I turned on both burners and they worked fine, as did their indicator lights, the cord did get a little warm but not hot.

The picture of the cord, you can see the gray stripe is where it got compressed by the clamp.

Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size


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Post# 382375 12/8/2017 at 23:24 (2,322 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)
Checkrate/Likes I found a Farberware cooktop at the flea market. After I got it home, I noticed the plastic cover over the box where the wires connect to the power cord was a little melted! I decided to have a look inside and didn't really see any damage, but the clamp on the power cord was really tight and seemed to have smashed the cord. I am wondering if the power cord could have overheated due to being compressed too much, but the cord doesn't seem to be melted. If it did overheat it would seem it would have melted the cord clamp as well. I am wondering if I should cut the crushed part of the cord off and reconnect it to be safe, but I don't have the proper crimp connectors and they are probably special high temp ones anyway, given the wiring is cloth. Maybe something else caused the melting of the cover? I did plug the unit in, the "power to" light came on and I turned on both burners and they worked fine, as did their indicator lights, the cord did get a little warm but not hot. The picture of the cord, you can see the gray stripe is where it got compressed by the clamp. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 382377 , Reply# 1 12/9/2017 at 00:24 (2,322 days old) by FCS3 (Hawaii)
Checkrate/Likes *Hey fan-of-fans* Since the case is metal and the electrical box cover is plastic, my guess is someone left the unit on too long, that heated up the casing so much that it melted the cover. The cord's probably fine, so just keep an eye on things the next few times you use it (maybe use it on a non-combustible surface like a stove top to be sure).

Post# 382604 , Reply# 2 12/13/2017 at 11:50 (2,318 days old) by luxkid1980 (Richmond, Virginia)
Checkrate/Likes I would be careful when using that cooktop; it doesn;t seem like a safe appliance if any portion of the item melted. It's aggravating when manufacturers cheap out on critical components like that. The Farberware (like so many former well-respected names) went down the toilet and are now just a name they put on a product, owned by a large corporate conglomerate. Farberware, Sunbeam, Hamilton Beach, etc used to make great appliances that were well made and lasted for years, and were made here in the USA. Those days are long gone! Please do be careful with that cooktop though, safety first. I doubt the crimped cord caused it to overheat, my bet would be cheap materials and even cheaper construction are to blame. I have an old Sunbeam toaster that has the cord crimped but it was designed like that to prevent the consumer from yanking on it too much and potentially pulling the wires from the terminal contacts. If I were you, I'd find something better.