Rotex 150 power cord issues

lbliemeister

Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
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Has anyone had an issue with the Rotex 150 burning up power cords?  I have made sure that the cord is full inserted and locked and it just burned the connection on a second power cord.  I had thought that I may have neglected to properly secure the connection on the first so I thoroughly checked on the next one.  Same thing -- the plastic was melted at the connection after about 2 mins of sanding.  The cords are pretty expensive so I'm hoping I can resolve this without replacing the sander, which is about 5 years old.
 
Once the plug-it connection was damaged by not having the first cord fully engaged, using additional cords will just burn them up as well. The connection has been damaged on the sander at this point and you should discontinue use until the connection is replaced. You can contact the service department to order a replacement connection or arrange to send it in for repair. Their number is below in my signature, M-F, 8a-5p ET.

Sorry for the problems. Also, those cords should be discarded and no longer used.

Shane
 
Oddly enough I had this same thing happen to me the last few days. Is this a common occurrence with the Rotex 150? I have never had a problem with any other of my festools. Mine is at about the 3 year mark. Can anything be done to prevent it?
 
Jeff R Johnson said:
Oddly enough I had this same thing happen to me the last few days. Is this a common occurrence with the Rotex 150? I have never had a problem with any other of my festools. Mine is at about the 3 year mark. Can anything be done to prevent it?

I don't think this is common in the scope of all units out there.  However, the occurrence seems to be much greater with RO150's used in production settings.  Call Festool to get your sander serviced and talk to them about converting your sander to a hardwired unit.  They will be able to advise you if that is a better alternative for you than the Plug-It cord. 
 
I talked with Steve at Festool service. He did offer up the idea of attaching a permanent cord to my Rotex, but I like the quick connect and disconnect. I spend 90% of my time in customers homes, and am constantly switching out tools. I've decided that its probably best just to swap this part out every couple years.
 
lbliemeister said:
Has anyone had an issue with the Rotex 150 burning up power cords?  I have made sure that the cord is full inserted and locked and it just burned the connection on a second power cord.  I had thought that I may have neglected to properly secure the connection on the first so I thoroughly checked on the next one.  Same thing -- the plastic was melted at the connection after about 2 mins of sanding.  The cords are pretty expensive so I'm hoping I can resolve this without replacing the sander, which is about 5 years old.

Yes. . .  [unsure]

I've had them and posted here. about a year ago +. Never got my more expensive cord replaced but never really complained about it after posting and having to buy a new tool because i did not notice it right away because my guys did not tell me. . .

Actually I burned out my 150 3m ETS connection to be exact (smaller motor) but i did learn to buy the heaviest gauge cord i could find for the festool (it may be the same for the rotex) it's actually a saw or domino cord, it's a bit thicker and works quite well. I also keep an eye on my connections and "prongs" to see if they are getting black, a sign of incipient problems.

I never got a response to my comment about the small gauge of interior wiring on the sanders. Such is life.
 
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