Tried those velcro cable ties on my TV setup and got a surprise

I bought a 20-pack of velcro cable ties last week to clean up the rat's nest behind my living room TV, wrapped every cord nice and tight. Turns out the power cable for my soundbar got too hot bunched up like that and the tie melted onto it overnight. Has anyone else had velcro straps degrade or melt near warm cables?

2 comments

2 Comments

vals381mo ago

Damn, that's scary! I saw a video from a home theater guy on YouTube last month where he mentioned that some cables, especially power bricks and speaker wire, can get warm enough to mess with velcro over time. He tested a few different brands and found that the adhesive on cheaper ties can get gooey or even melt when it's up against a hot cable for hours. I think it's one of those things where the velcro itself might be fine but the glue backing is the weak spot. Maybe try wrapping them a little looser or using those spiral cable wraps instead for anything that gets warm. It's wild how something so simple can turn into a fire hazard like that.

henryf531mo ago

Yeah you hit the nail on the head with the glue backing being the weak spot. I had the same thing happen where I used a velcro tie to bundle a power brick cable near a surge protector, and after a few months the adhesive turned into this sticky mess that left residue all over the wire. It was a pain to clean off with alcohol and a rag. What's worse is that some of the cheaper velcro strips are basically just plastic strips with a weak adhesive that can't handle heat at all. I switched over to those reusable silicone cable ties and they've been way better since they don't use any glue, just friction to stay put. If you've got anything that runs warm, like a router power brick or a gaming console cable, definitely keep an eye on what kind of ties you're using.