Sunday, October 25, 2009

How to change an electrical outlet

Its so sad that we have so many electrical outlets in our home but only 3 work and out of those 3 only the top part of the outlet has power.
So the Mr. got to work! Before & After
What you Need:
  • A Circuit tester which is used to check and see if there is any electrical current running throughout the electrical wires.
  • A Screw driver
  • New outlet which should only cost you around $0.50
1. VERY IMPORTANT: Turn off the power to the outlet at the fuse box or Circuit Breaker. 2. Test the outlet with the circuit tester on an electrical appliance to make sure the power is off. Place the tester's probes inside the plug. If the tester's light goes on, recheck the main power and retest until there's no power in the outlet. 3. Unscrew the cover plate and remove it.

4. Unscrew the outlet and pull it out of the wall. It should come out a few inches. Set the screws aside.

5. Loosen the screws holding the wires and remove the outlet.

6. Attach the wires to the new outlet. Wrap the wires around the terminals with needle-nose pliers or your fingers.

7. Tighten the screws around the wires

8. Screw the outlet back into the wall.

9. Screw the cover plate back on (we did not screw our new plates on because we are painting the room next).
10. Reactivate the proper circuits at the fuse box and test your work. Tada!

3 comments:

  1. I ran across your blog and oh how familiar this all sounds-my husband and I just purchased an old home and had to update old wiring, outlets and fixures!

    Best of luck with the home!
    www.thekeltonscozycottage.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you!

    Your cottage is so adorable, and the hardwood floors... WOW!

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  3. This is an informative. When changing anything that involves electricity, safety should come first in order to prevent any further damages. Electronic testers are important tools that should be present when changing electrical outlets..

    ReplyDelete