Replace Sockets

Have you come to the conclusion that a room in your home, garage or patio is in need of an electric outlet update? This article will explain, in a few steps, how to replace an old outlet with a new one.

Step 1 - Safety

Whenever you start a project, your first priority should always be your safety. When replacing an electrical outlet, always make sure the electricity is shut off in the area where you will be working. Test the outlet with a voltage tester.

Step 2 - Dismantle

Unscrew the top and bottom screws from the outlet. Pull the outlet out of the wall by pulling on the tabs that the screws were in, otherwise known as the “ears”. Be careful to not touch any of the wires at this point. After the outlet wires are exposed outside of the wall, test the wires with a voltage tester once more.

Step 3 - Connections

When you are completely sure that there is no electricity running through the wired outlet, then you can begin removing the old outlet. Now, begin to unscrew the wires with a flat head screw driver. When you are finished unscrewing all the wires, reinstall the new outlet by screwing the wires back onto the new hardware.

Step 4 - Cleaning

Finally, clean out the outlet hole with a shop vac. When the outlet hole is vacuumed out, then you can neatly push the wires back into the hole. If some are damaged, this is the best time to do so. With electrical tape, wrap up any deteriorated wires. If they are in worse connection, you may have to replace the wire.

Step 5 - Finishing Up

After the cleanup is done, you can begin putting the outlet and wires back into place inside the wall. Take you wires, loosely fold them and push them into the wall. After they are inside, the new outlet should fit right in. if you wiring seems to be stuffing up the space, try fitting them into the wall another way. Your outlet should not have anything pushing against it. When the new outlet fits snugly into the wall, screw it back into place.

Visit our website at Homefix Handyman and you can Call us directly on 0115 822 4995 or email us.

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