Learn how to replace an electrical outlet with these instructional steps. Included are safety tips and a list of necessary supplies and tools.
How to Replace and Electrical Outlet
Required Supplies:
New outlet and face plate
Wire strippers
Screwdriver
Needle Nose Pliers
Replacing an electrical outlet is easy if you follow a few simple steps. The first and most important step is to turn off the electricity that runs to the outlet at the breaker box. The breakers are probably labeled, but to insure safety, plug a radio or a lamp into the outlet and then turn flip the breaker into the off position. If the appliance turns off when the breaker is thrown, there is no electricity running to the outlet and it is safe to begin.
Begin by using a screw driver to remove the face place that covers the outlet. Once the face plate is removed, use a screwdriver to remove the screws which are located at the top and bottom of the outlet. These screws connect the outlet to the electrical box inside the wall.
Once the connector screws are removed, pull the electrical outlet out of the wall. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws that hold the electrical wires to the old outlet. There should be two wires if the outlet is not grounded and three wires if the outlet is grounded. The black wire is typically the "hot wire", or the wire which carries electrical current to the outlet. The white wire is typically neutral, and the grounding wire is green.
Once the wires are removed, inspect each wire to make sure that there are no scraps or chips on the exposed ends of the wire. If the wire is scraped or chipped, use the wire strippers to cut away the damage portion. Strip the insulation off of the wire until there is about ¼ to ½ inch exposed wire. Failure to cut away damaged portions of the wire could lead to a fire hazard once the electricity is reconnected.
Next, clamp the tip of the exposed black wire with needle nose pliers and twist the wire into a half circle. Place the black wire onto the copper (gold colored) screw on the new outlet and secure the wire to the outlet with a screwdriver. Repeat this process with the white wire. Connect the grounding wire to the grounding screw (typically located on the bottom of the outlet) and secure the wire to the screw using a screwdriver.
Place the new outlet into the electrical box and secure the outlet to the box by placing screwing in the provided holes in the top and bottom of the outlet. Use a screwdriver to connect these screws to the provided holes in the electrical box. Adjust the outlet so that it is centered in the electrical box. Do not over tighten the screws as this may cause the outlet to bend inward and be excessively recessed from the face place. Finally, use a screwdriver to attach the face plate to the newly installed electrical outlet. Reconnect the electricity at the breaker box and plug an item into the outlet to make sure that it is functioning properly.
