Sometimes your wall sockets are looking shabby or are damaged, or you are simply looking to upgrade your wall sockets during the process of renovating a part of your house. Below are a series of steps to follow when you want to change a wall socket in your home.
1. Consider calling an electrician
Electricity is dangerous and improper handling can lead to injury and death. Incorrect wiring can lead to damage to your house and DB box and may lead to an electrical fire. Always make use of a certified electrician for any of your complex electrical needs. This is to ensure your safety and the safety of your home. They will also provide you with an electrical certificate of compliance to guarantee you that all electrical work done in your home is done to the highest standards, following the most up to date regulations. If you feel confident to undertake the work yourself the following steps will help.
2. Decide on the wall socket you want
There are several different wall sockets available, in black, white metallic and more. Some include three pin plugs as well as two pin plugs and built-in USB sockets for all our technological devices that we want to charge up. Visit your nearest hardware store for a wide range of options, or look online.
3. Turn off your electrical power
This is a vital step, and not doing so could lead to a dangerous electrical shock to you or the electrician, or damage to your electrical wall socket.
4. Unscrew the cover and remove the mounting screws
At this point you will see exposed wiring in front of you, but you have not cut or changed anything. This is a good time to switch the power back on and carefully check if there is sufficient electrical current in the wires and that there is no damage to the wires, using a multimeter. If all the wires are in good order and the electricity is flowing correctly, SWITCH THE POWER OFF before continuing. Test again to ensure that no electricity is flowing through the wires at this point before proceeding.
5. Unscrew the wires and remove the cover plate from the wall
You should now have three loose wires in front of you: the neutral, the earth and the live. These wires can be told apart usually by the colour of the wire’s insulation. Neutral is often black, live is often red and earth is often green, or green and yellow striped, or brown.
6. Open up your new wall socket
At the back of your new wall socket there will be three small sockets that have been marked: neutral, earth and live. You can screw in the wires into their respective sockets. Double check that you have done this correctly and that the wires are correctly secured, and no wires are exposed or touching each other. Remove the cover plates from your new wall socket so that you can access the area that you will use to screw it to the wall.
7. Secure the socket to the wall
Carefully place the new wall socket in the wall until it is flush with the wall. Use the screws provided with the wall socket to secure it to the wall.
8. Add the covers back on
Once you have secured the socket to the wall, you can clip the covers back on to cover up the screws.
9. Check that everything is working correctly
Check that everything is in order and that the wall socket is secure and electricity is flowing correctly. You may now use your new wall socket!
Always be vigilant for any signs of problems with your wall sockets. Make sure to check for sparks, darkening of any plugs, unexpected warmth around the outlet or any usual sounds in the wall. Should anything be amiss, switch off the electricity and
call in the electrician to determine what the problem is as soon as possible.