How To Repair Damaged Wiring

Electric sockets can get damaged past beingness cracked or overheated. Don't put off repairing damaged electrical sockets they are potentially lethal and it is not a difficult or expensive task to repair a damaged socket.

Providing that you are competent you will have no problem repairing a damaged socket, it is a reasonably straightforward job.

Delight simply complete electrical piece of work if you lot are competent to do so see our electric projects page including Function P of the building regulations for more information on electric competency.

Delight employ a professional qualified insured electrician if y'all have whatever doubts in your ability at any stage in the pace past step guide beneath.

A Step past Stride Guide to Repairing a Damaged Socket

We are going to assume that the electrical socket outlet is connected to a standard band main with no spur. You will, therefore have ii cables in the socket outlet.

If you are not certain whether this is what yous are working on then please consult a professional electrician for advice (run across above).

Before you do anyting, switch off the power at the mains consumer unit for the circuit concerned. You lot may be able to isolate the circuit by switching an MCB switch (run into our fuses project for more information on circuit breakers).

If you have removable fuses at your consumer unit, switch off the ability at the consumer unit and remove the fuse for this excursion.

You must be sure that the socket has been isolated from the power supply before proceeding so brand sure you test information technology. It has been known for fuse boxes to be incorrectly labelled, and so don't take whatever chances. You can buy a tester very cheaply.

Broken electrical socket — Broken 2 gang socket faceplate – Epitome courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Loosen the retaining screws on the faceplate of the socket in question. Put them to 1 side – making certain you lot don't lose them. You tin utilise masking record to stick them to the skirting board below for safekeeping.
Pull the socket outlet away from the socket box so that you lot can access the concluding connections on the back.
With the face plate away from the socket box you will be able to encounter three pairs of conductors:
- Unmarried or One pair of brown (alive) conductors. These will be red if you are working with one-time cables
- Single or One pair of blueish (neutral) conductors. These volition be blackness if you are working with old cables
- Single or One pair of light-green and yellow (earth) conductors.
If the socket outlet is mounted in a metal pattress box, you might also see an earth tail connecting from the earth terminal on the socket to the earth concluding on the dorsum of the metallic box.

Rear view of an electric socket showing all wires – Prototype courtesy of diynot.com
Using a small apartment-head screwdriver undo each of the connectedness terminals at the height of the socket outlet so that you can release the conductors.
Loosen the terminal connections on the new socket outlet (alive, neutral and earth).

Electrical wires connected to socket – Prototype courtesy of wickes.co.great britain
Insert the live conductors into the hole in the live terminal marked 'L'. This will be the brownish or ruby cable.
Brand certain that there is no exposed wire showing, and don't twist the wires together. Tighten the retaining screw to make certain the wires are firmly secured.
Repeat step vii for the neutral cable fixing them into the neutral concluding, marked 'N'. This volition exist bluish or black.

Echo step 7 for the earth conductors fixing them to the earth last marked with the earth symbol. These will be green/yellow. If you take an globe tail (meet to a higher place) fitted betwixt the socket outlet and metallic patress box refit it when connecting the pair of globe conductors to the terminal marked with the earth symbol on the back of the socket outlet. One end should already be connected to the earth terminal on the dorsum of the metal pattress box.
Brand sure all your connections are made neatly into the correct terminals, with no stray wires and that they are securely fastened.
Ease the face plate dorsum against the dorsum box. Brand sure the cables are not kinked and are sitting neatly inside the box so they won't get trapped when you lot screw on the face plate.
Line up the face plate and use the retaining screws to fasten it in place. Making certain the face plate is level as you lot tighten up the screws. Place a spirit level on top as you tighten up the screws alternately if you don't have a good 'eye' for checking the level.
Restore the power and test that your new electrical socket works – we recommend plugging in that electrical kettle and having a well deserved cuppa.

Repairing a damaged electric socket is a fairly easy task every bit long and you are careful and follow the steps outlined higher up. Above all, exist careful and take your time.

If you lot would like to know more near the electricity in your home and how it works, we have many electrical DIY projects in our projects section here.

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