Wiring can look like a dicey affair, but it’s a pretty simple job. However, it is advisable to call a professional electrician to check if you’ve connected it safely. Ensure that you’ve turned off the power supply before starting, and be sure it’s legal to carry out this process in your area.
Ready The Socket
Shut off power to the socket before unscrewing the faceplate. Note the wire connections for the earth, live and neutral terminals. These are differentiated by color with green and yellow for earth, red or blue for live, and black or brown for neutral
After unscrewing the backbox from the wall, place the new backbox on the wall over the existing hole. You can use a spirit level to check if the new box is straight and draw around its edge.
If the new backbox is bigger than the space the older one made, you can drill some holes into the wall for when you’ll need to screw it in.
Adding The New Socket
Straighten out the wires and check if any bare wire ends are damaged. If they are, clip them off with a plier and unsheath them for about 20mm with wire strippers.
Fold the bare wires back into themselves and pinch them together with pliers. Insert each wire into the holes designated for them and screw tightly.
Apply the finishing touches
Push the new socket against the backbox and check that none of the wires are caught or stretched, then screw it shut.
Screw the socket to the wall and make sure it is secure. Fill cracks or holes around the socket with filler, then paint over them. Finally, turn on your power supply.
If the socket doesn’t work, turn off the power and recheck the wiring. Sometimes a screw could come loose or an incorrectly placed wire in a terminal. Call an electrician to check if there any problems with your work.
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