Is your old outlet not working? The connectors inside the outlet were loose on the outlet in my dinning room. We could plug electronics in, but the plug would fall out. I decided it was time to replace the outlet.
I will walk you through each step of the process and show you with pictures how to replace an outlet.
The outlet I am replacing today is an ungrounded (2 prong) outlet. The steps will be mostly the same for a grounded (3 prong) outlet with he exception of the added ground wire.
I need to say that in most areas all electric work is to be done by a licensed electrician. This tutorial is for informational purposes only. That being said… Let’s get into it!
COST – Under $5
TIME – 15 Minutes
Tool and Materials
- Shut of the power at the breaker!
You should NEVER work on anything electrical with the power on. After you shut the breaker off check the outlet by using a non-contact voltage tester or if you don’t have one you can plug in a lamp that you know works.
- Take off the plate cover
Unscrew the flathead screw in the middle of the cover. I decided to replace mine with a new white one, so I discarded the old one, if you plan to reuse it the keep it off to the side.
- Unscrew Outlet
- Check for power
There should be no power to the outlet. Make sure to check all wires in the box, it is possible that there might be a wire from a separate circuit in the box.
- Unscrew the white wires
Make note of where each wire is attached to the outlet and put them in the same order on the new outlet. This is especially important when wiring a GFCI outlet.
- Unscrew the black wires
Make sure to install the wires in the same locations on the new outlet.
- Connect white wires to the new outlet
White wires connect to the silver screws.
- Connect black wires to the new outlet
Black wires connect to the brass (gold color) screws.
- Screw the outlet to the box
Push the wires in carefully and then push the outlet in the box and tighten the screws.
- Install the plate cover
- Turn the breaker back on and check for power at the outlet
Congratulations! That’s it, you are all done.
You can get all the tools and materials needed for this job at your local Home Depot. I linked to each product in the “Tools and Materials” section above.
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