Electrical Outlet Replacement

Written By: Bryce Afonso

Comments: 0

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

20 - 30 minutes

Introduction

If a receptacle doesn't seem to work, first check that whatever is plugged into it isn’t the problem.

If you’re still having the problem, before buying a new receptacle, check the wiring. Usually, the wires leading to a receptacle will be white #14 and the circuit breaker or fuse will be 15 amps. In that case, install a 15-amp receptacle. Install a 20-amp receptacle only if the wires are yellow #12 and the circuit breaker or fuse is 20 amps or greater. This is to ensure you’ll be using the right equipment.

This guide shows you how to replace a broken electrical outlet. For your safety, before proceeding, make sure you are comfortable working with electrical wires and check local building codes to make sure this is a project you are allowed to complete yourself.

Tools

Parts

15A Electrical Outlet

Step 1

First, turn off the power to the area you’re working on.
If you aren’t sure about which breaker or fuse powers the outlet you’re working on just cut the power thorugh the whole house.

Step 2

Remove the face plate from the wall by unscrewing the two screws.

Step 3

Remove the outlet from the box by unscrewing the two screws.

Step 4

Pull the outlet Away from the box.

Step 5

Remove the wires from the outlet by unscrewing the screws just enough to slip the wires out.
In this particular case, there are two sets of wires for both black and white. In most cases, there will only be one black and white wire.

Step 6

Atach the ground wire to the new electrical outlet. (to the green screw)
It’ll either be the green wire, or a copper wire.
If your box is metal, you'll need to ground the wire first to the box screw AND the outlet. In this case, It's a plastic box so it does not need to be grounded to the box.

Step 7

Attach the wires by the following
The black wire goes to the brass screw.
The white wire goes to the silver screw.
See how there are two silver screws? It doesn’t matter which one you use.
Hook your wires so they are going in the same direction as the screw is when tightening. This will help clamp the wire down as opposed to pushing it off.