Free House Repair Tutorials - Fix Wall Electrical Outlets

These rarely cause trouble.

Sometimes they get loose and only need tightening. To replace:

1. Remove fuse or trip circuit breaker to off for particular room of the house. Test to be sure you have correct circuit by plugging a lamp into the receptacle.

2. Unscrew and remove face the plate.

3. Unscrew the mounting screws at top and bottom and pull the unit out.

4. Notice how wires are connected and connect them to the new unit the same way. All white wires are connected to the side with a silvery color and the black wires to the brassy terminals.

5. A green grounding wire might be connected on newer systems so be sure to reconnect this wire also.

6. Reassemble the outlet doing steps above in reverse order.

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This article was written by Anne Field, Extension Specialist, Emeritus, with reference from MSU Extension bulletin Electrical Repairs You Can Do. Click here to submit a tutorial or an article to Learnthat.com

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