I recently had a problem with one of the electrical outlets in my home. When I tried to plug in or unplug something, or even just wiggled the cord, the entire circuit would short out, leaving me with no lights in three rooms, no electrical outlets in two rooms and *gasp* NO COMPUTER!
Well, obviously this was a terrible problem. I mean, how can a writer live without her computer? I had to do something, and fast!
Unfortunately, as a single mother, calling an electrician was just not in the budget. I'd have to figure out how to fix it myself. I did it, for $11.11, and if you follow my instructions, you can do it too!
WHAT YOU NEED
*A multimeter - This is a tester used to check to see if there is electrical current running through the wires. I got mine at Kmart for $9.99 plus tax. This was the most expensive part of the repair for me. If you already have one, it won't cost much at all. *A new outlet - Sells for $0.49 plus tax at Kmart. *Screwdrivers
TURN THE POWER OFF
The first step is the most important: TURN THE POWER OFF! Electricity is not something to play around with. Be very careful. Before starting any electrical project, always turn the power off. Go to the fuse box and find the circuit you will be working on. Remove the fuse or switch the circuit breaker off.
TEST YOUR TESTER
Now you need to make sure your multimeter is working properly. Make sure there is a battery in the multimeter. Now, find a battery that you can use to test your tester. Set the unit to the appropriate battery size, and touch the negative probe to the negative end of your battery and the positive probe to the positive end of the battery. The needle on the multimeter should move. Now that you know it works, change the setting on the multimeter to AC current, or DC if you are in a country that uses DC.
TEST THE OUTLET
Before starting the repair, you need to test the outlet to make sure the power is off. To do this, check to make sure your multimeter is on and set to the correct voltage. Insert the tester's probes into the outlet. The needle should not move. If the needle moves, you probably did not turn off the correct circuit. Go back to the circuit box and try another breaker.
WARNING: Do NOT continue with this repair if you are unsure whether there is power going into the outlet. When in doubt, call an electrician.
REMOVE THE OLD OUTLET
To remove the old outlet, use a screwdriver to remove the screw in the middle of the outlet plate, then remove the plate. Now unscrew the two screws holding the outlet and pull the old outlet away from the wall.
CHANGE THE WIRES
Look at the back of the outlet. There are either three or five wires. One wire (the ground) wraps around a screw. The other wires stick straight into holes on the back of the outlet. These wires can be disconnected by inserting a screwdriver into the slot next to each wire, then pulling the wire out.
Disconnect one wire at a time from the old outlet, then plug it into the same location on the new outlet. This will keep you from getting the wires mixed up.
REPLACE THE OUTLET
Push the outlet back into the hole in the wall and replace the two screws that hold it in place. Then screw the cover plate back in place.
TURN THE POWER ON
Flip the circuit breaker back to the on position or replace the fuse, then check your work. Plug something into your new outlet and turn it on. It should work now. Congratulations!
WARNINGS
ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS. IT CAN SERIOUSLY INJURE OR KILL YOU. ALWAYS BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING WITH ELECRICITY. IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS WHATSOEVER ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO SAFELY PERFORM THIS OR ANY OTHER ELECRICAL REPAIR, DON'T DO IT! CALL AN ELECTRICIAN.
About The Author: About the author: Bethanny Davis lives in Michigan with her two children. She writes articles about money, parenting and relationships. She also enjoys writing short stories and poetry. More of her work can be found at http://writergirl.stormloader.com/.
i want to move a kitchen outlet about 16 inches over, but the outlet is a gfi outlet and has 5 wires. i have a new electrical box, and wire, and i was going to run a connection from old box to new outlet, but the old box has 5 wires, and i dont know if i can move it... please help
I just wanted to add a couple notes to this excellent article.
The overhead lights and the outlets in a room are often on different circuit breakers, so don't assume that when the overhead light goes out, the outlets are dead.
You should test both outlets in a unit before removing it from the wall. The top and bottom could be on different circuits (or in our house, the top will be controlled by a light switch, so might appear to be off even though the circuit is on).
Finally, never do electrical repairs alone. You are often working in the dark and you may have disabled your phone by turning off the power.
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