| In
This Article:
After the power is shut off,
worn out electrical outlets are removed and replaced, and
ground wire connections are corrected. |
Related
Articles:
|
| Skill Level:
2 (Basic) |
Time Taken:
Half An Hour |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
Electrical outlets wear out. A new outlet will hold a plug
quite firmly, but after years of use the outlet will lose its grip.
It's common to find 20 or 30 year old outlets that are so loose that
a cord barely stays in place. This isn't just a nuisance, this is a
hazard. Loose-fitting plugs can arc, which is essentially
small-scale lightning. Arcing will create heat, and if the arcing is
bad enough the heat can melt the surrounding wiring and start a
fire. I've seen it happen.
 |
All of the outlets (officially known as receptacles)
in this 40-year-old house were candidates for
replacement.
While many were simply worn out, I don't care for the
contemporary look of white outlets and switches.
Some people change their electrical devices simply
for color preferences.
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| Sometimes previous owners have painted
over the outlets. It's easier to replace an outlet than
to try to scrape off the paint. |
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|
 |
This outlet was among the worst in the
house... it was loose, the plastic was cracked, and it
was painted over. |
|
But First...
Turn Off The Power!
I turned off the circuit breaker that supplied the
room I was working on.
Using a non-contact voltage tester, I double-checked
that the power was off.
Don't assume that all outlets in one room are on the
same circuit... I have one outlet in the living room
that is part of a kitchen circuit.
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|
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I removed the outlet mounting screws.
I used a cordless drill instead of a slot
screwdriver, since I was replacing a couple dozen
outlets. |
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| The old outlet had been painted over, so I
carefully pried the metal tabs away from the wallboard.
This is one spot where I don't want the drywall to
break. |
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|
 |
I pulled the outlet straight out from the
metal junction box. |
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| I unscrewed the connector screws. Since
I'm throwing away these old outlets, I completely
removed the screws. |
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|
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This screw on the hot side had evidence of
a short circuit. Notice the black soot marks and melted
metal (red arrow). |
|
| Right beside it, on the metal junction
box, there was a corresponding black soot mark. |
 |
|
This is typical evidence of a short circuit sometime in the past.
Somebody probably stuck a metal object into the side of the junction
box when the cover plate was removed. Simply wrapping the outlet in
electrical tape can prevent this.
 |
Once the device was removed, I pulled the
wires from the J-box. |
|
| The ground wires had been twisted
together, but not connected to the outlet.
In some of the J-boxes the ground wires had been
wrapped under a screw head. In this case there was no
attempt to fasten the wire to the box. |
 |
|
 |
Using a pair of pliers I pulled the ground
wires so they stuck out. |
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| I consider myself lucky
to have ground wires like these.
This house was built in 1962-63, and around that time
grounded wiring was becoming a requirement. I've seen
newer houses where non-grounded wiring was used, or
worse, where somebody had clipped off the ground
wires deep in the junction box.
I've also seen houses from this era where grounded
wiring was used and the ground wire was not connected
but carefully wrapped around the cable where it entered
the junction box, to be connected at a later date. |
|
Connecting The Ground Wires Properly:
In some of the junction boxes one ground wire was wrapped around
a screw that secured the cables in place. In other boxes, the ground
wire was not connected to anything. Current electrical codes require
a metal junction box to have a ground wire securely attached, either
using a ground screw or an approved fastener.
| Using needle-nose pliers, I made a
shepherd's hook on the end of a 4-inch piece of ground
wire. |
 |
|
 |
This is a ground screw. I bought a pack of
100 for about 6 bucks at Home Depot. |
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| I put the screw in the hook and pinched it
with pliers.
Then I bent the wire into an "L" shape.
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|
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In the back of the metal J-box there were
two holes. Luckily the ground screw (which has an 8-32
thread) fit into these holes. |
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| Using a 5/16" nut driver, I fastened
the ground wire "pig-tail" to the hole in the
box. |
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|
 |
Using lineman's pliers, I untwisted the
original ground wires.
I've never found it easy to add another wire to a
group of already-twisted wires.
|
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| I placed the box ground pig-tail next to
the original grounds, and I also placed another
pig-tail next to those. |
 |
|
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While holding the cluster of ground wires
with one hand, I used the lineman's pliers to twist the
four bare wires into a solid-feeling connection. |
|
| I clipped off ends so they would all be
the same length. |
 |
|
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I installed a red twist-on wire connector
(commonly called a "wire nut") to hold the
wires together.
A yellow wire nut might have barely fit (since the
old ground wires are very small... they look like number
16 wire), but I used the larger red connector.
|
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| I pushed the cluster of ground wires into
the back of the J-box.
I try to keep the wires neatly folded so I'll have
adequate room in these old junction boxes.
|
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Connecting The New Outlet:
 |
I made a hook on the other end of that
fourth ground wire. |
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| I hooked the ground wire over the green
terminal on the new outlet. |
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|
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I pinched the hook almost closed. This may
not be necessary, but I do it to ensure that the wire
stays where I want it, even if the screw gets loose. |
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| I tightened the ground screw firmly. |
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|
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I connected the white (neutral) wires to
the silver screws. |
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Note that there are two white wires and two black wires. One
cable (consisting of a black, white, and bare ground wire) is feeding
the box with power, and the other cable feeds another box
downstream somewhere.
In this case the white wires are connected together AND connected
to the outlet. Since the outlet has two screws, it's common practice
to simply connect the incoming white wire to one silver
screw, and the outgoing white wire to the other screw. The
black wires are treated similarly.
| I connected the black (hot) wires to the
gold screws. |
 |
|
Another method of wiring is to use a wire nut to connect the
incoming and outgoing wires, and a short pigtail wire which connects
to the outlet.
 |
I wrapped electrical tape around the sides
of the outlet, making sure there were two layers over
the gold screws. |
|
| To push the outlet back into the box, I
made sure the wires made an "accordion" or
"W" shape. |
 |
|
My Trick For Pushing Outlets Into A J-Box:
 |
First I tilted the outlet and pushed it
into the box on an angle.
Note that the screws are going on the outside
of this metal J-box. |
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| Then I pulled the outlet back out, rotated
it the other way, and pushed it into the box
again.
This seems to force the wires to fold properly in the
box. |
 |
|
I again pulled the outlet from the J-box, and then I
pushed it back with the screws aligned with the mounting holes.
This process takes a few extra seconds, but seems to be worth the
effort, especially with number 12 wire and larger.
 |
I screwed the outlet to the junction box. |
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| Finished job: A new outlet. |
 |
|
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Since I'm going to be repainting the room,
I covered the outlet with 2-inch blue masking tape. |
|
More Outlets:
A Problem:
This outlet had three wires that combined into one
wire... and the connection was wrapped in electrical
tape.
|
 |
|
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I removed the electrical tape to reveal a
pair of soldered connections (red arrows).
This method was done a l-o-n-g time ago.
Soldering wire connections is a really sturdy method, if
the wires are twisted together properly. But... it's too
time-consuming, and it can't be undone easily. |
|
| These are Ideal® Term-a-Nut® wire
connectors. These allow 2 to 4 number 12 wires to be
joined together and have a pig-tail for connecting to an
outlet.
These are great for extending the reach of a
group of wires that barely protrude from a junction box. |
 |
|
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I cut the wires just upstream of the
soldered connection, stripped the ends, and attached the
Term-a-Nut by twisting it on the ends of the wires. |
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| Then I connected the Term-a-Nut to the
outlet. |
 |
|
Another Grounding Method:
 |
I made a bare pig-tail about 8 inches
long, and used a green ground screw to connect it to the
J-box. |
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| Using a pair of pliers I twisted the old
ground wires and the new pig-tail. |
 |
|
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I slipped a green wire nut over the long
bare wire, and twisted it onto the connection.
Then I made the shepherd's hook and connected the
ground wire to the outlet as usual.
An electrical inspector once told me that the
shortest ground wires need to extend at least 3 inches
from the box, and the longest ground needs to extend at
least 6 inches outside the box. |
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|
Tools
Used:
- Cordless Drill/Driver
- Phillips Screwdriver
- Needle-nose Pliers
- Lineman's Pliers
- Wire Strippers
|
Materials Used:
- Duplex Receptacle (Outlet)
- Wire Nuts
- Ideal® Term-A-Nut® Wire
Connectors
- Electrical Tape
|
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