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can i change plug sockets?

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I wonder if anyone can help me, I am considering doing some DIY in the house of an electrical nature. We have 3 double wall sockets in the bedroom that are in desperate need of replacing, one is filthy, one has been knocked off the wall and is hanging by wires and one is upside down ( all inherited from previous cowboy owners!) im sick and tired of waiting for OH to do it and I wondered if replacing the boxes and fronts is something that a DIYer could do? As I understand it, the principal is to just memorise where the earth, live and neutral wires go and do exactly the same on the new plug socket boxes – obviously turning the electricity off first! – but would anyone be able to say if this is really a thing for an electrician to do or if a layperson can do it? a quick look on the net suggests that this is about the only thing that can be tried and legally done in your house yourself but I wanted either some reassurance that it isn’t unwise to attempt or some advice either way really? I have rewired plugs before so im not a complete novice.

Obviously if the bulk of this advice is to avoid, then I shall!
)

:beer:
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Comments

  • LandyAndy
    LandyAndy Posts: 26,377 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts
    Why do you need to replace the boxes?

    Replacing the fronts is, as you suspect, just a matter of unscrewing what's there and rewiring the new ones in the same way.

    You might want to take a photo of the old and new fronts (the rear side;)) and draw the wiring on the 'new' photo = no need to memorise.
  • fluffpot
    fluffpot Posts: 1,264 Forumite
    if it's just a like for like replacement then you can go ahead. To check that the sockets are off, plug a light or radio into them. Make sure you push the wires well into the new terminals and screw up nice and tight. Push tsockets back carefully so you don't catch any of the cable in the front plate screws.

    Good luck

    Fluff
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 34,528 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Very simple and straightforward task. Don't memorise where they went, check you are putting the wires in the correct terminals on the new socket, they could be in slightly different positions.
  • keith969
    keith969 Posts: 1,575 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    Any decent quality socket e.g. MK will have the terminals marked L, N, E.

    Don't forget that the sockets will probably be on a ring so you will have 2 wires each of L/N/E.
    For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.
  • loracan1
    loracan1 Posts: 2,287 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    molerat wrote: »
    Very simple and straightforward task. Don't memorise where they went, check you are putting the wires in the correct terminals on the new socket, they could be in slightly different positions.
    I've replaced the odd one before now and the wires have been in different places, the last one being so different that I ended up cleaning up and replacing the old one. Most difficult bit is how awkward it is to manouvre the wires.
  • roger196
    roger196 Posts: 610 Forumite
    500 Posts
    Get a plug in socket tester like the Kewcheck 103 see www.screwfix.com part no 45558. This should pick up conditions like live and neutral wired the wrong way round or no earth. If previous owners were cowboys, take particular care.
  • waynehayes
    waynehayes Posts: 427 Forumite
    keith969 wrote: »
    Any decent quality socket e.g. MK will have the terminals marked L, N, E.

    Don't forget that the sockets will probably be on a ring so you will have 2 wires each of L/N/E.


    There could also be a spur off the socket, in which case there would be three of each conductor!
  • tudorfan22
    tudorfan22 Posts: 436 Forumite
    cheers guys for your help, will try at the weekend!
    )

    :beer:
  • Unless you are 100% certain about what you are doing, please, please get an electrician in, after all you don't get a second chance where electricity is concerned. Also a decent sparks would do a series of safety checks to the wiring and earting system to ensure your new socket and electrics generally are completely safe.

    He would uncover a broken ring, defective cabling or inadequate earthing. All these (dangerous) faults and more are fairly common but are unlikely to be found by a DIYer.

    An Niceic or Napit registered electrician would be the way to go and surely has to be worth the cost of a couple tanks of petrol which is probably around what the cost would be.
  • wallbash
    wallbash Posts: 17,775 Forumite
    You have read the posts here , you are changing a front panel .
    Why worry about , broken rings , defective cabling , the earth ... or if the sky is going to fall in tomorrow.

    Take your time .if you think that you will change more , the socket tester is a great idea . but calling for an expensive visit from an electrician to check your work is a very expensive idea. Would have been better to call for one to do the job in the first place.
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