It doesn't matter where you put them, use both or 1 they are linked together.
Electrical advice for a complete noob.
- Thread starter Goose
- Start date
It doesn't matter where you put them, use both or 1 they are linked together.
Good to know, cheers, we get taught to use the screw for continuity when testing for earth on appliances.
Couple of things, just make sure you note which cables came out of which holes on the old, then make a note of the legend on that socket as whilst you can usually rely on the colours of the wires you never know if a cowboy has been involved and just used whatever. The new socket holes will have the same legends to then put the wires into the right holes.
And as per power being off yes be careful, I swapped all the sockets in my house and had no issues except with one area, I turned off my downstairs sockets at the fuse box, but failed to realise that the kitchen was on a different switch entirely on the fuse box and got a nice little surprise when I undid the kitchen one. Lesson learnt by having nice tingly fingers for a little bit - which meant I got lucky.
And as per power being off yes be careful, I swapped all the sockets in my house and had no issues except with one area, I turned off my downstairs sockets at the fuse box, but failed to realise that the kitchen was on a different switch entirely on the fuse box and got a nice little surprise when I undid the kitchen one. Lesson learnt by having nice tingly fingers for a little bit - which meant I got lucky.
No expert, but would guess risk of electrocution every time you touched the socket.
Soldato
- Joined
- 25 May 2008
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- 4,246
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- North Wales
While it is a simple job if you feel in any way unsure it's probably the right decision to get someone qualified in, it's not like fixing the waste pipe under your sink where the worst that happens is things get a bit wet, electricity is scary stuff and shouldn't be underestimated.
Yeah, my complete lack of understanding for even the simplest of electrical concepts worries me quite a bit.
You have two lots of cable as it’s literally ring around that floor, a daisy chain of sockets.
on the back of your old socket you should see L, N and earth symbol put the wires to the same symbols on the new socket.
This is important
240v electric pixies are far more angrier than the 12v kind, 12v will give you a little tickle or maybe make your hair stand up or make you walk funny for a bit.
240v 32amp will turn you into a burnt kebab
Make sure you turn off power at the fuse box and check there’s no power at the socket, flip the main switch to be sure
Make sure you ground metal faceplates if it needs one
make sure there’s no exposed copper.
You can get a socket tester for a few quid from screw fix plug it in after your done and the lights left you if all the pins are correct
on the back of your old socket you should see L, N and earth symbol put the wires to the same symbols on the new socket.
This is important
240v electric pixies are far more angrier than the 12v kind, 12v will give you a little tickle or maybe make your hair stand up or make you walk funny for a bit.
240v 32amp will turn you into a burnt kebab
Make sure you turn off power at the fuse box and check there’s no power at the socket, flip the main switch to be sure
Make sure you ground metal faceplates if it needs one
make sure there’s no exposed copper.
You can get a socket tester for a few quid from screw fix plug it in after your done and the lights left you if all the pins are correct
Do not rely on that to make sure socket is dead, it does not always detect you have to move it around I have the same one but bundled with a socket tester, if you tap it on something dead it will detect voltage. I wouldn’t trust my life on that.
I always plug a portable light in before disconnecting the electrics, just to make 100% sure. That being said I got zapped by a lighting circuit a couple of years ago, turned on the electrics to drill a hole, forgot to turn them back off again, touched wire, ouch. Man never again
could be worse i was putting up a shelf in a office once and was always taught wiring ran straight either up and down or left and right. so thought drill on a diagonal well away from the socket on the skirting literally 2 feet to the left and 5 feet up.....you guessed it some idiot had ran the cable diagonally from the socket to the side of the wall and i drilled into it..i was sitting on the otherside of the room and the drill was completely melted grrrrrrrrrrrr always shut the lot down now .
sounds like my house when we moved in half the sockets in the kitchen are on one fuse and the others are on another...except i presume the last owner had wired one socket into the lighting circuit................... changed now lol
One of our directors was changing a timer/programmer on an old washing machine, went to unplug it but could reach the 4 way extension it was plugged into, he followed extentension to its plug top and removed from socket.
Unfortunately he didn't run a volt stick over it and got a good whack from the timer, on closer inspection he found they'd plugged a cable with a plug top either end into the extension and then ran it to another plug socket remaking the ring!
Unfortunately he didn't run a volt stick over it and got a good whack from the timer, on closer inspection he found they'd plugged a cable with a plug top either end into the extension and then ran it to another plug socket remaking the ring!