What better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve than with some stripping and screwing?!
I’m a bit ashamed to say I’d never changed, or rewired a plug before. Shocking isn’t it? I remember my Dad changing plugs when I was little, but it’s not something that seems to need doing so much anymore.
It felt like a life skill I should probably know, regardless of when I’d next have a reason to do it. So, ably assisted by the Other Half, I learnt how to rewire a plug as a new thing on the last day of the 2022.
Why Would You Need To Change Or Rewire A Plug?
Good question! I don’t think I could have answered this before. When I was small, electrical items didn’t always come fitted with plugs, so this was a skill that would have been very handy when buying any new appliances back then.
I asked the Other Half if he could think of any reasons for changing a plug these days. He suggested if you wanted to put a wire through a small hole in a piece of furniture and the plug wouldn’t go through the hole. So there potentially may be future instances when I might call upon this new found skill!
'Watt' It Took To Rewire A Plug
It was a fairly straightforward process, however, if you’re going to re-wire or change a plug for the first time, please be careful, and follow advice of an expert. This is a write up of my experience and not a ‘how to’ guide.
The Other Half had already cut the wire on the plug on the lamp. Unscrewing the plug and taking it apart was the easy step. Stripping back the wires and re-assembling it all needed a bit more concentration but was still a relatively simple task.
Stripping The Wires
The thick main white wire leading from the plug housed separate smaller wires inside it. I needed to cut the white cable back first in order to access the internal wires. Gently squeezing the wire cutter, I made a bit of a dent. I was surprised how much pressure I needed to apply to actually sever the cable. I didn’t want to cut through the inner wires, so was being more cautious than I needed to be.
The wires inside also needed trimming and stripping back, to expose enough of the copper so that it would be able to make contact with the relevant points in the plug, and for everything to fit back together neatly. Having already trimmed the white wire I was more confident in repeating the process.
Once everything was trimmed, the three copper cables needed feeding back into the plug casing.
This was the trickier part. The wires needed to have contact with the terminals in their allocated positions.
Top Tip For Rewiring A Plug
A handy way to remember where to position the cables them in the plug is by the colours;
- Blue is Neutral. Go by the first letters of the colour. BL = bottom left.
- Brown is live. Go by the first letters of the colour. BR = bottom right.
- Green and yellow is earth. There’s no handy way of remembering where it goes. It just goes at the top.
Not all plugs will have the earth wire I discovered. This is usually due to the item having plastic casings, or because the design means the live wire can’t actually touch the casing.
Finishing Up
It was fiddly and needed a bit of concentration to manoeuvre the wires under the clamp and secure them into their homes. Happy with my work, and after the Other Half had cast his eyes over it, I screwed the back of the plug back in place.
Conducting The Big Switch On
So far, so good. Next this was the big moment. When I put the plug back into the socket, would the lamp light up? Would I give myself a shock? Would I blow the fuses?
Being a bit over cautious, I put my trainers on, (although I’m not sure they really offer much protection against electric shocks), and I asked the Other Half to be on stand by with a wooden spoon – just in case I got a shock and he needed to move me. Clearly my health and safety brain was running away with me.
An Electrifying Outcome
Quickly clicking and releasing the switch, (because that would minimise any electric shocks, right?), and there was light! I’d done it! I had successfully completed a bit of DIY maintenance! I’d not short circuited the house, I’d not set fire to anything or blown anything up! This may feel like a small, everyday occurence for some people reading this, but as it was my first experience rewiring a plug, I was feeling pretty chuffed that it had worked.
Rewiring a plug may feel like a small challenge, like an everyday occurence for some people reading this, but as it was my first experience rewiring a plug I was feeling pretty chuffed that it had worked.
Want To Try It Yourself?
If you’ve got an appliance with a plug, then you can practice rewiring it.
- Looking to learn a quick, helpful, household skill? Why not try rewiring a plug?
Cost Of Experience
It was free as we had the tools needed in the house.
If you need a screwdriver and a wire cutter, you can pick them up at a reasonable price from many high street DIY stores, or you can order them on line.
- It may be that you could ask a neighbour if they have the tools for rewiring a plug and if you can borrow them.
Recommendations
Be very careful. Electricity can be fatal. Please take care if you are trying this.
Ask someone who knows what they are doing to help you, especially if it is your first time rewiring a plug.
Follow the advice of an expert.