→Like to Sweat, Swear and do Stuff? It’s not as hard… How Electricians Replace a Two-Prong Outlet with a Three-Prong GFCI. 10. for showing us how, but I think I’ll sit this one out. I did that with my place. (From a retired electrician who has found that wisdom and experience is the result of years of ignorance and screwing things up in every way possible!) Remove the electrical outlet from the box by unscrewing the visible screws. 7. Confirming your directions would be the same when I try to replace them this Spring. At least it’s near the ground. My caveat is our house hass aluminum wiring so we are using copper/aluminum 15A rated outlets. Thank you so much for posting! The cost to Replace an Electrical Outlet starts at $93.54 - $113 per outlet, but can vary significantly with site conditions and options. I’ve never heard of that before. It’s not as hard as it looks (or expensive!) In other words, the GFI will trip if you overload any of the other outlets. 20 amp circuits require 12 gauge wire(instead of the smaller 14 gauge wire that 15 amp circuits use). Get a current detector! Seasons change and the wood shrinks and swells. . Ohhhh they’re just things that mainly apply to all people I think. Just cut the breaker to the whole house if you aren’t sure about which breaker or fuse powers the outlet you’re working on. Another option to check it is to plug a lamp into it. Cover with the face plate and you’re done. Plugging into both sockets is a good idea, too, if you don’t have a meter. Laura Firszt writes for networx.com. We made 2 of the 5 outlets in our living room USB for charging our phones and IPads. One contact for one conductor, unless explicitly designed otherwise. But this? Fasten the ground screw. Heh. on nylon unbreakable cover plates. Once you are finished, there should be no play or movement and the plate should be tight on the outlet. Builders are not what they use to be … neither are inspectors as far as I am concerned. 2. See? Just pick one. The only thing I will add is to recommend splurging(30 cents or so?) Your tutorial on sheetrock anchors made possible the large heavy mirrors in my bathroom & closet, and the wire shelf systems above the washer/dryer, and in closet – all installed single-handedly by lil ol’ moi. Now is the time to talk about the scary GROUNDING WIRE, which everyone seems confused by. This pretty much sums up how to replace an electrical outlet yourself, it’s relatively easy! If there’s a 20 amp there, replace it with a 20 amp. Since the mid-1960s, the electrical code has required a third slot for an equipment ground, which adds shock and fire protection. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. If not, it might be time for you to change them out. The radio is a great idea! We have outlets that are on 2 breakers, breakers that were mislabeled…, Great! Just turn on the power again and watch the room light up. I can’t believe how behind I am – I am reading this post on March 1st! Karen Bertelsen. Thanks so much for all you do to keep us fledglings safe and occupied caring for our “stuff”. Get fair costs for your SPECIFIC project requirements. We have one to double-check that the power is off because our home’s fuse box is horribly labeled and very weirdly organized (especially for a house built in 2005) and we’ve gotten shocked when we thought the whole room was on one fuse and painfully found out it wasn’t. I’ve wanted to move this plug closer to the corner of the room as opposed to being in the middle of it for ages but … well I  just haven’t had time in the past 18 years. You are certainly the deluxe emporium for blog readers – something for anyone. INSTALL THE NEW RECEPTACLE Do you have an outlet that doesn't work anymore? Written by Karen. Because I haven’t wrapped the outlet in electrical tape. Any outlets that come after the GFI in the circuit will have ground fault protection. DO NOT use those easy push in wire holes on the backs of outlets. So I figured it out and did it my damn self. There should be no play here. Here are a few reasons why you may need to change out an electrical outlet. Thanks! If the plate is too slick to write on, just use a little piece of tape or something to write on. In general it depends on where the outlet is located. I replaced them exactly to the new outlet (no ground wire). Now I know where the body is buried when I need to work on a switch. I don’t mess with electricity. There is a list with all the breakers numbered and what they control hanging from my box. :) ~ karen! If you zoom in on the photo where you comment on the splatters on the floor – it shows there very nicely. Install the New Outlet 1. You CAN replace an electrical outlet. If there is wallboard, the “ears” on the outlet will be against the drywall and there will be a gap between the outlet and the box. If there’s a 15 amp, replace it with a 15 amp. There’s nothing scary or hard about it. Outlet receptacles can wear out over time. and perhaps I missed it in the how-to or the comments…… and this especially goes for older structures: Thanks, Girlfriend. Knowing how to replace an electrical outlet will come in handy. Leave the light on when you go to turn off the power. The most common electrical outlets are 15-amp duplex receptacles — 15-amp outlets are designed to accept standard plugs for most small appliances and lamps.. Wire the new receptacle as the old one was, with each white wire connected to a silver terminal and each black wire connected to a brass terminal. 3. You can also write the circuit number on each outlet in fine sharpie. 6 outlets: $127.00: $156.11: Electrical Outlet Replacement Job Supplies Then I turned on every overhead light in the house, and a lamp into every outlet. Install a 20-amp receptacle only if the wires are #12 and the circuit breaker or fuse is 20 amps or greater. How to Replace an Electrical Outlet Receptacle At Disaster House, we invited heavy-metal rock band Slaughter to overload our electrical system. The breaker may not be labeled correctly, or someone could have tied two circuits together (not code, but surprisingly common) and your outlet could still be live! No tester? I can always come up with some situation in which all of my safety measures will be useless. That was the best thing I ever could have done. If a receptacle doesn't seem to work, first check that whatever is plugged into it isn’t the problem. 5526 STEPS. I’ve replaced all my switches and outlets over the years too but when it came to the GFCI I cried “uncle” and asked for help. Sometimes you become immune to the ugly stuff in your house. I would then make up 2 charts, one in numerical order and one in alphabetic.