Fixing a Damaged Electrical Receptacle

Electrical outlets, or receptacles, are one of the main components of the electrical system in the home that allows us all to connect our devices to electricity to operate. However, as the home ages, an electrical receptacle can easily create an electrical short, or wear down to the point where key components inside the receptacle no longer function. The only way to ensure that the receptacle is properly repaired is to totally replace it with a new one.

Replacing a damaged electrical receptacle with a brand-new one will eliminate the need to worry about potential fire hazard caused from a faulty outlet. The following basic steps can help you through the process of changing out a broken or damaged electrical receptacle with a new one.

The first step is to ensure that all the power to the house has been turned off. This will ensure that there is no power to the receptacle being worked on. If you only want to turn off the power to that outlet, use a voltage line tester to ensure that the power has been completely, 100%, turned off. However, recognize that the receptacle is damaged, and it may not be registering correctly.

With the power completely off, use a screwdriver to remove the cover plate to the receptacle to get access to the screws that hold the receptacle in the box. Remove both the bottom and the top screws to pull the electrical receptacle away from the electrical box. Once removed, you will have access to the wiring that is either screwed to the side of the outlet, or plugged in, in the back.

The outlet should have at least one black wire (hot), one white wire (neutral) and one bare/green (ground). Remove one wire at a time from the existing damaged receptacle and install it on the new one. Make sure that the brass/gold screw is only used to accept a black wire, and the silver screw only accepts a white wire. The bear/green wire always goes to the green screw. Once all the wires are in place, tighten each one firmly.

Carefully push the new receptacle into the existing box. Make sure that all of the wires are not cramped or bent. Use new screws to tighten the receptacle firmly into the existing electrical box. Now that the box and receptacle are ready for the receptacle plate, they can be attached using one single screw in the middle.

Now that the replacement is finished, go to the main circuit breaker in turn the power back on. Once back at the newly installed outlet, use the voltage line tester to test out the outlet. Slowly insert the probe correctly into the slots. The light on the voltage tester will illuminate and should indicate that the power is actually on, and that the receptacle will operate properly, as designed.

This simple solution is an easy alternative for replacing a damaged electrical receptacle in the house. However, it is always important to take the necessary steps to ensure that the electricity is handled properly and safely.