Points To Remember When Replacing A Switch Or Receptacle

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

If a switch stops working or if a receptacle is damaged or burned out, the solution is nearly always to replace it. Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Replace a switch or receptacle with one that has exactly the same rating. Replace a 15-amp unit with a 15-amp one and a 20-amp unit with one rated 20 amps.
• Replace an older unpolarized receptacle with a polarized one. An unpolarized receptacle has two equal sized slots while a polarized one has a long slot and a shorter one.
• Don’t replace a two-slot receptacle with a grounded three slot one unless the box is grounded or your wiring has a ground wire.
• If you are replacing a receptacle in a kitchen, bathroom, basement or other well-exposed area, install a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacle. A GFCI receptacle provides maximum safety and will work even in an ungrounded box.
• The most common type of wall switch and the kind you will be replacing most often is a single-pole switch. It has two brass-colored terminal screws and often another green one for a ground wire. It controls a light or receptacle from one location.
• To replace a switch that controls a light from two different locations such as the top and bottom of stairs, you need a special three-way switch. It has terminal screws for three wires and often one for a ground wire. Less common is a four-way switch which controls a light from three locations.
• The number of wires in a box for a switch or receptacle varies depending on whether the box is at the end of circuit (only one cable enters it) or whether it is in the middle of a circuit ( two cables enter it). However, you should have no problem determining which wire to attach to which screw as long as you move the wires one at a time from the old unit to the matching screw on the replacement unit.
• The black hot wire on a receptacle goes to the silver-colored screw. The green or bare ground wire goes to the green screw.
• Many switches and receptacles can be wired using holes in the back of the unit into which a wire can be pushed. Avoid this method, the wires may loosen as you push the unit in the box.
• If your house has aluminum wiring, use only replacement receptacles or switches that are stamped CO/ALR. You can tell if you have aluminum wiring by looking at the color (dull silver rather than copper) of the wires in the box or by checking for exposed cables in the attic or in the basement that are marked with AL or the word aluminum.

• Tweet
• Share
• Email