Replacing Receptacles

Replacing old, worn receptacles and switches can really improve a room. After a fresh coat of paint goes up on the walls, old, half-painted, discolored receptacles stick out like a sore thumb.

That was the case in my dining room after we finished putting on a new coat of brown Ralph Lauren paint. This weekend, I finally replaced the receptacles. I’m pleased with the result. I used Leviton brand builder’s grade receptacles (my thoughts on buying receptacles here), and Leviton Mid-Way, white face plates. I bought both at Home Depot. Let me know what you think.

Before:

After:

Tools I used: receptacle tester, wire strippers, needle-nose pliers, flat screwdriver, phillips screw driver, and a very small flat head screwdriver.

Time: 7 receptacles took me about 1.5 hours.

Safety: Always turn off the power before doing any electrical work. Make sure the power is off to the circuit using a receptacle tester or volt meter. Note: You should always test both top and bottom receptacles, since they can be wired separately (the subject of a later post).

How To Guide: For help with this and other simple house electrical work, I found Stanley’s Complete Wiring Guide to be a big help.

You can also find tutorials online. I found this one on easy2DIY’s site. Note, that this tutorial does not show that you must connect the ground wire directly to the receptacle, particularly when using plastic boxes! While unlikely at 110volts, a mistake like that coupled with a malfunctioning appliance could cause serious injury. Also, I prefer to use a receptacle tester that incorporates a circuit analyzer like this Gardner Bender version available on the cheap at Amazon.

What do you think? Have you changed any receptacles in your house?