Is it hard to replace a plug in receptacle?

Question

My house is really dirt old and the receptacles are from like the 1960/s. I need to replace them, but dont know how. Is it hard to do?

Answer 1

Take a look at the old receptacle. If it is from the 60,s as you say they are, there is probably only two holes on the old plug. You must replace them with the same two holes. You cannot upgrade by adding one with a ground (3 holes) unless you install new wire that has a ground as well as a hot and common ground If while you are changing you may find that the insulation on the wire is brittle and is breaking off. I would suggest stopping there and called an electrician to do an upgrade. If every thing is OK and you want to go forward, you can buy the 2 holed outlet at the Big Box Stores or electric supply house. Turn off the power and if possible screw the black wire to the brass screw and the white to the silver. Some times you cant tell the colors as the wires are old and the color is worn. You can use a tester and find the live one and mark it as this is the black one

Answer 2

no it is not hard to do at all, the first thing you want to do is turn off the power to the plug. Plug a fan or light into the receptacle if you do not have a meter to check the power and make sure it is dead. loosen the screws and install the new one with the same wiring configuration as the one you remove.

You may want to have someone come in to check the wiring to see what type it is and that it is up to code. Some of the old wiring could need to be replaced. If that is the case you will need someone with experience to do it.

Answer 3

as long as they're the same size it shouldn't be hard........sometimes the wires are too short to make it easy....sometimes the boxes have too many wires to make it easy.....try one & see......u may want to hire it out