Wire a UK Plug
This article will teach you how to put together or fix a UK three-pin plug (I hope).
Steps
- Strip the end of the thick cable coming from the appliance into the plug, using wire strippers. Take off roughly {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of white covering, leaving you with three thinner cables.
- Undo the Philips screw in the center of the plug, on the side with the three pins poking out.
- Take the back off of the plug (the part you loosened by undoing the screw).
- Leaving the plug on a desk/table/floor, take the stripped end of the thick white wire and separate the three wires inside it from each other, so each one is relatively maneuverable.
- Strip roughly {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} off of the end of the blue, brown and striped wires, so that the copper insides are clearly visible.
- See the diagram below, in the External Links section for a clearer view.
- Put all three wires through the cable grip, along with the thick white cable, until the cable grip can be securely tightened onto the thick white cable. The cable grip may have to be loosened with a Philips screwdriver in order to fit the cable underneath it.
- Undo the screws on top of the holes to allow the wires to go into the holes and get a good contact with the metal.
- The Blue (Neutral) wire (bl = bottom left) goes into the hole in the bottom left (when the three pins of the front of the plug are facing away from you).
- The Brown (Live) wire (br = bottom right) goes into the hole on the right, connected to the fuse (which should be clipped in).
- The green and yellow wire is the earth wire, and goes through the middle up to the hole in the top.
- Put the back of the plug back on once all the wires are in and tight, and all the screws are securely done up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBVkN5RpQNY
Tips
- You will have to take out the fuse to put the wires in place inside the plug. Make sure you put it back in afterwards or the plug won't work as there will not be a complete circuit without the fuse.
Warnings
- This can go quite wrong if wired incorrectly, and death/serious injury can occur.
- If unsure, it may be a good idea to have an electrician check things over/do the whole job himself, as getting this wrong can be very dangerous.
Things You'll Need
- Wire strippers
- A thin Flathead screwdriver
- A small Philips screwdriver
- Good hands
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