Things You'll Need:
- Receptacle (non GFCI)
- Circuit tester
- Flashlight
- Wiring
- Screwdriver
- Wire stripper
- Wire cutters
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Step 1
Locate the circuit panel and shut off any electricity that applies to the area you are going to be working. "If there is a doubt, go without" is a good rule of thumb here, so turn off any circuits that could possibly be connected to your work area. It's better to work with a flashlight than to be electrocuted. Use a circuit tester on each wire you're working on to make sure there is no power going to them.
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Step 2
Write down or take an instant picture of the current wiring before you disconnect anything. This will help you if you have to reconnect the old wiring.
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Step 3
Place the wire strip up over the wire so that the wire is inside the wire strip. Slide it up the wire approximately seven inches, squeeze it and pull down towards the end of the wire. This will make a slit down the center of the wire.
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Step 4
Slide your finger along the wire to separate the cover from the wires inside. Also pull back the insulation off of the ground wire (usually green colored) and clip off the covering and extra insulation with wire cutters. You should have about seven inches of three wires; hot (colored black), neutral (colored white) and ground (either bare or colored green).
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Step 5
Look on the back of your receptacle and locate at one end a place that is labeled "strip gauge." This is how much insulation you will need to remove from the black and white wires. Using your wire cutters, place the wire in the right sized indent and squeeze the cutters to crease the wire insulation. Using the end of the cutters, clamp down on the end and pull firmly. The insulation should slide right off and expose the wire. Recheck it with the strip gauge to make sure it's the right length. Do this for all of the wires (unless your ground is already exposed, then just cut the white and black wires). If the exposed ends are too long, clip them to fit the gauge with your cutters.
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Step 6
Insert the black wire into the opening labeled "hot." The newer receptacles have a great feature; when you push the wire in, it has a release. On older models, once you pushed the wire in, that was it. If you don't want to use the open point, you can always wrap the exposed wire around the right screw and tighten it with a screwdriver. Repeat the same procedure with the white or neutral wire.
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Step 7
Locate where the ground wire should be attached. Check your manual, but it's usually located on one end under a screw that is not attached to the receptacle wiring. It should be isolated from all of the other wires. There is a chance that the ground attachment will connect to the ground wire coming out of the wall, check your old wiring configuration to confirm what was done.
