With the ever growing choice of gadgets which run our lives you may find you have collected a large amount of USB cables to charge your devices. A pain is when you have more items to charge or power and not enough sockets.
Well you can now have not only your standard 3 pin UK sockets but they can now come with two USB sockets. Perfect for homes which have near to no space on the socket but needs to charge their phone or tablet - these new style of sockets are super easy to install.
Below we talk you through the process - due to just how easy the replacement is, you’ll be adding these to all of your socket throughout your home.
What You Will Need:
Step 1 - Safety Advice
Safety first: All electrical circuit work should be carried out by competent persons and in accordance with any regulations. If you are in any doubt do contact a qualified electrician before carrying out any work.
You Could Use:
If you have one - using a plug-in socket tester is perfect for identifying if electricity is flowing to the plug and the even confirm that the original plug is not faulty.
Plugging it in and turning the socket on, if there is electricity then the three lights will all light up, if not then the lights will not light up.
Step 2 - Removing the Old Socket
To begin, isolate the power at the main fuse box - with the electricity off at the fuse box then you can start to remove the screws holding the faceplate in place. Once they have been removed you can pull the socket away from the wall and this will expose all the wires.
You’ll notice that you have a brown wire (Live), Blue wire (Neutral) and a yellow and green wire (Earth).
Step 3 - Using a Multimeter
Before you start removing the wires double check using a multimeter to test the terminals - if you turn your tester to its highest AC voltage level when you test the terminals with the probes the reading should not change.
Step 4 - Removing the Wires
Once you have tested the wires are not live you can now begin to remove the wires from their respective terminals.
With them removed you can now begin fitting the wires to the terminals to your new double socket with USBs. When fitting them first make sure the wires are being installed into the correct terminals and secondly - when you tighten them, give them a tug to ensure they are secure.
Step 5 - Fitting the New Socket
With the wires in the correct positions and tight you can now refit the front panel and screw it in place.
Once done you can now turn the fuse back on - using the plug-in socket tester will confirm that the socket has been all wired up correctly. Once you’re happy you can begin to use the new socket for your normal appliances or your USB powered devices.
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