How to change a Plug UK 3-pin - Rewire & Earthing - Easy DIY by Warren Nash
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- If you need to rewire a plug, check out my simple guide on how to change a plug in the UK. This video assumes you need to expose the copper and 3 wires within an electrical cord.
To change a plug, you only need a few tools and it can be done relatively quickly. Pay special attention to which side of the plug head the live, neutral and earth wires go in to.
IMPORTANT: Please read before following the instructions in this video.
Always consult a qualified electrician before working on electrics in your home - this includes this video. The changing of the plug head in this video is specific to the electrical configurations in my UK based home, which may vary to yours. I am not a qualified electrician and so this video should be watched for guidance only.
See more photos on how to change a plug on my website: www.warrennash...
Remember to subscribe to my channel for more DIY, recipes, and collaborations here: www.youtube.com...
Tools and supplies you’ll need for this project:
- Pliers
- Screwdriver
- Sharp knife
Thank you so much. Clear and straight to the point. BLue and BRown tip so valuable. I changed my daughter’s plug and now I feel like super woman. Thank you for a video that gave me confidence
Hi, my name is David and I am from the UK. I left School at age 16 and did an Engineering Apprenticeship with S.R.D.E.
The UK probably has the best wiring Standards in the world that is safe and reliable.
Here in the Philippines, homes often have no Earth Connection!
Only 2 wires supplied from the Veco Power Meter.
I installed UK 3 Pin outlets and drove a steel rod deep into the ground at the rear of the house, where the ground is damp from rainwater.
Many appliances are just 2 x flat pin plugs. I change the plugs on things like electric kettles, microwaves, airconditioners etc.
Very helpful thank you! Clearly and quickly explained, and much appreciated. I actually don't want to "rewire" a plug on this occasion, instead I just want to disconnect the cord/lead(?) from the plug temporarily in order to feed the lead through a hole and then wire them back together on the other side, but almost the same thing. Glad I checked this first as it covers some really useful and important basics which I might not have remembered otherwise. Thank you!
As someone witha photographic memory and also being a visual learner, the Blue for left and the Brown for right example was realllllllllyyyyyyyyy helpful. Thank-you!
You're welcome
Thank you so much! It worked and saved me from calling out someone to do it for me - and paying a whole heap! Great easy-to-follow video. Thank you!
No problem at all. Glad it saved you some $££!
1.07 mins is the bit I have not been doing all my 61 years, thank you so much mate.
No worries.
Great vid I used to be a professional onion ring separater and this vid certainly helped
It used to be part of the UK school domestic science curriculum, to rewire a British style 3-pin plug. Do they still teach it, these days? It's certainly a skill less required than it was some 30 years or more ago. Every electrical item comes with a moulded plug already fitted, now. But at one time, electrical items rarely came with a plug fitted and you were expected to buy one do it yourself. So I expect that most people of a certain vintage will know how to do it, but perhaps not so many younger people.
They weren't teaching it when I was at school 5 or so years ago. Luckily I found this video 👍
I learned it at school earlier this year
They taught me this in school in England around 7 years ago :)
Bear in mind, in the olden days electrical appliances didn't come with plug, and you had to fit your own. So was much more urgent to ensure children learnt how to do it.
On the one hand bit of a shame to have a lost skill. On the other, pre-fitted plugs have drastically reduced incidence of electrical fires, which suggests the teaching wasn't uniform across the education system.😅
Yeah about 6 years ago i had to
Just changed my first plug thanks to your video! Thank you :D
I'm going to give this ago now 👍
you forgot to mention an absolutely critical and vital component, which could be life-threatening. Always make sure the earth lead is slightly longer then the other two wires so when the cord is pulled the live wire should break connection first leaving the earth wire always connected. if the earth wire is too short and the cord is pulled then the earth wire could be the 1st to dislocate from its terminal leaving the appliance life without an earth. Please make sure you know what you're talking about when instructing people in such critical matters
Thanks for that handy bit of advice David
Thank you very much😊
Just wana say thanks for this video jsut successfully did it for the first time in my life thanks to your help 🙏🏻
Thank you. We have just changed the head for our washing machine and it worked.
Great to hear.
Thank you for the helpful tutorial
very nice, less than 5 mins! ❤
Helped a lot thanks
Really useful
Very helpful video. Thanks. Saved me some cash
Thanks a lot for the video & very clear explanations!
Just tried to do the plug, but had such a job trying to unscrew 2 of the screws that I gave up and will try again tomorrow. Try as I may those 2 bloomin' screws just wouldn't budge.
This is all well and good unless you are as shaky as I am and cannot get the blasted copper into the holes. I watched your video to see if I was just doing it wrong and there was an easier way to hold it all, but nope. After a lot of swearing I finally got it all together, but will defo need a PAT first!!! I have no idea how you manage to hold it without all the other bit sliding about and coming off; I need another hand just to hold the bloody thing.
Excellent Video and
Thanks Warden
U R great .. so informative... bless U Mr. Warren.
🌱🙏🌿
Thank you so much . You really helped me a lot . It worked really well.😄😁👍🏾
Thank you sir more video 🙌🏽
Well explained and demonstrated.
Can you use a criped on Ferrule to keep the strands from splaying out under the screw connections?
what about if the cable has only 2 wires? not a ground one 🤔
Then you do not connect the ground. This assuming it is something new. It it is something 50 years old then you may need to consult a professional. All new devices that do not have earth are double insulated and safe to be used without an earth. This is expressed as a symbol that has two squares one inside the other.
Thank you
Didn't know it was that easy
Thanks. It helped
Tx your vidi reassured me xxx
very epic
I only have blue & brown wires, is this safe for my garden lawn mower?
M 😮
Thanks alot .
Love from india❤️❤️
Good explanation! The plugs in uk come with a standard hole where the wire goes through, so what I need to do if the wire is much thinner than the hole? Or it's not a problem a big hole edge around the wire? Thank you
I noticed that wire on the video is also thinner than a hole, so I presume it is totally fine
You can just double the end of the wire over
Bro thank you bro I have done it
Hurrah, great to hear it was helpful.
I chanced upon ur video too late, I watched another video and it wasn't as clear as yours. I didn't push in the wires enough into the pins so i unscrew all of them, and try to redo twisting the wires and inserting them. By then, some copper strands broke off. Is it still safe like this?
How do i fix mine that only has brown and blue wires?
Thank you it is really helpful 👍
Great to hear. Be safe!
Thansk for the vid 😎
Does in GB you need attach plug to the wire if you buy a new appliance?
Not since the 90s when a law was passed that the plugs have to be pre assembled to prevent people hurting themselve if they do it wrong
i am wanting to make a diy ambient lighting, would i be able to replace the uk standard plug, with a usb, would it support enough power for a single led bulb
I feel like it wouldn't, usb's support upto 5V and bulbs need atleast 100 😥 if anyone has any suggestions. Please help me
thanku♥️♥️
Hiya I’m actually trying to change my outlet from a Swiss outlet (with two plugs(no Earth)) to a UK one (with three(with an earth)). Can I use the same method but not put any cable in the earth socket? Or would that be a safety hazard?
Yes. UK appliances don't always have an earth - lamps are double insulated, which means they don't need one, the earth pin is only always there to open the shutters on the live and neutral so on that lamp, just hook up the live and neutral to the pins and leave the earth disconnected. Just open the plug on any other lamp at home with a UK plug on it - there'll be no earth there either
If I only have a blue and brown wire (undercabinet striplight) then I just disregard the 3rd one and do the rest exactly the same?
Yes, if the appliance only has brown and blue wires it means it is double insulated and doesn't require an earth wire. Check it has the double insulation mark on it which is a square inside a square.
@@alasdairmacleod5638 Thank you. :)
@@ferizsolnai you are welcome 😊
for the other 2 wires you mean*😎 cheers
if i could afford to consult an electrician or i was talking to my dad i definitely would not be here right now.
Yellow/green Is Earth but what is the Brown and what is the Blue ?
What is the amp for...what's inside it.
If all the wires are copper why the different colours and lengths if only one is needed to be attached to the fuse ?
The reason for the different lengths is that if you pull the cord out, the live will come out first (the most dangerous) and the earth will come out last (there for safety) the brown is the live wire and the blue is the neutral
Are you asking seriously. Different colors are used so that you can wire it correctly so that you will not die when trying to use it. I think it is better that you do not wire plugs.
What happens if the wires are wrongly placed and plug in and switched on?
Eg., Live > Neutral or Earth
Neutral > Live or Earth
Earth > Live or Neutral
If you mix live and earth it will energize the case the moment you plug it in. This is highly dangerous.
If you mix neutral and earth then it will trip any RCD. Without RCDs it would actually work but that is not how it is intended.
If you mix live and neutral then it will work but will nor be idea on devices that have a switch one the cord.
Im Curious
1) what will happen if switched blue and brown?
2) Sometimes Ive seen both wires are same color. How to figure out which is blue and brown?
Nothing major, most countries have plugs that go either way. If it is something like a lamp proper wiring ensures that the switch is on the live wire and the live wire goes to the bottom of the screw. This ensures that there is no voltage on the lamp when this witch is of and reduces the risk if you stick your fingers in the lamp.
If it is a lamp you could try the continuity function in a multimeter to check which is which.
@@okaro6595 Wrong. British sockets &plugs are polarized and the plugs come with a fuse. You have to make sure that your brown wire is connected to the fuse (not the blue wire). Yes it's not dangerous to swap brown and blue on the plug but it is good practice and habit so you better follow the instructions because their sockets are polarized and come with a switch, so the blue and brown wires must never be swapped.
Will this suit a refrigerator plug?
Yes, you can do this for any appliance - just put the right fuse in, for a fridge that will be a 13A fuse
👍🏾
What if the plug is from EU? Are the cables separated by three with the same colours? Thank you
In the EU, the same colours are used, however, both may be the same colour because in mainland Europe there's nothing to stop you putting the plug in backwards, so the circuits are symmetrical - this means that which side is live or neutral doesn't matter. Just like in the UK, sometimes there are 3 wires, sometimes just 2 (double insulated appliances, including in the UK only have 2 wires because they don't need an earth)
@@grassytramtracksThank you :)
What happens is a few of the copper wires are cut? Can you carry on as normal or will it lead to problems in the electrics?
Hi there, cut in what way?
My one exploded 💀💀💀💀
why does my cable not have a ground?
Some Countries like France and others in Europe don’t have earth wire in the uk we do its safer.
@@Justin-Theobald that's rather inaccurate. Whilst there is always an earth pin in the UK, it's just because it's needed to physically insert the plug into the socket - double insulated appliances like most blenders, mixers, lamps, radios, TVs, fans/heaters, hair dryers, and vacuum cleaners that have a plastic casing don't need an earth wire as the case can't become live. Grab a screwdriver and open the plug up on a table lamp, it won't have an earth! However other appliances like washing machines, cookers, fridges, toasters, kettles irons and so on have an earth, both in the UK and mainland Europe. Which of those 2 places you are in has absolutely nothing to do with earthing whatsoever. Mainland Europe, except Switzerland, Italy and Denmark (the latter 2 use a mixture of their own plugs and the standard European ones) use 3 main types of plug (ones that only fit one of the 2 socket types used to be made and are sometimes sold as rewireable plugs): the first type is type C, or the Europlug, officially called CEE 7/16 (photo): upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Euro-Flachstecker_2.jpg This type is used for unearthed appliances no more than 2.5A like lamps, radios, phone chargers, TVs, table fans and some small kitchen appliances. The second type is CEE 7/17, or the contour plug (photo): upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Euro-Konturenstecker.jpg for non earthed appliances over 2.5A like fan heaters, hair dryers, power tools and vacuum cleaners. The plug fits the whole recess and has thicker pins, so it can take more current and stays in the socket more easily(the europlug fits in quite a few other sockets, including those in Italy and Switzerland because the pins are thinner). The 3rd type is CEE 7/7 which is an earthed plug for both type E and F sockets. There are 2 types one has the wire going straight out the back (photo):upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/CEE_7-7.jpg which is used chiefly for things intended to be plugged in and out often (like irons and many computer chargers) and the second, much more common variety is with the wire going down at a 90° angle (photo): upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/European_plug_and_sockets%2C_UE_standard%2C_EU_plug_and_socket_wiring_diagram%2C_schuko%2C_french_socket%2C_cee_7-7.jpg which also shows the 2 types of socket (the one on the right is used in France, Belgium, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia; the one on the left basically everywhere else) the earth pin on the socket goes into the hole on the French one and the metal contacts on the plug also connect to the contacts on the socket in the one on the left, which is from Germany
is the blie neutral or live?? Bl back left?? is the right way to teach????
Brown is live and blue is neutral
Me: Checks my own Cable wires & Pretends to be in Canada "so i can skip the verified electrician. Hahahah lol
did anyone have to do this for an openreach job?
good vid but you need to leave some more slack on the earth wire.
Just go to harbor freight and pick up a cheap wire splicer
If you forget the Earth wire is supposed to be at the top, just think of The Lord of the Rings.
Middle Earth.
Instructions Unclear: My Brother is now Permanently in a Wheelchair.
Tried this and I screwed up - had to ask my neighbour for help and he did it within 10 minutes
Kurwa , za szybko pokazujesz . Ktos kto nieumie to nieporadzi sobie
A fuse in the plug now that is ridiculous
Not when the sockets are part of a 30Amp ring main circuit it’s not.