A common cause of electrical faults is an incorrectly wired plug. Wiring a plug is not difficult however it is important to get it right.You will need a few basic tools. If you are just replacing a damaged plug you will probably only need a screwdriver. If you need to strip back the insulation and trim the wires you will also need a sharp knife and side cutters, or a wire stripping tool.
If you are starting with a new cable, you will first need to cut off about 4cm of the outer insulation. There are various methods, but probably the easiest and safest way to do this without damaging the internal coloured wires is to slit the outer insulation of the cable lengthways and then peel away and cut off.
Separate the wires and use the plug as a gauge to cut the wires to the correct length. Leaving the wires the same length usually results in the live and neutral wires becoming crushed when the plug cover is replaced. The plug is also designed so that the live (brown) is the shortest and tightest wire in the plug. This ensures that the live wire is the first to disconnect should the cable be pulled out of the plug. Similarly, the earth wire is the longest to ensure it is the last to disconnect.
Remove about 5mm of insulation from the end of each wire. The easiest way to do this is to use wire strippers. Alternatively you can use normal side cutters, but you need to be careful not to cut into the individual strands of wire. Tightly twist the ends of the wires.
The plug has markings inside to identify each pin:
(L) = Live = Brown
(N) = Neutral = Blue
(E) = Earth = Yellow & Green
Old appliances (pre-1971) may have a cable with different colours:(L) = Live = Red(N) = Neutral = Black(E) = Earth = Green
If the plug has screw type cord clamp, remove or loosen this first. Connect each wire to the correct terminal. Slacken the screw and push the bare wire into the hole and then re-tighten the screw. It’s often easier to push the pins up slightly when connecting the wires. Starting with the earth, then neutral and then live is usually the easiest order for wiring the terminals.
Check the wiring is correct and all the terminal screws are tight. Loose screws can cause overheating.Tighten the cord clamp over the cable. Make sure the cord clamp is gripping the outer insulation of the cable, not the coloured wires. For non-screw type clamps you may need to adjust the clamp to suit the size of cable. Test the cable is secure by giving it a sharp tug.
If you’re building from scratch, or renovating a whole property, look into the feasibility of installing an automation system to control heating, lighting, sound (music streaming) and even window coverings.The ultimate in tech innovation, you can control all your utilities from one place. There are quite a few smart home systems on the market with functions to control different needs, so you could feel overwhelmed by the choice. The key is to write a list of what you specifically need in your own home. Then discuss the list and the layout of your property with a professional installer, who will be able to give you advice on the right system for you.
If you kitchen has an island or breakfast bar, consider hanging pendant lights above it. Pendant lighting not only adds style to the space, it can also help anchor a kitchen island so it feels more deliberate in an open-concept home.
As we add more and more appliances to our kitchen arsenal, we have a greater need for plug points in handy places. It used to be that the only solution was to line up four or five double sockets on the wall. These can be tricky to tile around, and it’s expensive to cut a bespoke splash back to fit. With a few of these pop-up power points in your worktop and island, you can reclaim your walls and simply tuck the sockets away when not in use.
Hope this helps!
Kind regards,
The CGH Electrical Team
