replacing a wall plug

[icandoit]

Hello
I have a few very old and ugly wall plugs in my house and I want to change them for something more modern.

Can anyone tell me in a few simple steps how I should do it please.
Thankyou in advance

Icandoit.
____________________
moderator

moved to correct forum as poster claims to be in France

 

[plugwash]

not really no

do your old sockets have earth pins and if so do they seem to be actually connected to anything?

what type of cable is used for your wiring? (singles in conduit? some french equivilnet of T&E? unearthed twin cable? what?)

finally you really need the advice of someone familiar with french wiring practices and what they consider to be acceptable

 

[icandoit]

Hello PLugwash thanks for your reply... the plugs work fine and they aren't THAT old ... I'd say they date from the late fifties to sixties it's just that they have been painted over a few times and they don't look very good. I have seen new ones in the local DIY shop and just wondered if I could buy one to try ... obviously turning the mains off first!

I wondered if there was a simple list of things to do or a
ny sites on the net with diagrams to follow.
Icandoit.

 

[AdamW]

If the sockets are as old as you estimate, then you should consider replacing the wiring too. In the UK it is recommended that wiring be changed every 25 years. It is also likely that you do not have an earth wire. So, I would suggest that you pay an "électricien" to test your wiring.

A colleague of mine with a house in France had his rewired, and it turned out that the existing wiring was run in flexible plastic conduits. I am not sure when this became the practice in France, but you might be lucky (conduits can make it a little easier to rewire a house)

 

[icandoit]

Thanks Dave ... Umm... sounds more complicated than I thought . I thought I'd just have to take the boxes off, reconnect the wires and put new fronts on. Looks like I'd better speak to an electrician.
Icandoit

 

[AdamW]

Well of course you CAN just replace the sockets with the new ones, it will work, but we would all sleep easier at night if you get an electrician to check your electrics are up to scratch first

 

[icandoit]

Adam you are quite right and I feel a bit silly now. But my finances are a bit tight at the moment and my husband is unwell and unable to do any DIY so its a matter of trying to do the best I can myself.
I'm not completely stupid so I figured I should be able to do it. I was just hoping there might be a recognised 'plan of attack' for me to work from.
Thanks
Icandoit.

 

[andy]

Adam you are quite right and I feel a bit silly now. But my finances are a bit tight at the moment and my husband is unwell and unable to do any DIY so its a matter of trying to do the best I can myself.
I'm not completely stupid so I figured I should be able to do it. I was just hoping there might be a recognised 'plan of attack' for me to work from.
Thanks
Icandoit.

try posting on a french DIY forum. someone there will know the french wiring system better than us

 

[icandoit]

Hello Andrew
Yes that would be a good idea ... my French is good but I was hoping to be told in my own language. Surely once I can identify the colours of the wires and know what goes where in the right order the basic system will be the same.
Im thinking along the lines of
1 turn mains off
2 test to make sure nothing is still live
3 remove old plug
4 look to see where wires alreay go
5 stick coloured cotton or tape or something on wires so I know where they came from
6 attatch them to the new plug ????
7 replace new plug on wall????
Or am I completely wrong here?
Does anyone know if there are any sites on the internet with pictures?
Thanks
Icandoit

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Those steps sound fine. (We'll leave you to determine if any laws or regulations apply to DIY electrical work in France.... )

At #2, make sure that whatever you are using to test-for-dead still works, i.e. it wasn't that it broke at just the same time that you turned off the wrong circuit. Chance in a million, I know, but...

Can you tell from looking at the fusebox/consumer unit if the wiring is PVC insulated or rubber? I don't know when they stopped using rubber in France, but if it is rubber, and it is 40-50 years old then it is way past its sell by, and should be replaced. The problem is that the insulation goes brittle, and whilst it may be OK at the moment, disturbing the cables can cause the insulation to crumble away.

This is a Bad Thing™.

If it is rubber, you should leave the sockets in place and start saving for a rewire.

If it's not rubber, and you replace the sockets, you'll be no worse off than you are now, electrically, but given the age of the installation, an inspection by an electrician at the earliest opportunity is strongly advised.

For French forum advice try this:

http://uk.altavista.com/web/results?tlb=1&fr=tb&kgs=0&ienc=utf8&q=+france++diy++forum

 

[icandoit]

Hello ban-all-sheds
Now that was a eally helpful post and thanks for the link
I'll take a look round the brico shops tomorrow to see if I can find a decent tester ... any recommendations on what to look for would be appreciated.

I wasnt planning on just flipping the fuse on the plug in question ... I will flip the switch on the main box for extra precaution.
Thanks again
Icandoit

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Don't go for a neon-tester screwdriver - get a multimeter.

As with any other tool, don't buy the cheapest you can find, but OTOH you don't need one with loads of features - all you'll be using it for unless you take up electronics as a hobby is measuring voltage, resistance and continuity.

Look for one that looks robust.

A setting to give an audible tone when checking continuity is very useful (look for a symbol like a loudspeaker with sound waves).

Look for reasonable length test leads that are nice and flexible, with very little exposed metal on the tips. Fused leads are nice to have, but you probably won't find any meters with those.

If you can get an autoranging one, e.g. like the one on the left rather than the right:

it makes life easier.

Having bought one, try this: http://www.altavista.com/web/result...ltimeter"+OR+"using+a+multimeter"&kgs=0&kls=0

 

[icandoit]

Hello again ban-all-sheds
Why can't I use a neon screwdriver type tester... that altemeter looks pretty scary to me and it looks expensive. I'm only hoping to replace about six plugs ... at this rate it would be cheaper to get an electrician!

I'm looking at the link you sent me ... brilliant thanks
Icandoit

 

[breezer]

if you are really bored, there is an old debate about neon screwdrivers on these forums, but in a nut shell, they (the screwdrivers) lie

 

[icandoit]

Hi breezer
I wish I had time to be bored!... I'm too busy trying to find out how to change these wretched plugs
I'm learning a lot here but the more I learn the more I worry. It started off with changing a few plugs and now I am wondering if my whole house needs rewiring?lol.
Anyway thanks for the comment on the screwdriver testers I'll take your word for it.
Icandoit