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Wiring a receptacle

Wiring a receptacle is very simple. The first thing to be done is to be sure the electrical current is turned off. Electrical shock is serious business and needs to be treated as such. First make a loop in the end of the ground (bare) wire and wrap it tightly around the ground (green) screw. (The best tool for this job is needle-nosed pliers.) Tighten the screw tightly. Attaching the black and white wires involves one of two methods. Most receptacles have holes in the back where the wires can be plugged in. There should be two holes at each edge on the back of the receptacle. It doesn’t matter which of the holes you use, but it does matter which wire connects near which color of screw on the side of the receptacle. To use the plug-in method, use a wire stripper to remove the insulation from the wire according to the stripping guide stamped into the side of the receptacle. Then plug the black wire into one of the two holes nearest the gold screws. Likewise, plug the white wire into one of the two holes nearest the white wires.The other method of wire attachment is to strip both wires back three-quarters of an inch. Using your needle-nosed pliers, create a loop at the end of each wire in a “U” shape. Place the wires around the screws (white wire on white screw – black wire on gold screw) and close the loop around the screw with the needle nosed pliers. Then tighten the screws tightly.Place the receptacle in the box making sure the three holes are aligned with the plug holes at the top and the ground hole at the bottom. Using the two long receptacle screws attached to the receptacle, fasten the receptacle tightly to the box making sure the vertical alignment is correct. Turn the electrical current back on to test the receptacle. Immediately after testing by plugging a lamp into the receptacle, place the receptacle cover over the receptacle and tighten the small single screw to secure the cover. Where small children are around, place a plastic receptacle cover over any outlets not in use.