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How to wire a plug

Most accidents with electricity in the home are caused by faulty or incorrectly wired plugs. The correct wiring of a plug is extremely important for your own safety.

Please follow these guidelines on wiring a plug. They cover the two most common type of plug used in this country - the 3-pin, 13 Amp plug.

Prepare the plug

1. Remove the cover and loosen the screws of the cord grip.
2. Loosen or remove the screws from the brass terminals

Prepare the flex

1. Measure the flex against the plug and strip the outer covering back as far as the cord grip, taking care not to cut through the coloured insulation on the wire strands.
2. If the coloured cables have to be trimmed, ensure that they are long enough to reach the terminals without straining: allow for a little slack on the green/yellow earth wire.
3. Strip about 10 mm (1/2 inch) of the coloured insulation from each core.

Fixing the flex to the plug

Remember the colour code

• BROWN to the LIVE (L) terminal;
• BLUE to the NEUTRAL (N) terminal;
• GREEN/YELLOW to the EARTH (E) terminal.

1. Pass the flex under the loosened cord grip or push into grip clamp
2. Twist the exposed wire strands of each core between the finger and thumb so that there are no loose strands;
3. If the plug has clamp terminals wrap each core around the appropriate terminal; place the washer on top of the twisted wire and tighten the screw nuts firmly. Make sure that the coloured insulation is not pinched under the terminal clamp.
4. If the plug has pillar terminals, then double the twisted bare wire back on itself for about 5 mm and insert it fully into the hole in the appropriate terminal. Tighten the terminal screw firmly on the wire.
5. Tighten the cord grip screws, making sure that the cord grip is clamped on the full outer covering of the cable and not on the inner cores.
6. Replace the cartridge fuse in 13 Amp plugs with an appropriate sized fuse - a blue 3-Amp fuse for lights and small appliances; a brown 13-Amp fuse for larger appliances and heaters.
7. Replace the cover.

N.B. If the appliance has a moulded plug fitted This cannot be opened or rewired. If it is damaged or faulty, it should be cut off and a new plug fitted as described above.

Appliances with 2-core flexes

The two cores should be connected to the appropriate LIVE and NEUTRAL terminal; the EARTH terminal is not used in this case.