How to Wire a Three to pin UK Plug
In daily life, many people got shocked because they wired the plug incorrectly. Wiring a plug is not so difficult as many people thought. But, it is essential to do it in the right way.
For wiring a switch, you will need a few essential tools. If you are repairing a damaged plug, then you will only need a screwdriver. But, if you need to strip back the insulation and have to trim the wires, you will need a sharp knife and side cutters, or a wire stripping tool as well.
If you are taking a new cable, you will first need to cut off about 4cm of its outer insulation. There are so many methods for wiring a three-pin UK plug, but the easiest and safest way is to do this without damaging the internal colored wires. Cut the outer insulation of the cable lengthways and then peel away and cut off.
Separate all the wires and use the plug as a gauge to cut the cables in the correct length. Leave the cables in the same size because many times, live and neutral wires becoming crushed when the plug cover is changed. The plug is designed so that the live (brown wire) is the shortest and tightest wire in the plug. From this, you can make sure that the live wire is the first to disconnect, and the cable should be pulled out of the plug. Similarly, the earth wire is the longest and makes sure that the last to disconnect.
First of all, remove the 5mm of insulation from the end of every wire. The simplest way to do this is to use wire strippers. If you don’t have, you can also use regular side cutters, but you need to be very careful not to cut into the individual strands of wire. Then, tightly twist the ends of the cables.
For you easiness the plug has markings inside to identify each pin:
(L) stand for Live. It is brown
(N) stand for Neutral. It is Blue
(E) stand for Earth. It is Yellow & Green
If you contain old appliances, then cable has different colors:
(L) stand for Live. It is Red
(N) stand for Neutral. It is Black
(E) stand for Earth. It is Green in color
If the plug has a screw-type cord clamp, then loosen this first. Connect every wire with the correct terminal. Put the screw and then push the bare wire into the hole and re-tighten the screw. It is effortless to move the pins up slightly when connecting the cables. Starting with the earth and then neutral and then live.
Check whether the wiring you do is correct or not then and check all the terminal screws are tight. Loose screws can cause overheating.
Tighten the cord clamp over the cable. Ensure that the cord clamp is gripping the outer insulation of the cable and not the colored wires. For any non-screw type clamps, you need to adjust the clamp to suit the cable’s size.
Check that the fuse is fitted correctly or not. If you don’t know the original fuse size of fuse, then you can use the 700W rule. For appliances that are below about 700W, a 3A fuse is generally used. For machines that are above 700W, a 13A fuse may be used.
Ensure that there must be no loose strands of wire in the plug. Check all the cables lying in the correct channels and not become crushed when the cover is changed. Double-check all the cables are in the correct terminals and then change the plug’s cover and tighten it with the screw.