electrical socket repair

had a couple of sockets in the house that needed repairing badly, as you'll see below. they wouldn't hold a plug tightly and had evidence of definitely an electrical hazard. i shut off the power from the main box, tested the sockets for a negative current reading, then pulled the pieces of crap out of the wall.

the 1st socket was in extremely bad condition, having completely disintegrated into fragments and pieces on the back side.


the 2nd socket was only marginally better, having burned and cracked on the bottom outlet.


i then reattached the wires to a new socket.


and wraped black electrical tape around the assembly to ensure a tight seal and minimize risk of electrical shock.


and voila! a new socket with face plate. looks nice and new. amazing how old and crudy it is behind the shiny face.


i found out, apparently, electrical sockets usually need to be replaced after several years due to short circuiting, wear and tear, and other reasons. here's a good video tutorial i found on the web for those of you who are frightened at the prospect of repairing an electrical socket.