How to Wire an AC Outlet
- 1). Punch out the knockout in the metal receptacle box. The knockouts are half cut-out circles on the outside of the box. Puncture through one of the circles by holding a screwdriver over the circle and tapping the screwdriver head firmly with a hammer.
- 2). Attach a cable clamp to the new hole in the receptacle box. The clamp grips onto the wire to prevent movement and also protects the wires from being cut by the steel of the electrical box.
- 3). Run electrical wire from the junction box to the receptacle box. Leave an additional 6 inches of wire to insert into the box through the plastic or metal cable clamp.
- 4). Use a razor knife to cut the exterior insulation of the wire. Run the knife down the middle of the wire to separate the individual hot and neutral wires. Do not cut into the insulation surrounding the hot and neutral wires individually. The middle wire — the ground wire — is bare and has no insulation, and therefore you cannot accidentally cut into its insulation.
- 5). Use wire strippers to cut 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch of the insulation away from the hot, or black, and neutral, or white, wires. Be sure to use the proper hole size on the wire strippers. They will have several hole options to accommodate different wire sizes. The gauge of wire to be stripped will be listed beside the hole on the wire strippers. Using a hole that is too small for the wire will make cuts and grooves into the wire and increases the chances of the wire breaking later on.
- 6). Attach the ground wire to the receptacle box. Wrap it completely around the green-hued screw on the inside of the box and then tighten the screw. Attach the end of the same ground wire to the receptacle. There is a green-hued screw at the top or bottom of the receptacle. Wrap the ground wire clockwise around this screw, and pinch the wire together beneath the screw with pliers to make sure the wire is tightly wound around the screw. Tighten the screw to secure the ground wire to the receptacle.
- 7). Coil the black wire clockwise around the brass or darker colored screw on the receptacle. Pinch the wire with the pliers, and then tighten the screw to secure the wire to the receptacle.
- 8). Coil the white wire clockwise around the silver screw on the opposite side of the receptacle. Pinch the wire with the pliers and tighten the screw.
- 9). Secure the receptacle to the metal receptacle box. Slide the receptacle fully into the box, align the top and bottom screw holes of the box and receptacle and insert screws.
- 10
Attach the receptacle cover. - 11
Turn the power on at the breaker box, and insert a receptacle tester into the receptacle to make sure the outlet is wired correctly.
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