From time to time it becomes necessary to replace an old outlet with a new one. In order not to contact specialists with this issue every time, it is useful to learn how to change sockets yourself. The process itself is simple and does not take much time.
Removing the cover of the old outlet
We have a socket installed in Soviet times. It has served its purpose, is wobbly, and is poorly fixed in the wall:
First you need to remove the cover from it. Take a screwdriver and unscrew the central bolt:
That's what's inside her. The socket is installed directly in the wall without a socket box, it inner part also wobbly.
We check the presence of voltage and turn off the power in the electrical panel
Before performing such work, be sure to turn off the power supply. We check with an indicator whether there is voltage in the socket:
The light is on. We go to the electrical panel and turn off the power supply and turn off the power to the outlet.
Removing the old socket
Let's start removing the socket. Take a screwdriver and unscrew the spreading tabs:
It is also necessary to unscrew the power contacts of the socket so that the wires can be disconnected:
After this, the socket can be easily removed:
We try on the socket box and remove unnecessary junk from the hole
Since the old outlet did not have a socket, it must be installed. We will supply a plastic socket box.
Let's try on the socket box:
The socket box does not fall into place - some of the dried putty from the old socket is in the way. It must be carefully removed so that the socket box can freely fall into place. Remove the putty using a screwdriver.
Everything unnecessary has been removed from the wall, the socket box is in its place
The space for the socket box has been cleared:
Now the socket box fits perfectly, is completely hidden in the wall, and has no protrusions.
Fix the box in the wall using putty
In order for the putty to better adhere to the wall, to the concrete, you need to wet the concrete. You can do this using a sprayer. It is better, of course, to use special primers, but if they are not available, you can use ordinary water. Then we take a regular spatula, putty and coat the hole evenly on all sides.
Here's what happened:
Now we also coat the socket itself evenly on all sides with putty:
We install a socket box in the wall. We insert the wires into it and, using rotational movements, first recess it into the hole, and then turn it a little.
Removing excess putty:
It is imperative to ensure that the socket itself does not protrude from the wall, is flush with it and is well fixed. Once the putty dries, we won’t be able to fix anything. We place the box exactly horizontally and wait for the putty to dry.
Connecting a new outlet
A day has passed. The solution has dried, the box is holding up very well.
Let's start connecting the new outlet:
Our network is two-wire, so we will not connect the grounding.
Remove the socket cover. The most common socket:
Wires are connected here:
We connect the phase to the right terminal, “zero” to the left. We do not touch the grounding.
We remove the insulation, connect, clamp:
We do the same with the other wire:
We put the socket in the socket box and secure it with screws.
Don't forget about the decorative cover:
It must be installed behind the outlet. Place the lid as level as possible and screw on the socket:
The socket is held firmly, install the top cover:
We turn on the machine in the electrical panel and check the presence of voltage using the indicator.
That’s it – you can use the new socket.
All rights to the video belong to: Electrician in the house
There are more and more low-current cables in home network wiring every year. This includes:
- UTP internet cables and telephone wires
- cable for the system Smart home”
- wires for acoustics
- alarm and video surveillance
- TV cable
If earlier all this was simply thrown along the floor, behind furniture, in baseboards, today when renovating an apartment, walls are also tapped for low current and special sockets are installed. 
Let's take a closer look at the installation of TV sockets from companies such as Schneider Electric (Unica series) and Legrand.
Connecting a TV socket Schneider Electric Unica
Technical characteristics of television connectors from Schneider Electric:
The decibel value indicates the weakening or attenuation of the signal.
The installation of all sockets must begin with cutting the coaxial cable. Leave a reserve of 10-15 cm in length in the socket box, cut off the rest. 
Now the most important thing is to decide how much insulation needs to be removed. To what depth and how many centimeters?
It is best to take measurements directly on the outlet itself. To do this, take it in your hands, place the wire just below the inspection hole and mark with a marker or knife the cutting line at the level of the plastic central insert. 
You can cut off the top layer of insulation using a specially designed tool. 
as well as with a simple knife. 
You can find an inexpensive stripper for coaxial cable on Ali Express. 
The screen under the insulation in television cables is found in different versions:
- only aluminum foil
- foil with copper braid
- one braid in the form of thin wires
If the total wire diameter is less than 7mm, the screen is often turned outward to ensure sufficient contact with the metal socket cover.
Just keep in mind that from the inside of the shell, the foil does not conduct current.
This is where the main mistake many electricians and TV technicians make when connecting a coaxial cable - they hide all the wires of the screen behind this foil.
Therefore, at least half of its layer should be turned upside down. Otherwise, you simply will not have contact and no TV signal.
Types of TV sockets
Also pay attention to the icons and inscriptions on the case. There must be symbol in the form of an arrow facing inward. 
There is another arrow pointing upward.
If your model has 2 arrows facing in different directions, then this is a pass-through TV socket. That is, you run one cable from the antenna into the connector with a downward arrow, and with the other you release a cable or continue to pull the line to another connector, to another TV. 
In general, there are 3 types of television sockets:
- single
- terminal - they have an additional resistor with a resistance of 75 Ohm (terminator)
- checkpoints
Single and terminal ones will transmit a signal of similar quality, provided that a TV is connected to them. 
If you do not connect a TV to a single socket without resistance, then other TVs will experience interference and signal distortion. The terminals do not have this problem.
However, keep in mind that all this applies primarily to an analog signal. If you have digital TV, or are planning to switch to it, then problems may arise due to this resistor. 
You will either have to throw out this outlet and replace it with another one, or connect it directly. These resistors dampen the signal very strongly. Some channels will show poorly or there will be no image at all.
All pass-through TV sockets have an inlet and an outlet. The output wire is connected to another outlet or directly to the TV. Their main disadvantage is the deterioration of the output signal by 4 dB.
Connection diagram for several TVs through pass-through sockets: 
You should also initially pay attention to the signal transmission frequency of the outlet. Models with frequencies up to 1000 MHz are designed to work in networks with cable or terrestrial television. Instances with a frequency of over 1000 MHz are used for satellite television.
Connecting the cable
To connect the cable, remove the insulation from the central core by 6-8mm. In this case, you need to retreat another couple of millimeters from the edge of the outer shell to the point where stripping begins. 
Next, insert the TV wire into the socket and check through the viewing window that the central core goes all the way into the connector. 
In the Unica series it is self-clamping, there is no need to tighten anything here. Other brands may have a clamping screw, which will need to be loosened first and then tightened with a screwdriver.
Please contact special attention so that the “hairs” of the screen do not come into contact with the central core anywhere.
All that remains is to tighten the cable itself with the central screw and put the outer cover in place. 
If something is not clear and does not work out, you can always refer to the instructions.
Connecting a Legrand Valena TV outlet
Installation of the socket, as usual, begins with its disassembly. The outer frame is attached here with latches. WITH reverse side press on them with your fingers and remove the frame. 
Next you need to get to the inside of the outlet. Insert a screwdriver into the slot and open the protective cover upwards. 
Inside there is a seat for the central core. In front of it there is a wedge-shaped pin, which is driven under the top layer of insulation. 
Strip the coaxial cable and expose the central core by 8mm. In this case, the outer screen remains completely under the insulation layer. There is no need to expose wires and foil. 
Insert the cable into the socket so that the wedge penetrates under the outer shell of the insulating layer. The central core should go into its seat. 
- central core in the seat
- wedge under insulation
- the wire is pressed tightly to the side frame
After this, close the lid with a simple movement. Next, the frame together with the cable can be easily rotated in different directions and mounted on the socket box. 
- there is no need to install a separate piece of cable to connect the TV connector to the outlet
- there is no degradation in signal quality. On the F connectors of the UHF range, the signal attenuates only from 0.1 to 0.3 dB.
All this is achieved by using ordinary plugs. Initially, lay a sufficient supply of cable in the wall so that it is enough for direct connection to the TV (1-1.5 meters).
Drill a hole in the plug to the diameter of the cable and bring the conductor out through it. 
It all looks as beautiful as on an ordinary outlet. 
The only negative is that not all manufacturers have this kind of plugs and may not be available on certain series.
Connection errors
The three most common mistakes made when connecting TV sockets:
1 Using sockets with 75 Ohm resistors for digital television cable.Bottom line - complete absence signal or its poor quality.
If you have an analog signal, and several TVs are connected in series through a special splitter, then the resistance here will also be unnecessary and it is better to get rid of it. 
If no equipment is connected to these connectors (sockets), other TVs will again display some of the channels poorly and experience interference. 
As a result, only the inner part of the foil remains outside, which is not conductive. Accordingly, there will be no contact between the screen and the socket connectors.
Everyone is familiar with the situation when, for one reason or another, it becomes necessary to replace an electrical outlet on your own that is obsolete or out of order. Ideally, this work should be performed by qualified electricians, however, in practice this rule is not always followed. If you want to do without help third party specialist, but don’t know how to remove the socket from the wall yourself, then it would be useful to familiarize yourself with useful information, which will allow you to perform this work quite competently and safely.
To cope with the task, you must have at least general idea about the design of sockets and the principle of their operation.
The basis of each outlet consists of the following parts:
- contact block;
- decorative cover with fastening element;
- socket box
In turn, the contact block consists of the following elements:
- fixed or movable fastening legs;
- neutral, phase and grounding contacts;
- terminals.
Tools required for work:
- Set of screwdrivers (flat and Phillips).
- Screwdriver-voltage indicator.
- Electrical insulating tape.
Safety regulations
Strict compliance with safety regulations is an integral stage preparatory work which must be carried out before dismantling any type of socket. The first thing to do is to turn off the power to the part of the room in which the work will be carried out.
Usually in old ones residential buildings electrical wiring can be divided into three groups: lighting, sockets, electric stoves. Accordingly, to de-energize the sockets, you need to turn off the circuit breaker in the distribution panel that is responsible for supplying voltage to the sockets. After this, you need to make sure that there is no voltage in the electrical network.
You can check this in several ways:
- Use a screwdriver - a voltage indicator.
- Use the switch button to turn on and off the lights in the room.
- Connect any household electrical appliance to an outlet and check if it works.
If dismantling the outlet is carried out in the dark, care should be taken to have a good source of artificial lighting.
Any work related to electrical wiring must be done with dry hands.
Let's start dismantling the socket
After completing the preparatory work, you can begin to remove the socket from the wall.
- At the first stage, you need to carefully examine the design of the outlet. If the screw heads are located directly on the socket body, then they must be carefully unscrewed with a flat or Phillips screwdriver.
- Sometimes the screws on the case are missing. In this case, they are located under a decorative frame that covers the outlet. In order to remove the frame from the socket, you need to carefully pry it off with a screwdriver, after which it will easily move away from the socket body.
- To dismantle the socket built into the wall, simply remove the decorative frame.
- The socket located on the wall surface can be dismantled after its casing has been unscrewed.
- After removing all parts of the socket (case and frame), all wires should be carefully insulated.
If the outlet is grounded, then most likely there are 3 wires connected to it.
It is often necessary to dismantle sockets with a switch. Socket with switch – more modern device than just a socket. This connection of structures is very practical, since both the outlet itself and lighting fixtures can be connected to one branch. If the socket with the switch fails, then the entire box must be dismantled. In the design of such an outlet, in addition to the screw that secures the box near the outlet connectors, there is also a fastening element under the switch key. To dismantle sockets of this type, use a flat-head screwdriver to remove the switch button. Next, all the fasteners securing the box to the wall are unscrewed, after which the socket body must be pulled towards you.
Installation of sockets on the wall is carried out in the reverse order.
If the socket is completely recessed into the wall and its dismantling only involved removing the decorative part, then it must again be installed in its seat and secured with screws using a suitable screwdriver.
In the case when the socket is located on the surface of the wall, you need to carefully remove everything from the wall electrical wires and secure them into place in the socket body, after which it is securely fixed using fasteners.
For safe and high-quality installation or dismantling of electrical sockets and switches, it is not at all necessary to be a qualified specialist. The main thing is to have general concepts about the design and operation of electrical appliances and follow all safety regulations.
Video
This video shows how to remove a socket from the wall in order to better secure it in the socket box:
Wall-mounted tees are used to connect up to three electrical appliances simultaneously, without using additional network filters. This socket is a stacked design of three conventional single power points that have one drive.
To make the triple socket look more aesthetically pleasing on the wall, its final element is a common external frame that unites all three devices in one composition.
How to remove a triple wall socket
Before you begin the above process, you need to prepare a few tools:
- screwdriver with plastic handle;
- insulating tape;
- rubber gloves and shoes with rubber soles for working with electricity (in case you decide to work under voltage).
Pay attention! If you do not have experience working with live electrical appliances, it is better not to start. Safety precautions prohibit even experienced electricians from doing this. If you do not have the gift of immortality, it is better to turn off the electricity for a short period of dismantling the outlet.
The process of dismantling a triple socket consists of several step-by-step activities:
- Preparatory work
- Removing the Mounting Stops
- Disconnecting the device from the cable
Let's take a closer look at each of the above steps.
Step 1. Preparatory work
Before you begin work on dismantling the triple socket in the living room, you need to turn off the mains voltage in the entire apartment. Then you should check the absence of voltage several times with an indicator, and only after that begin dismantling work.
Step 2: Removing the Mounting Screw
First you need to detach the top cover of the socket to gain access to the mounting screw, then use a screwdriver to unscrew it. After this, you can completely remove the top cover of the outlet, thereby gaining access to the “insides” of the electrical device.
Step 3: Removing the Mounting Stops
The socket is held inside the box using special fastening stops. They must be loosened by unscrewing the adjusting bolts. Now the dot body can be easily pulled out of the socket.
Usually, disassembling a light switch in an apartment is required when it breaks, that is, to replace it with a new one. Some manufacturers, in order to improve the decorative effect of the element, make the holes for dismantling invisible, these are mainly brands: Legrand, Schneider, Viko. Because of this, a person who decides to do repairs may accidentally damage the case or spend a long time looking for clamps and connectors. The article will present detailed instructions for removing the switch and socket.
How to disassemble a switch
So, in the initial position there is rocker switch, which is firmly fixed inside the groove. First of all, you need to prepare a tool in order to disassemble the case - a screwdriver with an indicator, it will be enough.
The external light switch is disassembled as follows:
- It is necessary to turn off the circuit breaker, which protects the wiring from electrical overloads and short circuits.
- Before dismantling, you need to make sure that there is no light in the house. And only after that you need to use a screwdriver with an indicator.
- Next, you need to dismantle the key if the switch is one-key or the keys if it is three-key or two-key. It doesn't matter what type of product is disassembled. To remove the key, you need to squeeze it with your hand from the sides (in the middle) and carefully remove it from the case. Sometimes the element “sits” firmly in the inside of the case, and in order to pull it out, you need to pick up one of the edges with a screwdriver.
- The next step is to remove the decorative frame and cover from the wall. Sometimes it is attached to two miniature bolts from the inside; less often, the frame is held in place by grooves that must be gently pressed with a screwdriver to remove the fittings. Another option for attaching electrical accessories is using an additional element that is attached to the grooves of the caliper.
- Next, you need to pull out the “core” from the socket box. There are two screws on the sides of the case that hold the mechanism on a vertical surface. All you need to do is unscrew them using an indicator screwdriver. There is another option for holding the case in the socket box - with claws. They need to be loosened by slightly unscrewing the bolts on the sides that are responsible for adjusting the thrust angle.
- The next step is to disconnect the input wires. Phase, ground and neutral can be fixed to self-clamping terminals or to screw clamp. In the first case, you just need to press the locking levers and remove the wires from the connectors. The clamp screws must be unscrewed using an indicator screwdriver and the wiring carefully removed.
That's all, there is nothing complicated, the switch has been removed from the wall.
Safety rules: how to remove the switch
2 main types of fastener designs have been developed for vertical surface inside the building, which differ: for hidden and for external electrical wiring.
To avoid the following errors::
- Short circuit.
- Failure of expensive lamps, energy-saving, LED or fluorescent light bulbs.
- Insulation burnout in the distributor or wall.
- Electric shock, which can be fatal.
Necessary: study the basic rules of safety measures. Before removing the switch, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with the design of the wall mounting and connection. Products for external electrical wiring are attached with traditionally standard fasteners; through the mounting holes, the housing is tightly attached to the vertical surface.
For internal wiring models Electric, Makel, Nilson or another brand, wall mounting technologies are more complex.
The design of the switch contains a mechanism of sliding bars, which create a fixation of the housing on two opposite sides in a hole made in advance with a size of 6.7-7 cm. Regardless of the type of switch and the purpose for which it needs to be removed, first of all on the distributor in the panel, it is necessary to turn off the protective machine. This must be done for safety reasons so that the person doing the dismantling or repair is not struck by an electric current.
You need to make sure that the shutdowns are performed correctly; to do this, you need to press the keys several times; the lamps should not light up. According to the requirements of the PUE, a warning sign must be installed on the circuit breaker in the distributor. Better yet, close the cabinet completely and take the keys for yourself while you work, so that strangers do not have access to switchboard. Only by following this rule can you begin to disassemble the Legrand switch or any other (single, triple, double).
Methods: how to remove a switch from the wall
Before starting work, the most complex circuit for connecting electrical devices must be de-energized 100%, without exception.
Failure to comply with safety regulations may result in:
- Hit electric shock, as a result of injury, death.
- Failure of expensive electrical appliances due to a short circuit in the network.
- Breakdown of insulation of electrical wiring, switching fittings in the panel, resulting in a fire.
It is imperative that measures be taken to prevent accidental activation.
Removing the keys: how to remove the switch for wallpapering
To remove the wallpaper switch, you will need tools.
Namely:
- Screwdriver – plus and minus;
- Indicator screwdriver;
- Portable lighting device.
Using a negative screwdriver, you need to remove the switch keys, for which you need to install its tip between the frame and one of the keys, above or below. With a little effort and using a screwdriver as a lever, you need to pry up the key and help with your hand to pull it out of the grooves. The second key can be removed freely. Using an indicator screwdriver, you need to make sure that there is no electrical voltage; to do this, it must be applied to each of the electrical contacts. If the switch is located in a dark place, you should use a flashlight or other portable light source so as not to damage the switch and special equipment.
After removing the keys, you can carry out any manipulations with the device, even under electrical voltage, naturally, observing the required safety measures.
They check the integrity of the electrical contacts and the presence of electrical voltage on them, after which they make a conclusion about whether the device is in working condition. When there is a need to dismantle the switch, for a more detailed inspection with disconnection from the power supply, or there is 100% confidence that the device needs to be replaced, then you should remove not only the keys, but also the retaining frame, which in turn holds the decorative frame. To do this, you need the same set of tools, but if the switch is attached using Phillips bolts, then in addition you will need to use a positive screwdriver.
The locking frame is located immediately below the keys, and can be removed using a minus screwdriver. It is attached to latches; they are present on the switch body, so you need to pry the teeth with a screwdriver and pull it towards you by hand. Once you have managed to open and remove it, you can begin decorating the room. After gluing, you need to assemble the switch. Assembly is carried out in reverse order.
Step by step: how to disassemble a socket
Disassembling a socket is a fairly easy process, not like repairing a Gazelle, for example, or morphemic analysis of a word in Russian.
Actions:
- De-energize the room where the electrical outlet will be dismantled.
- Next, you need to take a screwdriver in your hands and unscrew the screw between the 2 plug holes - this is according to the standard. On the most modern sockets, this screw may be hidden under an overhead decorative panel.
- Next, you will need to unscrew 2 more screws that are responsible for the “antennae” of the sockets.
- The next step is to pull the socket out of the niche in which it “sits” and disconnect the socket from the electrical cable (wire) by loosening the terminals, using the same screwdriver.
That's all, the socket is disassembled. When all manipulations with the device are completed, you can put it back together or install a new socket and connect it.
How to remove a switch from the wall (video)
If you are not sure about own strength, it’s right to contact a professional. Electricity is no joke.