Wiring a plug
More often than not, household appliances are sold without a plug, so you! need to buy one.
First, study the flex on the appliance: if there are three wires, these must be connected up to a 3-pin plug; two-wire flex can be wired to a 3-pin plug, with the earth pin left unconnected.
1. Open the plug Unscrew the large central screw on the back of the plug with a screwdriver, and separate the two parts.
Many plugs also have two small screws near the flex entry point which hold a fibre or nylon bar (the flex grip) over the flex to keep it secure. Loosen these screws so that there’s enough room to thread the flex under the bar (or you may find it easier to remove one of the screws and swing the bar to one side).
2. Prepare the flex Using wire strippers or a sharp knife, strip about 4cm of outer sheathing from the end of the flex to expose the coloured wires inside.
Avoid cutting right round the outer sheathing as it could damage the wires inside. Instead, bend the flex over to form a tight U-shape and lightly score the outer bend until it splits. Repeat on the other side of the flex if necessary, before pulling the sheathing away.
3. Trim the inner wires Hold flex against the plug so zhat its outer sheathing lies over the flex grip and the coloured inner wires reach the correct terminals with about 15mm to spare. The Brown wire goes to the Bottom Right terminal; the Blue wire to the Bottom Left terminal. The green/ yellow wire (absent on two-wire flex) goes to the remaining top terminal.
Cut wires to length, then strip about 10 mm of the coloured covering off each and twist the copper strands together.
4. Insert flex In plug Now fit the flex into the flex grip at the base of the plug. With most plugs you have to thread it under a fibre or nylon gripper bar, but some new plugs have two plastic grips into which you press the flex. Some old-style plugs have a small hole in the cover through which you thread the flex.
Never bypass the flex grip; it is there to prevent the wires inside the plug from coming out of their terminals if pressure is put on the flex.
