I love the fact that this is about mistakes allegedly made by DIYers. I have seen all these mistakes and more made by professional electricians in every house I have lived in.

5:57 Heartfelt thanks for freely admitting to being a screwaholic. I do vertical for odd numbered years and horizontal for even ones. I know, I know, there's no hope!

In my experience it's not just DIYers who make some of these mistakes.

I'm a sparky and the number of sparkies I know that are to lazy to put on grommets and who do not earth the back box or use an earth sleeve if they do never ceases to amaze me , furthermore I have seen many a sparky cut the cable so short that it's a real struggle to wire in the back of the socket at all . Truthfully this upload applies equally to DIYers and so called professional electricians who do not take pride in their work .

The only thing I would disagree on is aligning the screw heads, while it is visually nice I feel it is is important to firstly concentrate on tightening them enough, but not overtightening them. If you are focused on lining them both up you could end up either not tightening them quite enough, or overtightening them a bit. A lot of sockets (and switches) come with caps to cover the screw heads anyway.

Possibly the most educational, technically informative and beneficial 6 minutes of KZfaq that I have watched! I now have a far better understanding of where I have gone wrong over the years but better still how to do it right in the future! Thank you!

Thank you for your delightfully organised presentation.

Great video George. Awesome channel. Glad I’ve found it it’s already helped me out on my home renovation. Cheers.

Many thanks, great information. I definitely learned something

Nice. With the cost of living going the way it is, a lot of people can't afford to pay an electrician to change a faceplate or replace the integrated led downlight, so videos like these are very useful for the DIYer who wants to tackle these simple jobs themselves and make considerable savings in the process. Keep up the good work.

Very helpful video so many thanks. I'm a hobby woodworker and it's regarded as a good finishing touch when all exposed screw heads are aligned.

Thank you for the tip about not twisting the two earth wires together. I never thought about the reason for that.

Love this video! Much needed ❤

So glad I aren’t the only one who aligns the screws

Sparky's take: very good video, couple of points though. Dont need to earth a back box so long as it has at least one fixed lug(like your box) boxes with all adjustable lugs must be earthed, however, it will do absolutely no harm to earth all boxes, it will just take longer for no real gain. Dont bother aligning your screw heads, nobody is EVER going to look at it and say "oh your screw heads are all inline". Grommets 👍 Dont twist the cpc 👍 Double back cores when you have a single core in the terminal(dont bother with two or more) 👍 Leave spare length 👍 Wish every DIY socket I came across was like yours 😆

Nice tips, thanks for sharing 👍🏿

Really nice. When I was still in the trade, I always aligned by screw heads so I could see instantly, if anyone had played about with my work.

Diligent indeed thanks for the tips

I agree with everything you said and while it is a good idea to always run the cpc to a metallic backbox - as far as the regs are concerned it is only mandatory when the socket you are installing does NOT have an earthed screw hole at the FIXED backbox lug. Most brands of sockets these days strap both holes (or are fully metallic anyway) so it is usually unnecessary.

Great video, thanks

Great channel 👍

I ALWAYS use a booted ferrule when terminating cables, I'll also use heat shrink. Not standard, but looks VERY tidy.

I remember once I was untwisting wire from old sockets to tidy up someone started shouting at me. In the end I said you wire it soon was apologetic. Twisted wires is so annoying. Also the same person though I was doing something else wrong when I was wiring a switch as I was putting a piece of sleeving on the black wire to show its live. I soon went through regulations with him until he got bored

I always get my wife to test out any electrical work I’ve done. She’s had a few close calls but she’s still alive.

Hi there, nice basic and useful tips. thanks for posting the video.

Excellent video. 2.5 sq mm single strand T&E is horrible: nowadays one can get stranded, far better. My instructor was in the trade when 7/0.29 sq inch was still in use. He said that when 2.5 T&E came in, they called it stair rods - quite right: it's horrible. In the premetric days, most lighting circuits were done in 3/029 sq in, far better than 1.5 sq mm solid core. Stranded conductors give better connections.

This video is very good. Just like i was trained way back in 1969. Differences were the black and red cables and plain green sleeving and the use of 7.029 wire. Awkward apprenticeship when the metric cables came in about 1971 and all the sizes and ratings of cables changed. For those not used to Imperial cables. 1.044, 3.029, 7.029,7.036,7.044. Tails were 7.064. Never forget those cable sizes.

Don't underestimate all so called "DIYers" there's a lot of good people out here without letters after their names who've been doing their own electrics long before alot of the "Experts" were born & are still are. Bits of kids can get carried away with their own self importance none more so in. this particular industry.

Thanks, great vid, I have a question: why must the 2 screws of the socket be lined either horizontally or vertically?

Another one is back boxes that are too shallow. Trying to fit a faceplate on when there are too many wires in the way. I'm restoring an old house at the moment. When it comes to first fix I plan to fit 32mm, or more, deep boxes in all the stud walls (they are thick enough).

Oddly, most of my recent wiring has involved stranded wire. Did quite a bit with multistrand flexs and made the move to "bootlacing". I don't think I will ever look back now. It just makes dealing with fine high strand count wire so much easier and the connections so much more solid. Even just low voltage, DC screw terminals, pop a couple of ferrules on the ends and 90% of the hassle disappears.

Good tips 👍

I've started using those fire retardant membrane grommets these days over those open ones. You just make a small slit in it (I find it neater if you do this vs shoving the cable in), bash it into the hole, and insert your cable and pull it back a little. I imagine the regs will probably mandate these if they haven't already, since they're intended to choke out any fires that begin in a box before they can escape.

Go back to old installations (talking of before the 1980s) and it is common to find neither earth sleeving used or grommets. It's good practice to remedy both when replacing sockets and light switches. It can be a bit tricky in a masonry wall with traditional plaster as it often runs into the wall. As for earthing backbones, that's a controversial one as all sockets have earthed inserts in the screw holes. From what I read, if the metal fixing lugs are the sliding ones, then you are meant to earth the back box, but if there's at least one fixed lug, then it is not required. Of course the screws have to be done up properly, and it's good practice to check earth continuity on both the screws and any metal fascia plate anyway. Again, many, and possibly most existing installations will not have earthed back boxes. There is also the problem that those 25mm deep back boxes have little spare space for yet more wires, especially if there is a spur and/or has a USB power outlet. Personally, I much prefer 35mm back boxes, or even 45mm in stud walls. As for lining up the slots on the retaining screws, that is purely aesthetics, not a mistake and pointless if the screw heads are concealed by a fascia plate or have those little plastic insert plugs. Nb. I was watching ith some amusement some American guidance where many recommend that insulation tape is wrapped round their sockets to avoid the danger of live terminals touching the earth (ground) wire as they are not sleeved. Seems a bit strange that sleeving isn't mandated in the USA. However, the US has quite a nice rule that the continuity of the ground circuit must not be interrupted if a socket is removed, which means that a pigtail is used for that purpose. That way if there's a poor ground connection on a replacement socket, it won't affect the integrity of the ground circuit on downstream sockets. It would fit quite neatly with a terminal on the backplate, although those on UK ones are too small to be used that way. Also, on a ring, but not a radial, the are two routes to earth.

I qualified in old cables pre solid. I was taught to coil slack in rear of sockets. So if took socket off it sprung out like a spring. Twist 2.5 together so actual connection. Side by side relies on screw continuity.

Why is everyone taking electrical advice off a DIYer? Because he’s absolutely right in everything he said, that’s why 👏🏼 good video dude

i always earh the back box ive seen a a mounting scre touch a live wire and cause a wall to go live after a plasterer was wetting a wall down

what's the advantage of aligning your screw head direction on the socket?

Earthing the metal box. The front plates that I've used have always had bonding strips attached to the screw mounting holes so this is done automatically when you put them on.

Very informative video, many thanks. I will add that the screw alignment for internal sockets must be aesthetical. If however it was an outdoor project the alignment of the screws is of importance. Old school carpentry in particular would have the slots vertical to allow water to pass. If the screw slot was horizontal it would allow water to gather and possibly rust. atb Mally

Can I just say that there is no correct or incorrect way to terminate a cable into the socket. While I agree with you that doubling over a single cable is probably benificial. There are many Electricians out there that don't do this, Including me and I have'nt as yet had a problem with any install I have done. Also there is no Regulation in BS 7671 that states you should terminate single cables into sockets this way. So while your saying this is the correct way to do it, it is largely a matter of choice for each individual Sparky. In this respect you are niether correct or in correct. Thanks for a very informative video.

you missed out depth of back box i originally tried to just sink in a few 25mm ones and they were far too shallow so they all came out again and 35mm ones were dropped in, slightly below the surface too so when the skim was done they were just a tad bit deeper again, which was an added bonus got the fancy wago type sockets so no need for screws in the back or doubling over the cable, but the rest of the points you make are well worthy of making

clear video not sure I'm with you on the OCD screw alignment.

Great video. Funny I thought I was a rank amateur for bending back the ends of single core (professionals often don't seem to bother). P.S. Do a bit of voice coaching - at about 4min50sec you relax and the voice becomes natural and flowing. Many thanks again.

Also: One has recently become aware, due to experience, of an inherent problem where metal boxes are fixed in place with screws that have countersunk screw heads. The screw head can present a really sharp eadge, that, because the box holes aren't countersunk, remains very slightly proud of the metal surface. Should a wire become hooked up on or resting against the eadge of the head, it can very quickly wear through the cable insulation. 👍. Cheese head or rounded screw heads are my preference now.

Grommets saved so many lives over the years. There would be a national emergency if it wasn't for them !

I agree with all your points, except the last one. For me, it's far more important to have the screw properly tight and let the slot point where it may.

I see the esthetic of aligning the screws, but it’s just not something that I’ve ever done for myself, nor had anyone else comment about in real life. I guess it’s a simple enough thing to form as a habit 😊

I would suggest that taking a fly lead from the cpc terminal to the ko box is unnecessary. Were the box to somehow become live the plate screws would result in a very low impedance earth fault resulting in instantaneous disconnection. Even if this were not to happen ( an unlikely scenario) the heads of the 3.5 mm screws recessed into the plate would hardly present a shock risk. The purpose of these lugs was when it was customary to run an earthed conduit to an accessory and not have a cpc cable, but usung the containment as the fault path. This is still permitted but seldom encountered. The lug provided means to bring the earth potential on the accessory's box onto the accessory be it a socket, switch, fused connection etc.via a fly lead into the earth terminal or lug.

Glad to see someone saying to double over the core before inserting it into the terminal. I said this to a professional electrician and he said oh no you musn't do that because the cable could fracture at the bend. Another point to the benefit of doubling over the cable is that when using just a single cable, the copper can migrate under the screw pressure and the terminal becomes loose. This is also a hazard.

The one problem I frequently have is trying to get the right length - too much and it's difficult to squash it into the back box. Any tips on getting it right and how to position the cable to make it easy to screw the socket on without straining the connections?

I really enjoyed this. From the perspective of an electrician working in the USA, were I to double over a wire like that, the inspector would not only fail that connection but certainly want the entire installation yanked and checked with a fine tooth comb. Not saying it's wrong, so the arm-chair experts can stand down, but there is a very strong move away from anything which would weaken a connection through copper annealing here in North America.

Twisting the cables together was a thing done in the 60s and 70s ( as a spark from that time). It was said it made a better mech connection ..as when screwing down more copper to grip on .. times have changed , better equipment , testing etc and tools ..

People in the comments saying the screw head orientation is not important and is not a safety issue… you’re wrong! From a safety standpoint it’s imperative that the screw heads are oriented correctly as incorrectly oriented screws could pose a danger to anyone in the vicinity (within 10ft). For those who don’t understand the danger, allow me to explain. I am a little OCD and fitted all of my sockets and switches with the screws all oriented vertically. A friend came and tightened the screws a little further leaving them randomly oriented. I had no choice but to hit him over the head with my spirit level and stabbed him through the left foot with my screwdriver. It took weeks for him to recover from his injuries and it took me months to recover from my PTSD associated with the entire debacle. My friend and I no longer speak. I hope you now understand the danger associated with incorrectly oriented screws? Have a safe day!

I always twist and sleeve the cpc on ring final socket outlets, my thinking is, it is more important to the long term integrity of the cpc circuit than to help out if a fault may develop in 20 or more years, how many have tested a ring final and found no cpc continuity, if the break happens at two points some outlets wouldn't be earthed, and it's mostly due to a loose screw and one cable has dropped out.

As an ex sparky I totally agree with all your comments apart from the final one. There is absolutely no electromechanical advantage/ reason for aligning the fixing plate screw heads . Yes you often find this detail on fine cabinet making and boat building but only for decorative or aesthetic purposes. I think you need to point that fact out in your video

My view on the facing plate screws is when they’re tight, they’re tight. Not gonna over or under tighten for aesthetic reasons. I’m a DIYer, and have never made any of these mistakes. Mind you, it’s hard to get metal back plates these days. I’ll be honest, I wish we could use 15mm or 22mm copper piping (soldered joints) as conduit, thus containing any fires, and also providing an additional earth on circuits. But then, when I made a male DIN to female vehicle power adapter, I used 30A cable despite the DIN socket being only 15A on the truck. I like a bit of redundancy, it’s safer.

Is the metal box not connected to the switch plate earth bar via the faceplate screws?

In my sockets I have a blue neutral, brown live and green earth. The earth is connected to the back box to be ‘earthed’. I’ve been told that I would require a full rewire if I intend to use any conductive faceplate like brushed metal. Can I not connect the earth wire to the new face plate?

Do you have to earth the back box because on 17th edition I’m pretty sure it wasn’t compulsory.😊

In my own home I always rub a bit of silicone oil on the rear edge of switches and sockets, so they come off without chipping the paint. They are often installed when paint hasn't had time to cure.

Do you still have to align the the screw heads when they are covered by those little white plastic covers?

I was under the impression that it was not necessary to earth the back box if at least one of the lugs was fixed. Is this a new reg or is this just best practice? Its very rare to see it done

Is it okay if the conductor touches the back of the plastic faceplate? Should I insert the conductors as far as they will go?

Just watched your video and was surprised you never mentioned not to have a washing machine next to electrical box, especially with the water outlet right next to it?

Fly leads to back of box are not required, as long as there is one fixed lug on the back box!

I thought that I was a bit compulsive about symmetry - but leaving screws oriented the same way! That's positively OCD :)

Another big one that you see a lot is terminal screws tightening down onto insulation instead of copper.

As a competant builder/plumber and sparky albeit DIY my issue is 25mm socket boxes.I actually thought they had to be 35mm thesedays on the ring?Three cables running through never mind needing crimps and they are too shallow.25mm for the lighting circuit fine but not for ring or cooker boxes.

At the end of your video where you’re aligning screws - Here’s some advice from a DIYer on most wall sockets you will find small, white plastic inserts that will cover the screws and leave a smooth face on the back face of the socket.

Got me at the end with having the screws at 90 degrees and identical? Is that a personal OCD thing because no-one notices that, and you screw them in until they're tight, shouldn't overtighten or back off just to get the slots identical.

Don't blame amateurs or DIYers. All my sockets installed with the house have short cables making it very difficult to change socket covers. not seen any grommits used. Problem is intrinsic to the socket design. There's always a danger that a cable that seems tightly fastened comes loose or free without being noticed as the socket cover is placed on the box twisting or moving the cable. If the boxes were designed so that cables were wired into them directly , ie all the structure of the socket cover built into the box instead and then a cover can just plug into that and be screwed on. You would have no need for excess cable being folded away as the cover is put on

I was wondering what situation you would have 4 wires in a socket terminal . ? I can understand 1,2, and 3 wires but not 4 4?

Although it is not a bad idea, earthing a metal back box to the socket is no longer required as long as long as you have at least one fixed lug which is used to secure the socket front to the back box via the machine screws.

I have an autistic son and over the years have been exposed to autism and come to understand a lot about it. Lining up the screws in the sockets is 110% what my son would do. One good point is autism is not a mental illness. It is a developmental issue instead. Lining up screws is something you would absolutely want to avoid. Making an autistic son fit into a random world is all about having pictures at a slight angle, sockets not quite at the same height or level. Teaching how to accept things as they are and not to stress out over trivial things that do not matter will help everyone in the long run.

Very good guide, just be clear, the Neutral and Line are both Live.

In my house, UK 1978, most of the screws holding the sockets and switches to the boxes have had their threads mangled. One handyman said this is caused by inappropriate use of power screwdrivers.

Mmm In the Netherlands we do not use metal ins instalation boxes, but made of rigid plastic. Much safer!

Done a lot of decorating in our home recently and noticed that very few of our back boxes are earthed. Not sure if that’s down to the previous owner or the builders 🤔🙄

In other words it's about having common sense, and pride in your work. Most guys nowadays just want to bosh it in get as much money as they can,and down the pub giving it Billy big balls😉👍

Regarding earthing the box, why isn't the socket earth connected to the mounting brackets?

One observation that I believe is missed is to have a box where an exposed knock out is not covered. Another thing I disagree about UK code is not earthing this type of cabling (we call cable Romex) with the earths first bonded to the metallic box and with all earths first bonded inside the box. If you open that live box and the box isn't earthed and The Live (or Neutral with current flowing) makes contact with the metallic box, you will feel it.

Earthing the backbox is generally more of a best practice (unless both lugs are adjustable then it's required), as for the screw alignment, meh, I've used LAP sockets and switches for years and they come with plastic caps :)

I'd have wires twice width of box if fed from above or below; 1½ times if fed from sides. I regret going shorter in past

01:46 --- The cable should extend by at least 7cm ~ 8cm outside of the GPO / SWITCH Say - the length of the Middle-Finger

With regards to the earth wires a better you can always; As you have keep them separate, strip more back on one conductor, measure the earth sleeve from the cable entry to the box earth point slide the sleeve onto the conductor, double the conductor and connect it to the box earth terminal. The remaining conductor is cut and doubled over to fit into the socket earth point, and an earth sleeve is fitted before connection.

What about putting the cables into conduit? Ever drill into the wall and nick a cable, if it is in conduit it can be pulled out and replaced, if the cable has been plastered over, you ruin the wall. Irrespective of the regs, I'd always earth the metal back box, I take a dim view of those that dont.

The other reason for a grommet is in some cases the cable will vibrate and wear the insulation from the cable eventually shorting out onto the metal box. I'm a retired sparky and when I first started as an apprentice I had a desk my dad built in my room, so I wired it up and I had a particular corner where it was difficult to get fixings. Everything appeared fine except when things got very quiet, I could hear a vibrating hum, it took me forever to trace it back to the corner, I eventually had to make a tight bend to get close fixings on the cable and stop it vibrating. How long does it take two electricians to change a lightbulb? How about 5 hours! Why? When you go to a building to fix a light fitting and you get there, to be escorted to a huge door. When they open it you find a huge freezer, and the light, a 5ft fluorescent encased in 300mm of ice. The problem was they couldn't switch off the freezer unit, that was a matter of inches from the fitting, so, even with arctic jackets on it was our fingers and feet that got cold quickest. We had to use a hot air stripper to warm the fixings that were frozen solid once they started to move we took it away and the fixing instantly froze again. From that we estimated the temperature we were working in was -50°C! The estimate was taken from a survival book, if you are at either Pole and don't know the temperature, spit, if it hits the ground and freezes instantly it is -50, if you spit and it immediately freezes it is -70, so removing the heat gun it had to be at least -50 for it to freeze immediately. Have you seen the new MK Smart sockets, £250 each, thank god I'm retired.

Number 4, earthing the back box is not required on a socket if the circuit is protected by a 30ma residual current device. No harm in still doing it though

Another common mistake is not cutting back the insulation enough, when the terminal screw is tightened the screw clamps down on the insulation giving a poor connection

I like the way you present the info with no messing about. However, the first example of needing a grommet is incorrect. If the cable(s) are hard plastered in there is no need for a grommet, and left a vacant hole in the first box.? Also, you fitted the boxes upside down with relation to the earth lug, It's at the bottom for a reason, it's real easy to see it in that position especially for lower down sockets. Lastly, you seem to leave a fair bit too much outer grey on the cables in the boxes after you have stripped them. My examiner would have a field day with all of this !! But, good info for a DIY audience, cheers !!

I wired a double socket with 6mm outdoor 3 core flex to help my spark out. Thankfully his only comment was, "Could have been slightly tighter". Which was because I used too small a screw driver without enough power. I also laughed that I'd not left it open for him to check, I'd left it open for him so he had to do the ackward bit of getting the 6mm cables to fit behind the plug!

Did I miss you mentioning to sleeve the bare earth conductors

Mounting a socket on a backbox. C1. Tut tut. 😁

Advise please as cannot get an electrician in my area for a week. I´m installing an electric hob and double oven. Problem is, the 3 supply wires L N E = Red Black Green. Hob & Oven each have 4 wires Brown Black Blue & Green. I can just about squeeze the brown & black (L) in to connect with Red & then N & earth appropriately. Better would be to install a 4 terminal connecter into the wall. Comments please.

What is the reasoning for the screws being vertical or horizontal?

2:38 "and do the screw-up". Was that an intentional pun?

The only thing I would add to this is do not twist any tails together in the terminal, it is a devil of a job to untwist the ends if opening the circuit to add further sockets and continue the ring!

Thanks, very useful. But I'd dispute that it's only DIYers who make mistakes and shortcuts. Frankly, I could have done a better job than a lot of the trades involved in my new-build house.

Not sure why aligning the socket-plate screw slots vertically is important... A tad OCD if you ask me... Otherwise, all very good (though common sense) tips.