On the walls it may be necessary to temporarily remove the socket. What if you decide to replace the outlet? In these and other cases, it is important to know how to remove the socket from the wall correctly. After all, if you dismantle it carelessly, it can be damaged. In this article we will look at the structure of the socket, as well as instructions on how to remove it correctly.

Knowing the structure of the outlet, it is easier to cope with its dismantling and, accordingly, installation. The socket assembly consists of a contact block, a socket box and decorative cover, which is secured with a screw. As for the block itself, it has the following parts:

• Fastening feet. They can be movable, expanding with screws, or solid, stationary.
• Contact. Zero and phase. There is also a grounding connection, which is usually located separately.
• Terminals for connecting wires.

Pay attention! Blocks that are equipped with movable legs are more difficult to install in a socket box. However this design allows you to adjust the position in tilt and height exactly according to the wall. When purchasing, pay attention to the paws; they should have two teeth. A block with one tooth on the foot will quickly become loose.

As for the terminals, they can be attached to the screw contacts or together with the contacts. If we talk about reliability, then the last option is better. Also the terminals can have different type, for example, screws or “brush brushes”. In the latter option, the bare ends of the wire are simply inserted; it is also much more reliable.

Types of sockets

There is a wide variety of sockets. For example, they can be single or combined under one cover with a switch. There can also be two, three and four sockets in one module. Accordingly, all sockets are mounted on the wall in one row and combined with one module, as well as a decorative cover. Moreover, a modular socket may contain signal sockets, for example:

• Internet.
• Television.
• Telephone.
• Timer and so on.

Such sockets require special boxes, the installation of which should also be carried out in accordance with all requirements.

Pay attention! During the installation and laying of cables in boxes, they should not intersect or touch.

How to properly dismantle a socket

So, having considered the main technical specifications sockets and their types, you can proceed to the main thing, how to remove the socket from the wall. To do this you should need:

• small screwdriver with plastic handle,
• insulating tape,
• rubber gloves,
• tester.

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. The first step is to turn off the power to the apartment. In this case, you should check several times that the electrics are actually de-energized. You can use a tester for this.
2. Depending on the type of outlet, the decorative cover is removed. It can be secured with screws or latches. Domestic sockets use a screw.
3. Then the socket fastenings are unscrewed. If the legs are movable, then when the screw is unscrewed, it will become accessible for removal.
4. Carefully pull out the entire socket structure and see how it is secured

There are sockets in every apartment, and they are used many times a day to connect electrical appliances. Sometimes situations arise when you need to replace the socket, move it, or simply remove it for the duration of repairs and wallpapering. Although this is not difficult to do, you must follow safety precautions to avoid electric shock. In this article we will look at how to remove the socket from the wall and disassemble it.

Socket device

To carefully dismantle the socket you need to know its structure. It differs depending on the specific model and manufacturer, but in general the design is the same.

There are sockets. Built-in ones, as the name suggests, are located inside the wall in a recess, and overhead ones are fixed outside. Often overhead sockets are used if the external wiring or on thin walls, partitions, or furniture elements.

The built-in socket device is shown in the picture below

The socket consists of four main parts:

1. Socket cover.

2. Fastening to the wall - opening legs.

3. Caliper - a metal frame that fastens the body.

4. The core is an insulator with contacts and terminals for connecting wires.

It is attached to the wall or in a socket box using claws. They are attached to the core with screws, when you tighten them - the screws of the foot open and rest seat(socket box or wall).

Procedure for removing the socket

First of all, before we do anything with the socket, we take it and check its performance on known-good sockets or other voltage sources (lamp socket, circuit breaker screws, etc.). The indicator should light up when you touch it. phase wire sting, and with your finger the contact nickel on the end of the screwdriver, as shown below.

When you are convinced that the screwdriver is working properly, you need to turn off the voltage in the apartment or. To do this, you need to find circuit breakers or fuses that are located in the electrical panel of the apartment or in the entrance to the site.

If you have plugs with fuses installed, unscrew them. Automatic traffic jams - press the red button. If they stand circuit breakers- the flag is lowered down, after which you will see the marking “O”, as in the photo below.

Now you need to recheck the presence of voltage in the socket with an indicator screwdriver - if it does not light up when you touch both wires, you can start working.

To dismantle the socket, first remove the front cover; to do this, you need to unscrew 1 or 2 screws.

After removing the cover you will see the following picture:

You need to loosen the fastening tabs; to do this, loosen the screws circled in red. After which the fastening will loosen and you can remove the socket.

Now you need to pull the wires out of the terminals; screw terminals are usually used, so loosen the screws.

A rubber band may be placed on the socket - this is normal; it holds the fastening legs so that they do not dangle or fall out.

2 or 3 wires are connected to the outlet:

Earth (not always).

If you want to replace an outlet, don't make a stupid mistake and connect it correctly.

Legrand's products are very popular, but their design often differs from common cheap sockets. The procedure for removing Legrand products is shown in the picture below:

Below is the design of sockets from this manufacturer, the Valena series.

And the design of the Celiane series:

In both cases, first unscrew the screw holding the front panel, then remove the frame. The front panel can additionally be fixed with a latch, and most of the structural elements are fastened with latches, so carefully examine it and remove it using an awl or a thin screwdriver.

Products of another famous brand Schneider Electric sorts it out in the same way, but it is worth noting that on some models the front panel can be attached without a screw, but with latches, as shown in the figure below:

They fit tightly, but come out if you pull them towards you.

They are covered with frames on top and there is nothing to grab onto to remove them. Therefore, to dismantle the socket, you need to remove the frame. On the side of the frame they have a special groove for this, where you can insert a slotted screwdriver.

Conclusion

In most cases, a slotted or Phillips screwdriver is sufficient to remove the socket. The main thing is to turn off the power before you do this and not to pull too hard on the wires to avoid breaking them, otherwise you will have to unpick the wall and extend it. In principle, all sockets are disassembled similarly to each other, there are some nuances from individual manufacturers, such as latches or others design features designs.

Most often, the need to disassemble a light switch occurs when it fails. Although the design of the product is quite simple, sometimes manufacturers (mainly Legrand, Schneider, Viko) make the dismantling holes invisible in order to improve the design. The result may be accidental damage to the case or a long time spent searching for clamps and connectors. So that readers of "" do not encounter such an absurd situation, we recommend that you view the detailed instructions for disassembling the case with your own hands.

So, in the initial position you have a key switch securely fastened inside the groove. First, prepare a tool to quickly disassemble the case - an indicator screwdriver, which will be quite sufficient.

Instructions for disassembling a light switch in an apartment are as follows:

1. Disconnect the circuit breaker that protects the electrical wiring from network overloads and short circuits.
   
2. Make sure there is no power in the room using an indicator screwdriver.
   
3. Remove the key(s). It doesn’t matter which one you use: single-key, double or three-key. To remove the key, you need to squeeze it with your fingers on the sides (in the middle) and carefully remove it from the case (as shown in the photo). Sometimes the part “sits” firmly inside the case and in order to get it out you need to pry off one of the edges with a screwdriver.
   
4. Remove the decorative frame. In some cases, the frame is secured with two bolts from the inside; less often, the part is held in place by grooves that need to be lightly pressed with a screwdriver to disassemble the electrical accessories. Another option for fixing the frame is using additional element, which is mounted in the grooves of the caliper.
   
5. Remove the “core” from the socket. There are two screws on the sides of the case that secure the mechanism to the wall. All you need to do is unscrew them with a screwdriver. There is another option for holding the case in the socket box - with spreading legs. They need to be loosened by unscrewing the bolts on the sides that adjust the thrust angle.
   
6. Disconnect lead-in conductors. Phase, ground and neutral can be secured with self-clamping terminals or a screw clamp. In the first case, you just need to press the locking levers and pull the wires out of the connectors. The screw terminals must be unscrewed with a screwdriver and the wires carefully removed.
   

That's all the instructions for disassembling the light switch. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in such an event.

Visual video lessons will allow you to see in more detail all the stages of unwinding:

Video instructions: how to disassemble a single-key and two-gang switch Sveta

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 the help of a third-party specialist, but do not 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:

1. Use a screwdriver - a voltage indicator.
2. Use the switch button to turn on and off the lights in the room.
3. Connect any household electrical appliance to an outlet and check if it works.

If the socket is dismantled in dark time days, you should ensure availability good source 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. To dismantle the socket built into the wall, simply remove the decorative frame.
4. The socket located on the wall surface can be dismantled after its casing has been unscrewed.
5. 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 you can connect both the outlet itself and lighting fixtures. 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 fastener also 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:

Typically, 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 a key 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:

1. It is necessary to turn off the circuit breaker, which protects the wiring from electrical overloads and short circuits.
2. 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.
3. Next, you need to dismantle the key if the switch is a single-key switch or the keys if it is a three-key or two-key switch. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. The next step is to disconnect the input wires. Phase, ground and neutral can be fixed to self-clamping terminals or to a screw terminal. 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::

1. Short circuit.
2. Failure of expensive lamps, energy-saving, LED or fluorescent light bulbs.
3. Insulation burnout in the distributor or wall.
4. Electric shock, which can be fatal.

Required: Learn 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 traditionally with standard fasteners, through 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 you start a very complex scheme connections to electrical appliances must be de-energized 100%, no exceptions.

Failure to comply with safety regulations may result in:

1. Electric shock resulting in injury, death.
2. Failure of expensive electrical appliances due to what will happen short circuit online.
3. Insulation breakdown 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 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 dark place, then 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:

1. De-energize indoor space, in which the electrical outlet will be disassembled.
2. 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. Most modern sockets this screw may be hidden under an overlay decorative panel.
3. Next, you will need to unscrew 2 more screws that are responsible for the “antennae” of the sockets.
4. 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.