DIY Tips: How to Wire a South African Three-Pin Plug

While electrical issues should be seen to by a trained professional, there are some basic DIY tasks that you can learn to make life easier at home. One of these very useful bits of DIY knowledge is how to wire a South African three-pin plug. Once you know how to do it correctly, it is an easy and safe process that you can complete in minutes.

Practical tip: When buying new plugs to replace old or broken plugs, it’s better to choose the ones that fasten with screws. Clip-on plugs may seem easy and convenient, but the plastic clips can break quite easily when opening or closing the plug if you’re not careful.

You’ll need the following items:

● Three-pin plug
● Pair of wire strippers
● Flat-head screwdriver
● Phillips (star) screwdriver (if you have a screw-fastened plug with a star screw)

Next, follow these simple steps to wire a South African three-pin plug:

Step 1: Strip the wires – take off about half a centimetre of the plastic insulation off the end of the wires using the wire strippers.

Step 2: Unscrew the plug cover using the Phillips screwdriver.

Step 3: Loosen the screw-in or clamp terminals (depending on the plug design) using the flat-head screwdriver.

Step 4: Insert the wires, matching the colours to the correct pins. The green/yellow wire links to the Earth terminal in the middle at the top. Looking from the top, the blue wire goes on the left (the pin marked with a blue dot or the letter “N”), and the brown goes on the right (The pin marked with a brown dot or the letter “L”).

Step 5: Tighten the screws to clamp the wires in place.

Step 6: Replace the cover and tighten the screw.

That’s it! You’re done!

If you’re looking for quality plugs or any other electrical components, choose Switch Electrical Supplies.

Sources:
Crafty Corner
Eskom