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How To Wire and Install an Outlet

By Timothy Thiele, About.com

8 of 10

Attach an Outlet to a Box

Attach an Outlet to a Box

Attach an Outlet to a Box

Timothy Thiele

Before you can install an outlet into a box, there a few things to be aware of. First, bend the wires in such a manner that they will fold back into the box opening easily. Try a dry run by pushing the outlet into the opening to see if there is enough room for the outlet to be installed without pinching the wires. Install the outlet with the ground connection up (preferred method) by screwing the two mounting screws provided on the outlet into the box.

The reason behind this is that if a cord is plugged into the outlet and something would happen to fall down on the exposed parts, or Heaven forbid, your child would have a paper clip or something, and slide it down onto the terminals, the ground wire is on top. This would make the circuit short out and likely save the child from electrocution. Scared, yes!

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