Having an excellent electrician on hand will always come in useful. But there could be sudden emergencies when you need to fix a broken switch or rewire a regulator. In these cases, it’s always good to have a basic knowledge of simple electrical fixes so you can do a few repairs yourself. The components of a switchboard are one of the simplest DIY fixes in your home. With a good understanding of the purpose behind each component, even a complete beginner can get started without any difficulties. Here’s how you can install the three basic components of a switchboard, the socket, regulator and switch, without the help of an electrician!

Socket:

Sockets usually consist of 2 or 3 pins along with a switch. The 3-pin plug is usually used for appliances that require a higher power output. The 2-pin plugs use lesser power when compared to the 3-pin plugs. Not every socket can take up the same electricity load, which is why it is important to understand signs that your socket needs to be replaced.

What is a 3-pin plug?

In the 3-pin plug, the top pin is the earth or ground connection. This grounding or earthing helps any dangerous residual electricity or excess electricity from being passed. Excess electricity can be hazardous for appliances that are connected. It can not only damage the appliance, but can also trigger a short circuit as a safety measure.

Wires in a 3-pin plug

For a 3-pin plug, there are typically 3 different wires which need to be connected to the back of the plug. The three wires are the earth wire, live wire, and the neutral wire. These 3 wires come in a cable with different colors, which is done to distinguish between the three wires. The colour code for the wiring is as follows: Red Colour: Live Wire Black Colour: Neutral Wire Green Colour: Earth Wire In a standard 3 pin plug that is triangular in shape, the earth wire is on the top and usually larger than the other two pins at the bottom. The two pins at the bottom which are placed parallel to each other are the live wire and the neutral wire respectively. The live wire is on the left-hand side while the neutral wire is on the right-hand side. It is fairly simple to connect the wires to the plug socket this is because all plugs today come with connectors.

How to wire a plug socket

Wiring a plug socket is extremely simple and can be easily done by beginners. Step 1: Loosen the screws of the connectors on the back of the plug. Step 2: Strip the three cable wires (Red – Live wire, Black – Neutral wire, and Green – Earth wire). Step 3: After stripping the wires, you will find the copper tips of the three wires. Step 4: Take the earth wire(green) and insert the copper tip in between the loosened screw of the connector. Step 5: Take the live wire(red) and insert the copper tip in between the loosened screw of the connector. This is located on the bottom left of the plug. Step 6: Take the neutral wire (black) and insert the copper tip in between the loosened screw of the connector. This is located on the bottom right of the plug. Step 7: Once the three wires have been inserted, fasten the screws to ensure the copper tip meets the screw. Step 8: Clip the plug onto the switchboard.

What is a regulator?

A regulator is a switch or a component that is predominantly used for regulating the fan speed. There are two different types of regulators. While they are mechanically identical, the difference between the two is the way the regulator switch works. In the first type, the regulator rotates freely from low to high speed, whereas the second type of regulators have a stage-wise increase and decrease in speed. This could be a 3, 4 or 5 stage increase in speed depending on the brand of the regulator.

How to wire a regulator

Wiring a regulator is a fairly simple task because it only uses two wires, a live wire from which the current flows and a neutral wire. Regulators come preinstalled with a live wire and neutral wire. Depending on the brand, the wire cable can either be red and black symbolizing the live and neutral wire. Certain brands have both grey cables connected to a red end and a black end symbolizing the live and neutral wire. Here are the steps to wire a regulator: Step 1: Ensure the connected wire cable from the regulator is stripped. Step 2(optional): If the cable is not stripped, take a plier and strip the cable to see the copper portion of the wire. Step 3: Take the copper tips of the live wire (red) and the neutral wire (black) of the regulator and connect it to the copper tips of the live and neutral wires. Step 4: Twist the connected copper ends of the wiring to ensure they are in contact and current flow is there. Step 5: Secure the open copper ends of the wiring with insulating tape(to ensure safety). Step 6: Clip the regulator onto the switchboard.

Switch :

A switch is the component in a switchboard that controls the power supply of a particular fixture. It does this by completing and breaking the circuit. When a switch is in the ‘on’ position, the power is being supplied and the circuit is complete. While when it is in the ‘off’ position, the power supply is disconnected and the circuit is broken. It is important to pick the right electric switch, be it for a workspace or household.

How to wire a switch:

The switch component comes with a socket secured with a screw where the live wire and the neutral wire are placed. Here are the steps to wire a switch: Step 1: With the help of a plier or wire stripper, strip the cable wire to find the bare copper wiring of the live and neutral wire. Step 2: Unscrew the ends of the switch component where the live and neutral wire are to be placed. Step 3: Place the copper tip of the live wire into the socket for the live wire. Step 4: Place the copper tip of the neutral wire into the socket for the neutral wire. Step 5: Fasten the screws of the sockets where the live wire and the neutral wire are placed, ensure the metal part of the screw is in contact with the copper tip of the wire. Step 6: Clip the switch back into place in the switchboard. With the help of these simple steps, you can easily fix any issue with regard to wiring components of a switchboard. Next time there is a switch, plug or regulator that needs to be wired, you won’t have to call your electrician! While buying switches, wires or any electric component ensure that quality and safety standards are always met. At Finolex we always ensure that our products meet the highest quality standards. Explore our range of switches, wires and cables to get started!.