How to Change a Fuse and Plug

If an electrical appliance has stopped working, you might need to change its fuse or plug. Save yourself unnecessary electrician’s call out fees by doing it yourself. It’s easier than you’d think; here we show you how.

Before you start, plug the appliance into a socket you know to be working just to make sure there’s not a fault with your original socket.

Safety Advice

Always switch off and unplug all electricals before carrying out any maintenance.

Make sure your plug has the right fuse for the appliance it's connected to or it could start a fire.

Always use a plug that carries the BSI Kitemark.

Never attempt any major electrical repairs and house rewiring by yourself.

How to Change a Fuse

1. If the plug has a fuse cover, pop it off with a small flathead screwdriver. If not, unscrew the cover of the plug and remove it.

2. Lift out the old fuse with your flat screwdriver.

3. Put a new fuse in its place after checking it’s the correct amperage. For appliances up to 700w (lamps, mixers, blenders) you’ll need a 3A fuse and for appliances over 700w (microwaves, kettles, toasters, irons) you need a 13A fuse, but always check the manufacturer's instructions. It doesn’t matter which way round it goes, it’ll just clip right in.

4. Pop the fuse cover back on, or screw the plug cover back down.

If the fuse blows again immediately, you will need to call an electrician.

How to Change a Plug

1. Remove the old plug by cutting it off with side cutters or unscrewing the cover and removing the wires.

2. If you’ve cut the plug off you’ll have to prepare the wires.

• Determine how much of the flex’s sheath you need to strip by placing it against the plug (the flex clamp must grip the sheath, not the cores). Take care when stripping flex not to damage the core wires.
• Cut the flex cores to length with side cutters, ensuring that the live core is the shortest and the earth core is the longest.
• Using wire strippers, strip about 10mm off of each of the cores’ insulation and then twist the copper wires to make it easier for them to fit under the terminal screws.

If you were able to unscrew the plug, the wires shouldn’t need preparing. Just check that the copper wires are twisted neatly.

3. Feed the flex into the new plug under the flex clamp.

4. Connect the brown (Live) core to the ‘L’ terminal (on the right) by feeding the exposed copper part under the terminal screw and tightening it with a small flathead screwdriver.

5. Connect the blue (Neutral) core to the ‘N’ terminal (on the left).

6. Connect the yellow and green (Earth) core to the ‘E’ terminal at the top. If there isn’t an earth core, ensure the ‘E’ terminal screw is tight.

• There shouldn’t be any exposed copper wire – the core wires’ insulation should go right up to the terminal.

7. Tighten the flex clamp. It should grip the flex’s outer sheath and not the exposed cores.

8. Replace the fuse after double-checking it’s the correct amp rating.

9. Screw the plug cover back into place – it should fit properly the whole way round.

If your appliance still isn’t working, you may need to consult an electrician. If you bought it from us and if it’s still under guarantee, dig out your receipt and bring it to your local Robert Dyas store so we can exchange it for you.