Wiring a plug

• Entry Level Certificate
• Learning objectives


  Know what the casing of a plug is made from and why<|>Know what is inside a flex<|>Know how to identify the live, neutral, and earth wire
• Flex (mains cable)


  • Consists of three copper wires
  • Each wire covered in plastic
  • Copper is a good electrical conductor
  • Plastic is a good electrical insulator
• If you touch the flex you will not get an electric shock
• Wires in the flex

  • brown live wire
  • blue neutral wire
  • green and yellow stripes earth wire
• Plugs


  • Made from plastic
  • Have three pins (live pin, earth pin, neutral pin)
  • Pins made of brass
• Brass


  Hard, a good conductor, and does not rust
• The plug contains a fuse between the live wire (brown) and the live pin
• If too much current flows through the live wire

  The fuse melts and cuts off the electricity supply
• Connections in the plug

  • The brown wire (live) is connected to the live pin
  • The blue wire (neutral) is connected to the neutral pin
  • The green and yellow striped wire (earth) is connected to the earth pin
• Cable grip


  Holds the flex firmly in place
• Materials used in cables and plugs

  • Plastic
  • Copper
  • Brass
• Most appliances are connected to the mains using a cable with three wires in it
• Inner core of each wire

  Made from copper
• Wire coating


  Covered in plastic because it is a good insulator
• The diagram shows the inside of a plug
• Each wire is colour coded