Replacing Old Switches and Receptacles

Now that you know about switches and receptacles, it’s time to replace any that are broken or to upgrade existing ones. The most common upgrade is swapping a standard toggle switch for a dimmer. Newer, quieter models—that don’t have the resounding “click” of old switches—sometimes are installed in older homes that still have their original devices.
The most common reason for replacing a device is wear and tear. The clips in a receptacle that hold a plug tautly or the metal arm in a switch eventually can fatigue and no longer work properly. A simple loss of power to a fixture or an appliance, however, is not necessarily a reason to replace a device. You have to do a few system checks first, which we’ll discuss in this chapter.
The short projects in this chapter will help you get your feet wet—don’t take that literally, however, when working around electricity—and gain a degree of comfort with your electrical system. Three- and four-way switches require more troubleshooting skills, but we’ll cover the most common situations with both switches. We’ll also discuss upgrading your current two-wire receptacles and making them safer when the situation calls for it—without updating the entire system with a grounded conductor.