Is it OK to cut off a fitted plug and wire up an ordinary one?

Question

On my washing machine?

Answer 1

It is ok to cut it off, if you make sure to get a 20 amp replacement.  I would get a heavy duty one.  Cheap ones are ok on a radio or something, but not a heavily used appliance.  The cords are usually flat and not marked to the untrained.  The center is your ground that is the protection you want to make sure you have that.  The one with the ridges on it is the neutral.  The plain one is the hot.  You attach center wire to green s***w or center post.  Neutral (one with ridges) to silver s***w or the widest of the blades.  The hot wire then goes to the dark s***w or the thinner of the two blades.

Answer 2

No problem with that at all. Be sure to wire it up correctly. Blue wire to the stand alone side terminal, Brown wire to the terminal where the fuse is and the green wire to the big terminal as this is the earth connection. For a washing machine be sure to fit a 13amp fuse. These are coloured brown. Make sure that the new plug has half insulation coated pins that enter the socket.

Answer 3

No problem Viper

http://www.pat-testing.info/wireaplug.ht...

Answer 4

Presume you need to put the power lead through a cupboard, work top or similar. providing you know how to wire a plug in the first place no reason at all why you should not. But a washing machine is a high load appliance so please dont cut corners, buy a top quality replacement plug such as MK not one of these 35p jobs from Woolworths.  

Bin the old plug immediately if there are children in the house.

Answer 5

Yes, it's okay. It has to be done frequently when installing built in appliances, use a good quality plug (MK 646) and make sure that the terminal screws are tight.

Answer 6

As long as you get the same type plug and the

connections right, yes.

Use a test light, (continuity tester, [cheap]), to determine

which wire goes to which prong on the old plug,

and make a like connection on the new one.

Answer 7

Yes, you can, but the hardware store sells replacement end plugs that you can wire back on easily and cheaply.

Answer 8

Yes, but be sure to use the right amp of fuse. No harm at all.

Answer 9

I wouldn't do that. Did you ever see the movie "A Christmas Story"? When the dad plugged 30 strings of lights into one socket, it shorted, blew a fuse and started a fire! Fitted plugs are made that way for a reason. Ordinary plugs can't handle the higher voltage demands of large appliances, so swapping them out will cause overheating, an electrical short or fire. If you're trying to plug a dryer into an ordinary outlet, the wires serving that outlet aren't capable of handling the current load either- again leading to overheating/shorting/fire. Save yourself and your neighbors a whole lot of heart ache by hiring an electrician to upgrade the outlet.

Answer 10

BANG.

Answer 11

no problem, i did that to get the cable through to where the sockets where, but remember to fit the new one correctly, and leave the earthwire slightly longer length so that if the cable is pulled, the earthwire is last to disconnect.

Answer 12

Of course it is, But the most important points are ,

Make sure the Earth wire is connected and sheathed with Yellow and Green sleeving and make sure you fit the correct strength fuse for example if its for a table lamp a 5amp fuse will suffice, if its for an electric fire be sure to fit a 13amp fuse and of course make sure there are no bare wires in sight

Answer 13

yes its fine ...funny some of our American Friends answers !

Answer 14

A wash machine comes with 3 wire plugs. One is the hot wire that supplies electricity to the motor, the other one is a ground that returns the electricity from the motor. The third is a neutral that prevents you from being electrocuted if the motor shorts out.

The wash machine will run if you remove the neutral, but it may also electrocute you if it shorts or the tub leaks water onto the motor or wiring.

Your decision.

Answer 15

Yeah it should be fine I had the same problem as the plug on my washing machine wouldnt' fit through the hole in my bench.

Make sure its wired properly and you use the right fuse.

Answer 16

I'm trying to figure out what a "fitted plug" is.  most washing machines come with a 3 prong 110V grounded plug cord.  If it's anything other than 2 flat, and one round on the bottom, then it's a 220V, and needs to have the proper 220V plug cord and the house needs the proper 220V outlet.  Otherwise, cutting off a plug instead of removing a few screws from the back of the machine, going to the hardware store and buying the correct cord, and installing it into the machine may only lead to a fire hazard later down the road.

Answer 17

If you know where to put the different coloured wires.  Caution - if you cut off the fitted plug and a bit of wire is sticking out a child could pick it up and plug it in and touch the bare wires.

Answer 18

Yes ,No problem.