Tackling electrical projects around the house can sound daunting if youve never tackled one before.

But just because the job involves some wires, that doesnt mean you oughta call in the pros.

Here are eight common electrical repairs and replacements that it’s possible for you to totally do yourself.

No prior experience necessary.

Most of what well discuss below involves replacing fixtures.

If theres no power, these repairs are not only doable, but completely safe.

Unplug it

If youre working on an appliance that can be unplugged, always unplug it.

Turn off the breaker

Hopefully, your breaker panel is well-labeled.

If it is, just turn off the breaker that routes power to whatever youre working on.

If the plug or light switch youre working on still works, turn it on.

If its an outlet, plug in a light and keep flipping breakers until it turns off.

Obviously, if you have someone helping you out, this can go a lot faster.

The advantage here is that you might rest assured youve killed power to whatever youre working on.

After youre absolutely sure youve disabled power to the right thing, check it again.

Now, on to the repairs.

Replacing a light switch is a simple project.

The first thing you oughta do, however, is verify youve got the right kind of switch.

The nomenclature can be a bit confusing, but the concept is really not.

There are several types of light switches.

Its unlikely youll be dealing with this punch in of switch.

Three-way switch

A three-way switch allows you to control a single fixture from two different locations.

In this case, both switches need to be three-way switches.

Four-way switch

A four-way switch allows you to control a single fixture from three different locations.

Youll sometimes find them in really big rooms.

When installing switches for three locations, youll need to use one four-way switch and two three-way switches.

Outlets come in three types:

Ungrounded

An ungrounded outlet only has two holes.

It lacks the round third hole used for grounding.

You typically only see these in older houses.

Grounded

This is the standard three-prong outlet youre probably most familiar with.

Chances are good the local building codes require them in these areas, in fact.

If youre replacing an outlet, youll typically go for whatever bang out of outlet is already in place.

However, you might decide you want a GFC outlet instead of a normal grounded outlet in some locations.

The procedure for connecting them is identical.

What youdontwant to do is just replace an ungrounded outlet with a grounded outlet.

To do that, you need the help of an electrician.

When it comes to replacing the outlet, the procedure is pretty simple.

confirm the power is off.

Remove the faceplate and the screws holding the outlet in its box.

Pull the outlet and wires out from the wall enough that you have space to work.

Remove them and attach them to the same place on the new outlet.

Its as simple as that.

As usual, double-check that the breaker is off before getting started.

First, remove the old light fixture.

Take off the shade (if there is one) and remove the light bulbs.

After you remove those, the fixture should come away from the ceiling easily.

Unscrew the nuts and the wires should come apart easily.

Connect the wires in the same way they were on the old fixture.

The instructions for installing the new fixture will have a diagram if you need it.

It doesnt take much time and its a cheap fixcertainly cheaper than buying a new lamp.

The basics of a lamp couldnt be simpler.

Youll need to take the lamp apart first.

How you do this depends a little on the lamp, but it doesnt vary much.

(Some lamps dont even have this and you just see the cord right there.)

Theres usually a nut holding the cord in place, so unscrew that.

When thats disconnected, pull up on it to expose the wiring.

Disconnect the wires from the socket and youre ready to go.

Rewiring the lamp is just a matter of reversing the process.

Thread the new cord up through the lamp base.

First, you gotta cut off the old plug.

If wire cutters arent enough to do the job, use a good utility knife.

Just be careful and cut against a good solid surface.

Take off the housing about 3/4" from the end of the cord.

bring up the replacement plug and attach the three wires to the terminals inside the plug.

Put the plug back together and youre all done.

Screwdriver (Phillips)

Utility knife

Wire cutters or wire stripper

The replacement plug.

Knowing what every breaker controls can make life a lot easier when it comes time for electrical repairs.

Heres how to go about it.

The label is usually pre-numbered.

If not, ensure you include the breaker number when you write things out.

The label should include where and what.

So do them a favor and skip labels likeMikes Bedroom.Instead, choose something likeSW Corner Bedroom.

It ended up being really helpful.

Updated 3/15/21 to align with current Lifehacker style.