Contents
The following issues will be considered in the article: preparatory work, location selection, gypsum chipping, mounting the socket box, connecting and installing the socket in drywall.
The popularity of drywall
Now very often plasterboard sheets are used for interior decoration and leveling the walls of rooms, creating partitions.
This material greatly facilitates the finishing work, has a fairly large list of positive qualities, for which it has become widespread.
After fixing the drywall sheets, the time comes for the next stage of work related to the electrification part – the installation of sockets and switches in the walls.
Their installation work is not complicated, so it is quite possible to perform them on your own, without resorting to the help of anyone.
Features of the choice of sockets, socket boxes
Successful installation work depends on the correct selection of everything necessary – the sockets and switches themselves, as well as special plastic mounting boxes – socket boxes (these elements are fixed in a hole made in the wall, and sockets are already installed in them).
Socket boxes produced for installation in holes in plasterboard walls differ from those installed in concrete and brick.
Their peculiarity lies in the presence of special presser feet mounted on screws.
By turning these screws, these tabs can be moved along the socket housing.
As for sockets and switches, manufacturers now produce them according to a single standard regarding the dimensions of the inner part, which will be placed in the mounting box.
And yet, acquiring all the necessary elements, you should check their compatibility.
Required tool
Not so many tools are required for installation work:
- Drill or perforator;
- Special nozzle – “crown”, for making holes in drywall (diameter 68 mm);
- Screwdrivers;
- Passatizhi;
- Measuring tool (tape measure, ruler, level);
- Marker.
In some cases, tools for cutting metal may be required – a thin chisel, a hammer.
Read on the topic – what tool is recommended to have at home.
Choosing a place to install
In the rules of the PUE, there are no prescriptions for the location of sockets and switches as such. That is, you can arrange them as you wish.
But at the same time, the choice of installation location depends on the wiring, which is carried out before attaching drywall sheets to the walls.
In general, it is necessary to determine the approximate locations of sockets and switches at the stage of laying the wiring.
In this case, the length of the output ends of the wires to which the sockets will be connected should be left with a margin.
After all, it is much easier to cut off the excess than to build up to supply power to the switches.
Despite the possibility of choosing an arbitrary location for the installation of sockets and switches, now many are trying to adhere to the so-called European standards, according to which the height of sockets from the floor should be:
- In ordinary rooms – 30 cm;
- In the kitchen (above the countertop) – 120 cm;
- In the bathroom – 60 cm;
- To connect a washing machine – 100 cm;
Switches are installed at a height of 80 – 90 cm from the floor. But we note that these are only recommendations and they do not require strict adherence.
When performing installation, first of all, you should still focus on ease of use and ease of access, and then on standards.
In addition, in some cases, a non-standard socket position may be required, for example, to provide power to a TV that will be mounted under the ceiling.
When choosing the installation locations for sockets and switches, it is better to immediately make all the necessary markings on drywall.
At the same time, if the floor is not yet fully completed and it is planned to lay the floor covering in the future, this should be taken into account when choosing the height of the installation site.
Making a hole
Having done all the necessary marking work, you can start cutting holes.
There is nothing complicated in this operation:
- We install a prepared nozzle on a drill or puncher;
- Before starting drilling, you need to correctly position the “crown” relative to the place where the hole will be (to make it easier, you can drill the center of the future hole with a conventional drill);
- With a crown, we cut a through hole in a sheet of drywall. When working with a drill and a puncher, one should not create strong pressure, otherwise this may lead to the formation of torn edges of the hole, which will further affect the installation work;
Note that you can make a hole without a crown, although it will be more difficult.
To do this, you can use two methods – cut it with a knife or use a drill with a conventional drill.
But whichever method is chosen, additional markup must first be done to determine the dimensions.
You can do it like this:
- Using a ruler and a marker, draw a cross on the wall, the crosshair of which will be in the center of the future hole;
- We measure 34 mm from the center on each of their rays of the cross and make marks (the distance between two marks lying on the same line should be 68 mm);
- We take the socket box and apply it to the wall with the back side, positioning according to the marks;
- We circle the socket around the circumference.
Thus, we obtain the required dimensions of the hole centered on the selected location for the outlet.
And then we cut it out. You can make a hole with a knife, but this is not very easy, because you have to cut the sheet through its entire thickness, but if there is no mechanical tool at hand, then this method will do.
To facilitate the work, you can use a drill with a drill. We make the maximum possible number of holes for them along the circle printed on the wall.
And then just cut the jumpers between them with a knife. It remains only then to trim the resulting hole with a knife.
In general, cutting a hole is not difficult, but quite often there are a variety of unforeseen situations that will have to be addressed.
READ ON TOPIC: How to install sockets in the floor.
Difficulties that may arise and their solution
One of the most common problems that arise when making a seat for a socket is getting into the profile to which the drywall sheet is attached.
In this case, it will not be possible to install the mounting box, since its height is much greater than the thickness of the drywall.
That is, for installation, you need additional space under the sheet so that the socket box becomes all the way.
This problem is solved very simply – with the help of a chisel (chisel, screwdriver) and a hammer, we cut out the interfering section of the profile. This will not affect the bearing capacity of the profile in any way.
The situation is worse if the drywall is glued to the wall without using a frame made of a metal profile (such installation is also found, albeit rarely).
In this case, you will have to make a recess in the wall with a puncher with a chisel or a hammer with a chisel.
Another situation concerns the installation of a block of outlets (several of them are located in a row one next to the other).
For reliable fastening of each socket box, it is necessary that jumpers remain between the holes for them.
This is where proper markup can help.
It is done like this: we select the installation location of the extreme outlet, and mark the center of the hole.
Then we draw a straight horizontal line through the marked point.
Next, measure 72 mm from the center of the first hole and make a mark (this will be the center of the second hole).
We make a few more marks on the line (according to the number of outlets in the block), observing the specified length between the points.
It’s simple – the hole diameter is 68 mm, and between the centers we have 72 mm, and after cutting the holes we get jumpers 4 mm thick in the thinnest place.
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We install socket boxes
After cutting the holes, we prepare the electrician’s tool and install the sockets. But before that, they need to make a hole for pulling the wiring.
Next, we stretch the wire through the mounting box, put it in the hole and fix it with the help of paws.
But there are some nuances regarding the design of the socket boxes.
In some types of boxes, the groove along which the foot moves has a smooth transition.
In the extreme position (near the bottom of the socket), the foot is completely recessed into the groove.
But as it moves (when the screw is tightened), due to the transition, it begins to protrude above the body, which allows you to fix the socket box (on the outer side, the border around the circumference of the body acts as an emphasis, and on the inside, a foot pressed against the sheet with a screw).
It is not difficult to fix such a socket box – we install it in the hole and fix it. In this case, the position of the legs does not play a role.
The second type of boxes is different in that the groove is even along its entire length. But so that when installing the socket in the hole, the paws do not interfere, special niches are provided for them, in which they hide (turning on the screw).
Such a socket is mounted as follows: we make sure that both paws are in niches and install it in the hole.
Then, turn the box so that the screws of the legs are vertical.
In this case, the foot of the lower screw will come out of its niche (it will protrude above the body).
If it is slightly tightened with a screw, then it will no longer be able to change its position.
To pull the second foot out of the niche, turn the socket 180 degrees so that the top screw is at the bottom.
And then we already attract both paws, fixing the box. But we note that you should not immediately completely clamp the paws, it is better to leave them unfinished for now (so that you can turn the box).
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Installation of a socket, switch
After that, you can install the socket or switch in the socket.
The first thing to do when working with wiring is to de-energize it. If the end of the wire is very long, we shorten it, but so that there is a margin (so that it comes out of the box by 10-15 cm). Then we clean the ends from the braid.
Remove the upper decorative part from the socket or switch and set it aside for the time being.
We loosen the fixing bolts on the contacts. When installing and fixing the ends of the wires in the contacts, it is important not to confuse them.
This applies to three-wire wiring with a ground wire (yellow-green).
For him, sockets and switches have their own contact (if it is not there, then we simply isolate the ground wire and hide it inside the box).
As for the phase and neutral wires, there is no difference to which contact each of them will be connected. The main thing when connecting is to tighten the fastening bolts of the contacts with high quality.
After connecting, we install the inner part of the socket, the switch in the socket and fix it with screws.
Good to know: How to install electrical wiring in a private wooden house.
The socket in drywall has not yet been rigidly fixed for one reason – when attaching the inside of the socket (switch) to the box, they often warp a little, so after assembly they will stand crooked.
And it is undesirable to loosen / clamp the fasteners of the socket in the box several times.
And by turning the socket box itself, you can achieve an even location of the switch, and then fix everything with your paws.
It remains only to reinstall the upper decorative part of the socket (switch) and check their performance. But do not forget, technology does not stand still, it greatly simplifies the installation of a wireless switch in drywall. It turns out a little more expensive, but much easier and more convenient.
It is important to know how to properly install the outlet in the bathroom.