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Any electrical wiring wears out sooner or later and needs to be replaced. This statement especially applies to aluminum wires, which were actively used in the last century.
Their shelf life, unlike the currently popular copper cables, does not exceed 20 years.
However, due to high loads, this figure will be greatly reduced if aluminum wires are used in apartments with modern household appliances.
Therefore, now only copper wires are relevant for organizing the power grid.
Wiring types
There are two types of wiring: open and closed. Both options can be used for electrification in an apartment. However, they have some advantages and disadvantages.
Hidden wiring is laid in the walls, sometimes in the cement floor screed or ceiling slabs using special channels.
Hidden wiring does not spoil the appearance of the walls, but its laying is more difficult and requires certain skills.
To fix and isolate an open network, plastic boxes are usually used, which are easily attached to the ceiling and walls.
This method is easy to install and repair and does not require wall storming with their subsequent sealing after laying the cables, as in the case of hidden electrical wiring.
If necessary, it is easy to reinstall or check the network, just open the box.
But if the hidden electrical wiring is installed correctly, then it will serve properly for several decades, so the inconvenience of its repair fades into the background.
Basically, in apartments, the installation of hidden electrical wiring is practiced by chasing walls. As a result of this process, special grooves for wires (strobes) are formed.
Read on: How to properly install electrical wiring.
They are located horizontally or vertically.
The former, as a rule, are formed under the ceiling with an indent of 200-250 mm, the latter go to switches and sockets. Additional marking using a long ruler, rod, chopping cord will facilitate wall chasing.
As a tool, you can use a puncher for drilling holes with a depth of 25-30 mm.
But if it is planned to install additional sockets in the floor, then in this case a lot depends on what it will be like, if it is wooden, then there is no need for gating.
Stroborez
A professional tool, which is a high-power angle grinder (grinder), characterized by the presence of 2 concrete discs (d = 230 mm), on which a hose is attached that acts as a vacuum cleaner.
The chisel can be made by yourself. To do this, you need to take a grinder with a power of 2 kW or more, preferably more. For non-professionals, it is advisable to take discs with a diameter of 180 mm, this will increase the duration of the correct operation of the tool.
Regardless of the method chosen, it is necessary to comply with safety regulations, in particular, use a respirator for protection, and create maximum ventilation in the room.
At the junctions of horizontal and vertical strobes (at their crosshairs) there are dose boxes, which are otherwise called junction boxes.
They connect wires. The classic installation area for this element is the switch at the entrance.
The number of junction boxes is equal to the number of branches (independent groups). If it is necessary to divide the network into lighting and sockets, then 2 dose boxes must be installed.
If you use wireless switches, then the installation of hidden electrical wiring in the house will be greatly simplified.
Installation of open electrical wiring
In the large-scale construction of the 60s, only hidden electrical wiring was used, now many are striving to replace it with a more convenient open version.
In the latter case, the time and money costs are much less.
There are several ways to install it. The most popular is the arrangement of wires in plastic channels or tubes.
When installing them, the removal of the wall covering is not required. The problem with using plastic boxes is their fragility when handled carelessly.
The main disadvantage when installing open wiring is a decrease in the usable area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe room, especially if tall furniture is planned.
Any wire is suitable for an open network, but it is best to use a flexible multi-wire cable. They install and bend more easily.
The boxes are made of plastic, so if the wire is poorly positioned, they can be deformed, and the lid can be pressed through.
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Choice of wires
The following brands of wires are suitable for apartment wiring: PVS, PUGNP or ShVVP, information cables RKGM or TRP can be used.
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For telephone and computer devices – UTP cables. Unlike rigid wires, flexible wires are very easy to place in corners. In addition, the cables fit well into the corrugated tube.
It is necessary to resolve the issue with the thickness of the cables. The higher this indicator, the stronger the power the network can withstand.
However, the price of wires with a large cross section will be more expensive, they bend worse and require a careful attitude when installing, forming twists, as well as plastic boxes of a certain volume.
The choice of section depends on the future functions of the wire. So, when powering sockets that will be used to turn on lighting fixtures, a copper cable with a cross section of 2,5 square meters is suitable. mm, while the electric stove, washing machine require the use of thicker cables.
When choosing the right diameter, you should be guided by the calculation of the required power of the devices connected to a particular cable.
There are special tables that indicate the correspondence between the parameters of diameter and power.
Installation by channel installation
The classic way to install wiring is the shape of the letter “P”. At the channel, a back part is distinguished, which is called the back, it is connected to the shelves (side walls).
After laying the wire, the structure is closed with a lid with special easy-to-operate latches.
The choice of cable channels is wide, these products are made of PVC. They come in different colors and sizes.
Manufacturers also offer products of various shapes. The channels are easy to color yourself in the desired shade.
A box in the form of a U-shape is the most standard option.
However, you can purchase cable channels with a triangular, oval or curved section.
Often, boxes with partitions are used to install electrical wiring. With the help of the latter, power and information cables are separated into compartments.
To calculate the number of required cable channels, remember that the length of one segment is 2 m.
It is advisable to purchase all the parts necessary for installation, including turns and angles, as well as various modules for sockets and switches.
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Installation planning
The first step in replacing electrics in an apartment is planning the necessary purchases.
For these purposes, it is better to draw a room plan or print a finished drawing, which will help determine the number of branches and current sources.
You should know the length, width and height of the walls, indicate these parameters in the drawing for the convenience of calculating the required amount of material.
Naturally, purchases are made with some stock of accessories. Immediately you need to decide whether smart sockets will be installed or ordinary ones.
It should be noted that open wiring provides more opportunities to show imagination.
Thanks to a large selection of channels, wires can be hidden on the walls, ceiling and even on the floor, depending on the tasks being solved. The main thing is that the network is available in case of repair.
Preparatory steps before laying
The channel is often fixed to the wall with glue. This mounting method is not suitable for massive (100×60 mm) boxes.
It is easy to work with channels of small and medium volume. However, it is not possible to fix them well with glue if there are significant wall irregularities.
Another way to fix plastic boxes is to use dowel-nails. This method requires more time than using glue, while achieving a more secure fixation.
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The choice of specific methods for fixing the channels depends on the characteristics of the wall material.
If it is drywall, then butterfly dowels are required – a special type of fasteners.
The wooden surface allows the use of ordinary nails or screws.
The preliminary stage of wall preparation is the removal of all irregularities at the site of the future channel. When fixing with glue, it is necessary to prime the zone.
Sequencing
They begin to draw the contours of future cable channels from the location of the meter or switchboard.
Everyone knows that these elements are usually placed near the entrance to the apartment.
It is necessary to draw a line for the localization of the plastic box directly from the central entrance. You can mark up gradually or walk through all the rooms of the apartment.
The main thing to remember is which side of the line the box will be located on (top or bottom).
The next step is to attach the channel to the wall. Through holes are drilled in the back of the latter with a gap of 30-40 cm.
Dowels are inserted into the holes and the channel is fixed. If the latter has a width of more than 50 mm, then you need to drill a pair of holes from two edges of the backrest.
First, on one side, for example, from above, then fasten and proceed to the second line. In this case, the chess order should be observed.
Only after installing all the channels, they begin to connect them, therefore, it is necessary to carefully measure the distances so that the connecting elements stand up like a glove and there are no unnecessary gaps.
Auxiliary network components
There are several types of auxiliary network components, in particular, plugs, connectors and corners.
The formation of turns and docking zones near the channels is inevitable, so it is impossible to do without connecting components.
However, turns can be created independently by cutting the shelves (upper and lower sides) of the channel.
But still, it is better to purchase corners and tees, since a network with independently created turns will look less aesthetically pleasing, and these works will take more time.
After the formation of a single system, the installation of modules and junction boxes follows.
The former are inserts into the channel and have special latches.
It should be noted that socket modules differ in size from those for switches.
The number of electrical points can be different, which allows you to choose the best option.
It turns out that the current regulators are placed directly in the channel. This gives the advantages of operating open wiring.
It is allowed to use ordinary sockets, which should be connected with small channels.
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If the cable box is large, then it will not be possible to connect electrical points directly to it, therefore, the use of junction boxes is required, the range of which differs in a variety of sizes.
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General description of the outdoor wiring system in cable channels
Bundles of wires depart from the counter or shield. The number of these elements for a small apartment does not exceed 6.
Each bundle is responsible for a specific food zone. The dimensions of the cable channels must ensure free placement of the bundle in the box.
First, the largest channel is formed, from which those of a smaller size depart, providing electricity access to a specific zone.
This method of organizing electrical wiring is called “tree-like”.
It is well suited if each zone in the apartment has its own RCD (residual current device) and a general circuit breaker that de-energizes a certain section of the wiring.
It should be noted that in European networking options, the number of junction boxes is minimal.
In Russia, a type of wiring is often found when branches depart from one central cable.
This method of organization is called simple, it requires the mandatory use of junction boxes.
If the apartment is small and it is possible to power the rooms from each other, for example, a corridor, a bathroom, a kitchen, a room, then in this case junction boxes are practically not used.