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Some time ago, this is exactly how wiring was done – insulators were nailed to the wall, twisted wires were attached to them. Then the fashion for hidden wiring went. Everyone tried to hide the wires as much as possible, leaving only the frames of sockets and switches outside, and to make them as less noticeable as possible. But the latest fashion trends are once again reviving the open type of wiring. It fits perfectly into the loft style, looks great in wooden log houses. In log cabins, retro wiring certainly looks better than using plastic cable channels. And internal wiring in wooden walls is a very complicated, almost impossible undertaking.
Reasons for choosing outdoor wiring
The first reason is clear – aesthetic considerations. The second is technical difficulties when performing hidden wiring in log houses. According to the requirements of the PUE in combustible structures (wooden walls), wiring can only be carried out in deaf (without perforation) metal boxes. The second option is in non-combustible plaster. Moreover, a layer of 1 cm should surround the conductor. To put it mildly, this is difficult to do.
The problem in laying the wiring cable in metal boxes is not only that you have to make deep strobes. The main difficulty is that a wooden house changes its height all the time. Even after the main shrinkage has passed, there are changes and they are seasonal in nature – during wet periods the wall becomes higher, in dry periods it settles. The difference in height can be up to 5-7 cm per floor. Since metal boxes do not stretch, this becomes a serious problem. In general, it turns out that open wiring is easier to do. Well, since the wires will stretch on top, then you can make a decoration out of them, which is what happens if you correctly make retro wiring.
From the point of view of fire safety, it fully complies with the requirements: it is mounted at a distance of 12-18 mm from combustible walls, based on ceramic or metal (non-combustible) insulators. The wire for laying is used twisted, with reduced combustibility. So there are no problems on that side either.
Sockets, switches, junction (mounting) boxes can be used ordinary – plastic. But to make everything look organic, it makes sense to put porcelain or metal ones and also in the “retro” style. They also meet safety requirements, as they are made of non-combustible material.
Materials for retro wiring
Retro wiring requires a special twisted cord and insulators (rollers). The rest of the components – junction boxes, switches and sockets for economy, you can take ordinary plastic ones. It is important that they meet the requirements: they must have back walls made of non-combustible materials. That is, you can take those that are allowed to be mounted on combustible walls.
Twisted cable
A twisted cord for retro wiring is made on the basis of a stranded copper conductor, which is packed in PVC insulation. There are two such shells. A textile shell is applied over the second. Usually it is technical silk, which is impregnated with anti-foam compounds (reduce flammability). Could be a cotton braid.
Types of cables
Cables come in 2, 3 or 4 conductors. To perform retro wiring in accordance with all the rules, you will need a twisted cable of three wires: one conductor will be phase, the second – zero (neutral), the third – protective (“ground”).
Twisted cables are available with a cross section of 1,5 mm2 and 2,5 mm2. There are no big sections. When developing a circuit, this must be taken into account and the wiring should be designed according to the type of beam wiring. The sockets take a cable with a cross section of 2,5 mm2, on each line you can “hang” 2-4 pieces. But the total power of the connected appliances should not exceed 3 kW, and the amount of current consumed should not exceed 16 A. This is where you have to twist, especially in the kitchen, where a lot of powerful household appliances are turned on. But for the kitchen, tile is often chosen as a finish, and it is placed on a wall lined with plaster. On a tile, a twisted cord will not look exactly, so it makes sense to do hidden wiring.
For lighting take a twisted cable with a cross section of 1,5 mm2, on one line the maximum load is 2 kW or 10 A of current consumption. To illuminate this, it is usually more than enough even for two rooms – you can turn on 20 pieces of hundred-watt lamps, and even more housekeepers or LEDs.
Manufacturers
Manufacturers of twisted cable for retro wiring offer a fairly wide palette of braid colors to choose from. There are no problems with this. On sale today there is a cable of European and Russian production. The European one is about 20-30% more expensive. The most famous Italian companies are Gambarelli, Cordon Dor, Fontini Garby. Of these three manufacturers, Gambarelli has the best wire. It is the hardest, fits well on insulators. But these cables cost a lot: a 3 * 1,5 meter costs about $ 2-4, and 3 * 2,5 will cost $ 3-5 per meter. There is also a German manufacturer Replikata, and many others, but they do not have representative offices in Russia, you need to order on the “native” site. True, an order together with delivery costs almost 2 times cheaper than buying a similar product “on the spot”. So it’s worth pushing.
There are also Russian manufacturers: Gusev electrical goods factory, VILLARIS (Russian-Spanish), Gemini Electro, Bironi. Here the prices are much more modest: the price per meter of a three-core twisted cable 3 * 1,5 is from 87 rubles (this is about $ 1,3), with a thicker core – 2,5 mm2 – 121 rubles / m (about $ 1,8).
How to save
Even if you take relatively inexpensive wires for Russian-made retro wiring, the amount ends up being considerable. There are a lot of lines, because the rosette groups must be pulled each separately from the shield. It turns out a solid footage. To save money, you can weave the cable yourself from a cord that is suitable for its characteristics. There are two options:
- BPVL. Onboard wire, stranded copper. Each vein is tinned. Sheath – PVC platificat, on top of which there is a lacquered cotton winding. It happens in different colors, but since this is a technical wire, and not a designer one, you need to look at what colors are in stores. The price of a meter of wire with a cross section of 2,5 mm2 (PodolskKabel) – about 8 rubles (with a dollar 65-66 rubles). Even taking into account the fact that 3 cores are needed for one cable, and even 25-30% of the length will take to twist, it turns out that a home-made one will cost a little more than 31 rubles. True, it is necessary to take into account the time spent on “weaving”.
BPVL wire from which you can weave a retro cable - RKGM. Copper stranded wire in a two-layer silicone rubber insulation, on top of which a fiberglass sheath impregnated with a silicone composition is applied, varnished on top. This wire is good because it can withstand temperatures up to 180 ° C, but bad – the presence of fiberglass and the absence of colors. It can be white or grey. It costs more – one meter with a section of 2,5 mm2 — from 30 rub/m. So here the cost of a meter of the finished product is 117 rubles, which is quite comparable with finished Russian products. But such a cable has a much greater margin of safety. But how much it will be in demand is a question.
This is the RGKM wire
In addition to saving, this option is good because, if necessary, you can weave a larger diameter cord. These wires are available for both 4 and 6 mm2. So you can hold on. The second plus is that you can not just twist the cord, but weave something, at least an ordinary pigtail. True, the cord consumption will be greater, but the look will definitely turn out vintage.
It is better to weave in place – they cut off a piece of the desired length, adding 20-30% goes for twisting (1-1,2 meters of cord goes for 1,3 meter of the finished cable). Fastened at the top, then twist to the installation site of the first insulator clockwise. Bypassed the insulator, and then twist in the opposite direction – counterclockwise and so on. Why is this option good? There is no need to suffer with braided ends, they unwind “automatically”, and, when the wooden house shrinks, it will be possible to remove the wiring from the insulator by making a few turns to eliminate cable sagging.
Insulators
Under the fixation of the twisted cable, insulators or rollers are required. They are made of ceramics, they can be painted in different colors. The diameter of the base can be 18-22 mm, height – from 18 to 24 mm. The upper part is available in two sizes: narrow and wide.
If you use a cable from two wires, you can take those with a narrow top, if there are three wires, it is more convenient with a wide one. Otherwise, no requirements or restrictions.
To install fasteners through the entire insulator there is a through hole. Depending on the size of the insulator, you need to choose a self-tapping screw for wood or a dowel for stone or concrete walls. Choose the color of the fastener depending on the color of the ceramics, and in length – it should go into the wall by at least 2/3. So you have to look for long and thin ones. Some manufacturers sell fasteners as a kit. Very convenient and saves a lot of time.
Sockets, switches and junction boxes
As already mentioned, you can use ordinary sockets / switches, but the retro wiring itself in this case looks a bit strange. The main chic is just in these strange and unusual gizmos, which just give the whole idea that same charm.
On the market, again, there are retro electrics from Europe, there are Russian-made ones. If domestic manufacturers are not much inferior in terms of design, then in terms of the quality of the electrical part, European products are still better. You can also find similar products made in China. Here, again, in appearance, everything can be not bad, but the quality of contacts is as lucky (actually, as usual).
However, they usually buy Russian-made ceramic sockets and switches. The price difference is too high. One ceramic unit of sockets / switches from Europe costs from 20-30 € (there are also much more expensive ones). Russian-made switches cost from 1000 rubles (about 14 €).
When installing, you can, as in the photo, use frames or linings. They are also available in a fairly wide range. You can pick them up to match the walls, you can buy unpainted ones and arrange them on the spot as you want. In principle, you can do without them, but only in a log house.
There are also junction boxes made of ceramics. They are usually round, but relatively small. Only the Spanish company Llinas has long porcelain junction boxes. By the way, they have lower prices for the rest of the products by about 30% (when compared with the average European ones), and the quality is quite decent.
Device rules
In general, it is necessary to follow the general rules for wiring:
- each branch is made in a mounting (junction) box;
- from the box the line goes down vertically;
- the minimum distance of the socket / switch from the door jamb or window slope is 10 cm;
- distance from communications (water supply, gas pipeline, heating) – at least 50 cm;
According to modern standards, the installation height of sockets and switches is not standardized, and the wiring from the machine can go under the ceiling or in the floor. Many people do not like the large number of wires that will have to be pulled in plain sight. In each room, at least, under the ceiling there should be two separate routes – for lighting and for electrical outlets. Already such an abundance of wires is difficult to make attractive. Therefore, some owners prefer to hide the eyeliner behind the finishing ceiling. There, with an ordinary cable of a suitable section, they are powered from a machine installed on a house shield. The junction box is installed immediately under the ceiling (not a violation, but it is inconvenient to work), a twisted wire is lowered from it to the switch or socket.
But these were general rules. Now actually about how to mount a twisted electrical cable. Install the insulators first. The maximum distance between them is 80 cm, the optimal one is about 50-60 cm, in some cases you have to do 30 cm. If we talk about a log house, install insulators for retro wiring in every second crown. This is the best option.
As shown in the figure above, the socket or switch is placed approximately 50 cm from the last insulator. This distance can be made a little less, but it is better not to increase it – the wire may sag. It, of course, can be cut and reconnected, but you don’t always want to mess around.
The photo above shows how far apart to install insulators when turning the wiring. These are norms from the old textbook, but they are most likely relevant now.
Retro wiring in the interior
In general, in order for open wiring to look good, you need to try very hard. After all, everything is in plain sight, all the flaws are striking. If retro wiring is done in a wooden house, then each incorrectly screwed screw leaves a trace that is difficult to disguise. Therefore, before starting work, draw everything on the plan, transfer all the markings to the walls, and only then start. If you are not sure if you placed the sockets / switches correctly, if you don’t know if they will look good in this particular place, try fixing the cord under the ceiling (even with masking tape, even with very thin carnations). So it will be more likely to imagine how everything will look together.
Another moment. If the wooden house is still “sit down”, pull the wires. If the log house has already settled or is made of glued laminated timber and you should not expect shrinkage, it is better not to pull the wires. They shouldn’t sag, but they shouldn’t be too tight either. In general, good luck! And for inspiration, a few photos of how you can make retro wiring.
Photos of interiors
It is always better to look at several already “ready” premises. This makes it easier to understand what exactly you like and what not, to get a preliminary idea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbhow everything might look.
Collection of sockets/switches in retro style
Often a specific thing can come up with the idea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbdecorating the entire room. If we are talking about special retro-style electrical installation products, then even a socket or switch can become such a thing. We will lay out some collections and interesting models from different manufacturers below. They are different in design, maybe you will like something.