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Wiring lighting in the house. Installation of wiring in the house - example diagrams, power selection, prices for work

Electrification of the private sector directly requires a serious approach. Some furnishings, including electrical wiring in the house, are done on their own. Neglect of professional workers must be justified, otherwise you will not achieve any effect other than a lack of safety when using electricity. In order to avoid such problems, let's talk about how electrical wiring is done in a private house.

For an ideally positive outcome, you must follow the installation rules and some requirements of the PUE. For the happy owners of their own home, the tips we give below will be useful.

Advice! Before making electrical wiring in the house, it is imperative to create a diagram that you will be guided by during the work process.

Whatever one may say, the use of tools for wiring electrical wiring is necessary, since it is impossible to achieve accuracy and error-free execution with bare hands. Therefore, we offer you a list of tools that you should first acquire:

  • indicator screwdriver;
  • tester or multimeter;
  • hammer and perforator;
  • pliers, pliers;
  • flat and figured screwdrivers;
  • insulating material liquid insulation or electrical tape);
  • wall chaser

When installing electrical wiring at home, follow the requirements for the location of powerful consumers: sockets and switches. If you believe modern European standards, the socket from the floor is located at a distance of 25 cm, and the switch is 90 cm.

Which type of wiring should I choose, hidden or open?

When choosing the type of electrical wiring for your home, you should pay attention to the raw materials from which the house is built. For example, wooden walls and ceilings require exclusively open wiring, which is hidden by special boxes and cable ducts.

Important! Open wiring in a wooden house must have an additional layer of insulation for safe operation.

For houses made of brick and stone block, both open and hidden wiring can be used, however, in both cases there must be access for repairs if problems arise or when connecting new elements to the main network. Also take into account the cross-section of the cables, since compliance with the electrical load and wire parameters is mandatory.

How to properly install electrical wiring in a house: procedure

Remember, all the steps that we consider below must be followed with precision; the result of the electrical network’s performance depends on this.

  1. Let's get down to the preparatory stage. It is important to have everything at hand; see what working tools you will need in our article above.
  2. Then we proceed to install the meter; it must be tested for functionality.
  3. At this stage, it is customary to install protective mechanisms such as RCDs, differential circuit breakers or circuit breakers.
  4. We knock out the grooves for the wires, use a drill and a wall chaser. Remember, the layout of the entire network and the consumers included in it should already be in your hands.
  5. Following the schematic drawing, we lay the wires in the grooves, if necessary, use fastening loops.
  6. The grooves are grouted with alabaster or gypsum putty. Do not forget about installing junction boxes; the connection of wires in them must also be extremely correct.
  7. For open electrical wiring, you just need to secure the wires to the surface of the wall, but it is better to immediately hide them in protective boxes.

Important! Do not use tools that are not intended for the job. Immediately eliminate knives, scissors and blades.

In a similar way, the electrical wiring in the apartment is installed and a diagram is first created. However, in this case there are still a lot of nuances, such as coordinating the work being carried out with the property manager, determining a schedule for repair work, since you do not live alone in the house, and the neighbors are accustomed to a calm atmosphere.

Wiring selection, what to pay attention to?

It is obvious that energy consumption in the private sector is several times higher than in apartment buildings. It follows that you need to choose cables with a cross-section of at least 10 square meters. mm. Usually, instead of single consumers, a group of them is formed, for example, 3-5 sockets in one housing. It is recommended to install circuit breakers for these devices.

Advice! Carry out electrical wiring in a three-phase network so that all phases have the same voltage.

When installing “automatic machines” on the lighting system, it is better to use devices with a power of up to 10 Amps. If you decide to completely replace the wiring in a private house, you need to use exclusively copper cables; this is provided for by the rules of the Electrical Installation Code. Everyone is familiar with the use of aluminum conductors, but they are not strong enough. Avoid connecting aluminum and copper conductors.

Rules for working with electrical wiring

Any contact with electricity often brings dire consequences, and to prevent them from happening, you need to follow these tips:

  • Do not place sockets directly in the toilet. This is not only dangerous, but also prohibited by regulations;
  • consumers in the bathroom can be installed, but on condition that children cannot reach them. It is better if a separate transformer located outside the room is connected to these devices;
  • do not forget about grounding the outlets, especially if they will operate a washing machine, microwave or dishwasher. For such cases, it is imperative to install a grounding loop near the house;
  • Do not allow yourself to be negligent when pulling electrical wiring: only dry hands, special clothing and compliance with safety requirements.

During the course of the article, we figured out how to install electrical wiring in a house, and in conclusion we would like to emphasize that without a pre-thought-out project and work plan, it is not recommended to start installing wiring. In addition, without skills and prior familiarity with electricity, you cannot begin laying cables yourself.

A detailed wiring plan is a diagram that shows all the components of the system: from the input line to all sockets and switches. Our article will tell you in detail how to properly plan electrical wiring in a one-story house.

The life of a modern person has become completely dependent on the communications that surround him at home or at work - electricity, heating, sewerage and water supply. A new type of communication includes the Internet, which almost no one can do without today.

One of the stages of planning a private house is drawing up an electrical wiring diagram. It is almost no different from the wiring in an apartment, only there are more of them in the house, and the connection does not come from the distribution panel, as in a high-rise building, but directly from the power line pole.

The wiring diagram is influenced by 2 factors:

  1. The power and quantity of all electrical appliances that are supposed to be installed in the house.
  2. Plan of the entire building.

Since providing a one-story house with electricity is a very responsible job, there should be no errors when drawing up the diagram. They can subsequently cause breakdowns of electrical appliances or a fire. In addition, a properly planned diagram will allow you to correctly draw up an estimate and carry out electrical wiring in a one-story house, taking into account all its rooms, utility rooms, and outdoor lighting.

Input cable

One of the main nuances where you need to start planning electrical wiring is determining what cross-section the input cable should be. If 4-6 mm2 is enough for an apartment, then in a one-story house the load on the entire system is much higher, so a cable with a cross-section of at least 10 mm2 may be required. Important to remember: for a single-phase electrical network, a three-core cable is used, while for a three-phase cable, a five-core cable is used with mandatory grounding of one core with a terminal intended for this on the input panel.

Where to begin?

Any wiring diagram begins with a building plan and determining the number of household appliances that are supposed to be used in it. So, if the heating is electric, then a circuit will be required that provides for similar loads on the network; if only ordinary electrical appliances are used, then the circuit will look different.

Taking a detailed plan of a one-story house, you need:

  • Indicate in each room what household appliances will be used there, for example, air conditioning, electric fireplace, TV and others.
  • The bathroom also requires careful drawing of the diagram, because it is there that the boiler, washing machine, and other household and lighting appliances are installed.
  • The same applies to the kitchen and all utility rooms, such as the dressing room, where special lighting is required.

It is imperative to make a list of all the appliances that will be used in the house. The next stage is the “arrangement” of the furniture on the plan. This is necessary in order to determine in advance where the sockets will be and how to distribute household and lighting equipment. Switches are also drawn in advance. Most often they are on the wall near the door, but there may be other options.

The next stage is the image of the wires to the lamps. For example, if it is a chandelier, then 2 lines must be drawn - the first connects the sides of the ceiling in the middle, and the second connects its longitudinal sides. The point where they intersect on the ceiling is the place where the chandelier will hang. Spot lighting requires a different approach, so it is better to think in advance about how not only living rooms will be illuminated, but also utility rooms and the courtyard. All points indicated on the diagram will be the end of the branch in each specific room. The first one is the counter. Important to remember: it is better to consult with a designer who will help you correctly arrange and place all the lighting elements, taking into account the natural lighting of the house, than then spend money on additional electrical appliances.

Methods for conducting power branches

The next stage of planning wiring in a one-story house is how to carry it out and routes:

  • One of them is “room by room”, in which 1 branch is installed in each separate room. It is subsequently distributed among all sockets and lighting fixtures.

Important to remember: The same method is used to connect the power cable to the electric stove.

  • In the second, it is necessary to “split” all electricity consumers into groups for further laying a separate cable for each of them. This method is considered more acceptable when there are a large number of household appliances, since you can select cables of different sections for each group. Also, if a short circuit suddenly occurs, then not all “participants” of the group will suffer from it, but, for example, the lamps will remain working.

These groups include:

  • All powerful electrical appliances - boiler, heating boiler, washing machine, electric stove, refrigerator and others.
  • Lighting.
  • Other household appliances – TV, microwave ovens and others.

Each of the presented groups has its own electrical cable. The diagram looks like this: general auto switch → RCD → electric meter → distribution board → each individual wiring branch → sockets, household appliances, lamps and more. Important to remember: for each branch there must be provided both a separate circuit breaker and an RCD. The number of branches depends solely on the scale of the house and the electrical appliances that will work in it. The load on a single-phase branch cannot exceed 2 kW. For three-phase - the limit is 6 kW.

Methods of introducing electricity

It is important not only to include all nodes and branches of the electrical network in the house plan, but also to think in advance about how it will be supplied to the premises.

There are two ways to introduce electricity into a one-story house:

  1. The air route is the most common, but it is available if the distance between the house and the power pole is no more than 20 meters. For this:
  2. A through hole is drilled in the wall into which a piece of pipe of small diameter is inserted.
  3. An insulator is attached to the wall on brackets.
  4. A steel cable is stretched between the insulator on the wall and on the pole.

  • Conductive wires are attached to it at a distance of 0.5 m using plastic or metal clamps.
  • The wires are pulled through a piece of pipe inserted into the wall and connected to the distribution board.
  • The wire entry can be sealed using foam, blowing it into the free space.

Important to remember: the tension of the cable and wires attached to it must be sufficient so that they do not sag and in no case come into contact with trees or other buildings.

  1. Underground cable entry is considered more reliable by professionals, since it is not affected by weather and other factors. However, this method also has some disadvantages, since the soil can damage the outer sheath of the cable over time, so when drawing up such a laying scheme, you should take care of protection in advance.

Important to remember: such work can only be carried out by specialists from the organization that supplies electricity to power line poles.

Connecting wires to sockets

To properly plan the electrics in a one-story house, you should include the wiring to the sockets in the diagram.

Since the locations of the sockets and the number of devices have already been determined, you should decide what cable will be needed for them:

  • Most often, wiring is carried out using a wire with a cross-section of no more than 2.5 mm2.
  • Since several sockets are connected to one circuit at once, its protective auto switch should be designed for 25 A, and the RCD - for 30 A-30 μA, respectively.

Important to remember: one branch can be connected to sockets in several rooms at once, but you need to take into account the number and power of devices working there. To do this, their combined power is determined and divided by the voltage value. If the current exceeds 20 A, then the load should be redistributed over several branches.

  • When conducting a branch into a room, a distribution box is installed in it, from which as many cables depart as there are sockets in the room.

After all the calculations have been carried out and the number of circuits has been determined, the cable routing paths are drawn on the diagram. To make it easier to navigate the diagram, it is better to draw each outlet and the cable leading to it in a separate color. The same is done when marking the wiring to lighting fixtures. This work applies only to corridors, living and utility rooms, since a separate diagram is drawn up for the bathroom, kitchen and toilet.

Wiring in the kitchen

As a rule, electrical wiring in the kitchen is a specific job, so this will require other trips:

  • There are 4 circuits here: lighting fixtures, a refrigerator, and other household appliances. The last circuit is intended for the bathroom if it is located next to the kitchen. The cable is selected in accordance with the power of electrical appliances.
  • The circuit for less powerful equipment (microwave oven, dishwasher, food processor and others) must have a cable with a cross-section of at least 4 mm2 and two sockets with 2-3 outputs, a 2 A autonomous switch and a 30 A RCD.

Important to remember: although the locations of the sockets were already distributed in advance on the diagram, when arranging the kitchen it would be better for them to be under the countertop and at a considerable distance from the sink. After all the contours are drawn and taken into account, the wiring in the kitchen is indicated on the main diagram.

Wiring in the bathroom

It is not advisable to draw separate branches for the bathroom, so most often they use part of the contour from the kitchen. This is due to the fact that, according to safety rules, this room should only have lighting, which is indicated on the official electrical wiring diagram. Therefore, it shows where the lamp will be located and the cable route to it.

But, as often happens, people install a boiler, washing machine and other equipment in the bathroom, so they are not indicated in the plan in order to avoid problems with commissioning of the house .

  • To do this, use an extension cord with three sockets, from which a three-core cable extends.
  • Above the baseboard between the bathroom and the kitchen you need to drill a hole into which to extend the extension cord and cables from the boiler and washing machine.
  • Pre-equipped with three-pole plugs, these cables from appliances and extension cords are connected to the circuit in the kitchen, and so that they are not visible, they can be “packed” in a drywall box.

In the bathroom itself, it is better to fix the extension cord on the wall, for example, hang it on screws. One or two devices can be connected to the extension cord permanently, and the third can be used for small household appliances, for example, a hair dryer, fan or other.

Electric branches for powerful equipment

For devices with high power, for example, air conditioners, heated floors, electric convectors and others, it is better to immediately provide a separate line on the diagram. In this case, the cable cross-section is selected for each device separately, for example, for an electric stove it will be 4 mm2, and for an air conditioner - 2.5 mm2. Since all powerful electrical appliances and their location were indicated in the plan of a one-story house, the remaining task is to show the path of the cables to the sockets to which they will be connected. The same work must be carried out when drawing up a diagram of the external lighting of the building and site, as well as all the necessary calculations for the supply of electricity to outbuildings.

Typical solutions for a country house

To avoid possible shortcomings and mistakes, you should understand exactly how wiring is done in a private house.

  • First, at the beginning of the diagram, the location of the input switch is indicated, with the help of which you can quickly de-energize the entire house if necessary.
  • Next comes the electricity meter, which must be installed by specialists from the relevant organization.
  • Then there is an automatic power cut-off system, which is triggered when the maximum permissible power is exceeded.
  • For the most powerful devices, higher power circuit breakers must be installed.
  • The next stage is electrical wiring directly to consumers and sockets.

Having drawn these stages on the diagram with detailed cable routing routes, you can proceed directly to installation.

Electrical wiring test

You can find out whether the scheme for supplying electricity to a private one-story house was developed correctly by testing the finished system. This must be done to make sure that there is no overheating in any of its components, which over time can either disrupt the operation of all or part of the electrical wiring, or lead to a fire.

To carry out the work, you will need a multimeter, which you need to “ring” all the power lines. The work is divided into several stages:

  • First, you need to check the system for short circuits. At the same time, it is also determined whether there is contact between the ground, phase and zero wires. When carrying out this work, you should also pay attention to the quality of the insulation, for which you can use a megohmmeter.
  • Secondly, checking all switches, both automatic and conventional.
  • Thirdly, the next stage is “ringing” all the terminals of sockets and lamps.

To avoid unforeseen failures after the final commissioning of the network, it is better to check in advance the integrity of the electrical cable throughout the house. It may well be that during other work, the wire was mechanically damaged, which will later result either in short circuits or through it altogether there will be no power supply. Only after a thorough check of each node and each branch of the electrical network can you install sockets, lighting fixtures and put it into operation.

Proper planning of electrical wiring in a one-story house is a very responsible job, requiring not only basic knowledge, but an understanding of what it should be, and maximum attention at all stages - from diagram to installation. Only in this case can you be sure that the house is safe for living and is provided with the necessary amount of electricity, taking into account the needs of both its inhabitants and the building itself.

Special attention was paid to creating a diagram on which all elements of the electrical network should be displayed, starting from the input machine and ending with sockets in the rooms. Next, we will consider the best option for a home wiring diagram using reliable automatic protection and a single-phase electric meter.

I would like to immediately note that in this article we are considering only one of the optimal options for wiring the rooms. In reality, you can completely modify the project, based on factors such as: the total load from electrical appliances, the number of rooms, the desire to save energy, etc.

We provide to your attention a typical wiring diagram for a 220 V house:

As for the electrical wiring components, we recommend using the following:

  • The electricity meter is two-tariff, as this will help to significantly save electricity, for example, according to the 2019 tariffs in Moscow, with two-zone tariffs in the night zone (from 23:00 to 07:00), 1 kW/h of electricity costs 2.29 rubles, and in the day zone ( from 07:00 to 23:00) - almost three times more expensive, so you will pay 6.18 rubles for each kilowatt-hour.
  • If there is an opportunity (380V) to your home, take advantage of it. Firstly, this will allow the use of wires with a smaller cross-section to connect powerful consumers. Secondly, most electric stoves and electric boilers require three-phase, two-phase and a compromise single-phase connection option. Thirdly, if you like to work with your own hands, then it is easier to connect asynchronous electric motors to a three-phase network; they will work at full power and more evenly. Such motors are found in the vast majority of machines. If this is not possible, you still need to pay due attention to the single-phase 220V wiring diagram.
  • The cable throughout the house should be copper, it is best to buy or VVGng-LS. A suitable option is selected after. Typically, a cable with a diameter of 1.5 mm2 is chosen for lamps, and 2.5 mm2 for sockets. The cross-section of individual lines of powerful electrical appliances is calculated individually.
  • The number of sockets is calculated individually for each case, so on the electrical wiring plan in the house we indicated one socket each as an example (in fact, there can be any other number of light bulbs). It is recommended to create several outlet groups throughout the residential building in order that during repairs you will not have to leave the entire house “without light”. The situation is the same with lighting - there is a desire and opportunity, create several highways on the electrical circuit, each of which will serve 1-3 groups of consumers. We talked about this in a separate article.
  • At the input, immediately after the electric meter, install a circuit breaker that matches your home. You can find out this information from the connection specifications, power supply agreement, or consult with the management company or energy sales. As for the rest of the machines, for sockets they can be designed for 16 A, and for a lighting group - 10 A. In a good way, you need to calculate the current load on a residential building and select the most suitable ones. Sockets must be protected from a residual current device or a circuit breaker.
  • Next to the country house there is a garage, which is also powered from the home input panel. We discussed it in detail in the corresponding article.
  • Electricity is supplied either over the air by wire, a branch from a support, or underground by cable or laid in a pipe. If you have an underground input with an aluminum cable AVBbShv, if possible, replace it with a copper analogue -.
  • It is better to use in all rooms, because... they are more durable, consume a minimum of electricity and can be used in absolutely any room, even in the bathroom, even in the kitchen, not to mention the bedroom.
  • A separate socket group is provided for the bathroom, protected by a 10 mA RCD (other sockets can be protected by a 30 mA RCD), which is associated with an increased risk of electric shock (the room has high humidity). This is discussed in more detail in 7.1.48, 7.1.71-7.1.88.
  • Grounding is present; we did not show each individual wire on a typical wiring diagram (phase, neutral, ground), so as not to clutter the drawing.

If you decide to make the wiring in your house three-phase (380 V), you will have to select other network elements according to their characteristics, but the principle of cable routing between rooms will remain the same. Only in this case will it be additionally necessary to do it correctly.

The diagram below clearly shows how to distribute single-phase consumers in a house into groups:

We draw your attention to the fact that in a wooden country house (usually a country house construction) the electrical circuit will look different and the electrical network elements will be different, which is due to fire safety requirements!

Useful video

Installing new electrical wiring yourself requires a competent approach and accuracy. Before starting direct installation, a wiring diagram is drawn. In a private home, this is especially important, since installation errors can lead to a fire hazard. A drawn power supply diagram will help you quickly and accurately eliminate damage that may occur in the future or upgrade your home network.

Requirements for wiring in a private house

Electrical wiring is carried out in the form of a combination of wires and cables, as well as their fastenings and associated protective elements. It can be installed in both open and closed types. Open type wiring is laid along the surface of walls, ceilings or floors using: cables, rollers, hoses. Hidden electrical wiring is laid in the middle of various elements of the house: under the floor, in walls, suspended ceilings or in other monolithic objects.

Installing electrical wiring in a private house with your own hands is not difficult at all if there is a clear circuit diagram. At the same time, all work goes much faster and the likelihood of mistakes is less. Before you begin planning and drawing up a diagram, you need to know what the installation requirements are.

The list of requirements is established by special rules of the PES (rules for the operation of electrical installations), which are mandatory. Here's the main list:

Electrical wiring steps

Compliance with all requirements will ensure that the electrical wiring in the house is done correctly with your own hands. The step-by-step scheme for drawing up a plan can be represented in the form of the following operations:

  • choice of material and its quantity;
  • installation diagram drawing;
  • laying and installation of all parts of electrical wiring;
  • performance check.

It is not difficult to complete the steps yourself. But before you properly conduct the wiring in the house, you will need to complete the preparatory stage. It includes determining the places where connection points for electrical appliances and lamps will be located, and their number.

Selection of materials and installation method

The utility company supplies electricity through installed lines using poles and poles or through power cables buried in the ground. The cable branches off from the common line to an electrical panel located on private property. The branch is made with a two-wire or three-wire wire. Accordingly, a two-phase or three-phase line is used. More often, a cable containing a phase and a neutral is removed. An electricity meter is installed at the end of this line. It is important to know that the line to the meter belongs entirely to the energy supply company, and it is prohibited to perform any operations with it.

Further laying of the line is carried out by the owner of the household himself or by an electrician. The line itself can be laid open or hidden.

Open type wiring is carried out on the surface in a visible form, which is both a disadvantage and an advantage. The advantage is ease of installation, free access to any part of the electrical network, but the disadvantage is poor protection from mechanical damage. The cable, laid along the surface, is attached through insulators that resemble a fungus. In this case, the design of sockets, switches, and distribution boxes is of an overhead type. To protect against damage and ensure electrical safety, plastic boxes are used. They form a channel into which the cable is laid.

Hidden wiring is located in the completed, and after laying the cable, plastered grooves. Hidden in a floor screed or behind false panels. Electrical accessories are used internally. The wire itself, if not laid in a concrete or brick wall, is laid in a metal hose. The disadvantage is that if the wire is damaged, it will have to be removed from the monolithic structures. It is possible to use a combined method, making some areas hidden and others external. The required parts of the electrical wiring in the house will be:

  1. Switch box.
  2. Circuit breaker.
  3. Electrical appliance connection point.
  4. Switch.
  5. Junction box.
  6. Cable.

The electrical panel is installed in such a size that all input elements fit into it. The circuit breaker is designed to quickly break the wire in the event of an emergency on the line. Its main characteristic is the value of the rated current. How many amperes a machine will need in a house is calculated by summing the power of the entire planned load that can be connected simultaneously to the circuit.

When selecting a machine, not only the power of the connected devices is taken into account, but also the quality and cross-section of the installed electrical wiring. A mismatch in the cross-section of the cable that will be used for wiring electricity can lead to overheating, resulting in a short circuit and fire.

The cross-section of a wire is characterized by the amount of current that it passes through itself without deteriorating its electrical properties. For example, a copper wire with a cross-section of 1.5 mm/2 can withstand a continuous current load of 19 amperes. Therefore, it is impossible to use a 20 A circuit breaker with such a cross-section; you will need one for 16 A.

The distribution box has the form of a plastic container with a lid, on the sides of which there are holes for cable entry. Its main characteristics are the size and quality of the material it is made of. Switches and sockets are designed for a current that does not exceed the value of the devices connected to them.

Building a circuit

After selecting materials and locating connection points for electrical appliances, a drawing of the electrical circuit is made. It is best to use a ready-made house plan, which depicts all the elements involved in building an electrical network.

To simplify wiring, consumers are divided into groups; this will also help distribute the load and save materials. If a private house has many rooms, then the drawing shows separately the outlet circuits and lighting. The diagram indicates the following:

The cable leaving the meter exits and is switched at the distribution panel. A series of automatic protection systems are installed in it, consisting of an input circuit breaker and single-pole switches. Ideally, each electrical point is equipped with its own automatic machine, but this is not unprofitable in terms of costs. Therefore, groups are created, each of which has its own fuse.

In the middle of the group, disconnection occurs in the following way. The power wire coming out of the machine branches in the distribution box to each electrical point. Such a point represents the place to which the electrical device is switched. In this case, a wire with two or three cores is supplied to the socket, and it is connected in parallel. The switch is installed in series in the break of the power wire.

A wire with three cores implies grounding through one of the three wires. The presence of grounding is important, since there is a potential difference on the metal cases of electrical appliances, for example, on a refrigerator, kettle, heating boiler, etc. This voltage can be life-threatening in the event of an insulation breakdown. Performed grounding eliminates this problem. For this purpose, the socket is equipped with a grounding contact. In fact, this is a continuous connection between the metal parts of electrical appliances and the ground.

Grounding is carried out using a circuit in the form of a triangle, welded from thick metal with equal sides. The grounding loop is located at a distance of no more than 1 meter from the foundation of the house. A large-section wire is screwed to the triangle using a bolt, the other end of which is connected to the grounding strip in the panel.

Cable laying and installation of elements

After drawing up the diagram and purchasing materials, installation occurs. The main thing is to observe safety precautions and strictly follow the drawn diagram. First, lines are drawn along the surfaces of the walls and ceilings corresponding to the laying of the wire. Then the locations of the electrical accessories are marked. For hidden wiring, the following is done: gating, preparation of recesses for sockets, switches, and space for the panel. For external versions, cable holders are attached at equal distances and holes are made for fastening overhead fittings.

After laying and securing the cable, the shield is assembled. To do this, an input circuit breaker is installed on the DIN rail and automatic switches are installed on each group of lines. If necessary, an RCD is added or a differential circuit breaker is installed instead of the input one. This is a type of switch that simultaneously combines the functions of a circuit breaker and an RCD. A grounding and neutral strip is also installed in the shield.

After installing all the elements in the panel, the wires are connected. It is generally accepted to use brown for the phase wire, blue for neutral and yellow-white for grounding. All connections are made using device clamps. In the distribution box, the wires are connected by twisting with further insulation or using clamps in sockets and switches according to their design.

Functionality check

After wiring in the house is done with your own hands or with the help of a specialist, it needs to be checked. To do this, use a multimeter in the dialing mode to check the integrity of the wiring, the absence of short circuits in sockets and switches, and the functionality of the machines.

Only after a successful check is the input machine connected to the meter terminals to supply electricity to the system. If possible, be sure to turn off the machine in front of the meter when connecting. It should be remembered that 220 volt voltage is dangerous to life and working with it requires clearance and knowledge of protection, so at the final stage it is better to invite an electrician.

Reading time ≈ 13 minutes

Everyone knows well what electrical wiring is in their home, but not everyone understands how to do it with their own hands, using diagrams and calculations. But it does not always take many years of study and practice to complete any work, no matter how complex. Sometimes it is enough to concentrate and be extremely attentive, without losing sight of various nuances. It will be the same this time - if you follow all the instructions received in this article, then everything will work out for you.

Installation of a home power supply panel

Before you begin work on wiring and laying electrical wires and cables, you should familiarize yourself with some important provisions, without which high-quality and safe installation is simply impossible. This includes several positions, knowing which you can choose the right wire, install protection and provide for force majeure situations.

Section of cores of cables and wires

Difference between cable and wire

A novice electrician, first of all, needs to distinguish a wire from a cable, since one or the other may be needed. A wire is one insulated or non-insulated strand, while a cable consists of several insulated strands enclosed in a sheath (see photo above). But if we talk about the cross-section, it makes absolutely no difference whether it is a wire or a cable in front of you. Below is a table of cross-sections of copper and aluminum conductors for different voltages - this is the private sector, so you may need not only ≈220V, but also ≈380V. And I also want to clarify, since many people believe that electrical appliances indicate the power they can produce with watts or kilowatts, but this is not a speaker or laptop speaker! Here in W and kW the power consumption is shown, according to which and.

Section, mm 2 Copper Section, mm 2 Aluminum
≈220V ≈380V ≈220V ≈380V
A kW A kW A kW A kW
1,5 19 4,1 16 10,5 2,5 22 4,4 19 12,5
2,5 27 5,9 25 16,5 4 28 6,1 23 15,1
4 38 8,3 30 19,8 6 36 7,9 30 19,8
6 46 10,1 40 26,4 10 50 11 39 25,7
10 70 15,4 50 33 16 60 13,2 55 36,3
16 85 18,7 75 49,5 25 85 18,7 770 46,2
25 115 25,3 90 59,4 35 100 22 85 56,1

Note. I would, of course, recommend using copper wiring, but different situations happen in life, especially since the house may be old, and you are not going to change some areas. In this case, you just need to check whether the cross-section of the wires corresponds to the power consumption of electrical appliances.


Selection of core cross-section depending on current strength

You may have a wire or cable at home that you want to use, but you don’t know its cross-section, since it has been lying around for a long time or you didn’t buy it at all. Everything is simple here: the section is the area, therefore, S = πr 2. For example, the core diameter is 2 mm, which means S=πr 2 =3.1415*1 2 =3.1415, that is, the cross-section in this case can be determined as 3 mm, but this is a conditional calculation, without reference to a specific wire or cable.

For private houses and apartments, as a rule, the following wires and cables are used:

  • PVS – Wire in Vinyl Sheath Connecting;
  • VVGng – Vinyl-Vinyl Bare (without special insulation) does not burn (melts);
  • PPV – Flat Wire Vinyl insulation (copper);
  • APPV – Aluminum Wire Flat Vinyl insulation.

Solid (left) and stranded (right) wires

There are single-core and stranded wires and cables, and on this occasion there are disagreements regarding their choice, that is, which one is better, but everything is simple here. If laying is done in a groove or a fixed cable channel, then it is better to choose a single-wire conductor, but if some movement of the wire is possible, then choose a multi-wire one.

This means that now it is clear which wire can withstand how much, but in practice it looks a little more varied, since different areas may have different loads, so let’s consider such calculations using a conditional example. Let's take the kitchen and estimate how many electrical appliances can be connected there at the same time:

  1. Oven (electric oven) – 2 kW.
  2. Mobile phone charging – 0.025 kW.
  3. Air conditioning – 3 kW.
  4. Coffee maker – 3 kW.
  5. Freezer – 0.7 kW.
  6. Mixer – 0.18 kW.
  7. Incandescent lamp – 0.02 kW.

The total is: 2+0.025+3+3++0.7+0.18+0.02=8.925 kW

This means that the cross-section of the common wire that will have to withstand such a load, according to the table, must be at least 6 mm 2. This is exactly the wire that should be suitable for the kitchen dose and, although no one will turn on all the devices at the same time, any normal electrician will make the calculation precisely on this basis. Now in new houses or in new homes they don’t use it at all, and all wiring is done from one power supply panel, and if the house is large, then two such panels are installed, for example, on the first and second floor. But, be that as it may, a cable must be suitable for the switchboard, the cross-section of which can withstand the power consumption of all simultaneously switched on devices. As a rule, Energy Network issues an order on the cross-section of the wire that is suitable for the electric meter from the power line. If you use the same cross-section to connect the shield, you can’t go wrong (most often it’s copper 10 mm 2 for copper).

Copper and aluminum conductors are spliced ​​only through blocks

In reality, everything does not always look the way we would like, and in cases where the wiring in a house is partially replaced, it is usually necessary to splice copper with aluminum. This can be called an “explosive mixture”, since these two metals are incompatible and oxidation, loss of contact, and then complete destruction of the aluminum core begins very quickly. Splicing is only permissible through blocks - you cannot make any twists, even if they are well soldered!

What else you need to know when laying electrical wires

Residual current device (RCD) single-phase

When installing or replacing electrical wiring in your home, and if you do it yourself, then in 99% of cases the diagram will also be drawn up by you, that is, this indicates complete awareness of the location of all electrical appliances. This is necessary for the distribution of protective modules that are needed by such devices as a pumping station, an oven, a microwave oven, an automatic washing machine, a dishwasher and an electric water heater (boiler). That is, the connection of such devices, or the installation of sockets for connecting them, will be carried out through an RCD or residual current device. Such protection, at the slightest leak on the housing, simultaneously disconnects the zero and the phase, so that in the event of a short circuit, a person will not feel even a slight tingling sensation.

RCDs are installed after the electrical appliance connection panel, and in some cases, units such as a home pumping station, automatic washing machine, dishwasher and electric water heater are connected from a separate panel, but this depends on several factors - location, aesthetics, desire owner and so on. Currently, there are RCDs on sale paired with a differential circuit breaker, but this does not increase safety, and I simply do not see any other advantages, so I will refrain from recommending the purchase of such a device.

Now about the circuit breakers on the power supply panel. As a rule, representatives of the local power grid standardize power consumption for private homes. Everything is simple here - if they install it themselves or instruct you to install an electric meter on the street for ease of access for inspectors, then they will install the machines and seal them. If, for example, they install 20A circuit breakers (C20) at the meter, then there is simply no point in installing more powerful ones on the internal switchboard - in such situations you can install similar fuses, or 16A ones.

Note. Someone may have a completely reasonable question about the advisability of installing a wire with a cross-section designed for heavy loads, they say, they still limit it. Yes, at the moment this may not be practical, but the situation can always change and the local distribution zone has the right to lift these restrictions.

Grounding

Standard plug with the ability to ground the device

Most modern electrical appliances are manufactured with the possibility of grounding them, and some of them are simply impossible to operate without this function - “they give you an electric shock.” Whether a particular device needs grounding can be determined even without its passport, by looking at the plug - if there is a metal spring between the pins, then this is a grounding contact. For private houses, there are at least five engineering developments of grounding systems, these are TN-C, TN-S, TN-C-S, TT and IT, but all this is complex and confusing, so in the private sector such schemes are considered in one or two cases out of a hundred There are two simpler options that ensure your safety and do not require any engineering tabs - just compliance with basic requirements.

Closed circuit in the form of a triangle

A closed grounding loop is made in the form of an equilateral triangle, where the distance between the corners (pins) is 100-120 cm, but more is possible. The depth of the lower part of the contour should be 200-300 cm (the denser the soil, the shallower the depth), but in any case, the entire contour is recessed underground 30-50 cm from the surface. To do this, use smooth or ribbed reinforcement ø 10-14 mm - the thinner the rod, the easier it is to drive it into the ground. The contour is welded together with steel wire ø 5-6 mm and bolts are welded to each corner. It is possible, of course, only to one corner, but if the grounding wire is screwed along the entire perimeter, then in the event of a break in the steel wire (due to corrosion), the contact will still remain and the circuit will be complete.

Linear ground loop

To make a linear grounding loop, you will need the same reinforcement, which is driven into the ground under the same conditions. In this picture we see that the immersion depth is 150-250 cm, that is, half a meter less than for a closed triangular contour, but in fact this does not change anything. The fact is that the deeper the reinforcement is, the tighter its compression will be, therefore, the contact will improve.

Below you can watch a video about how you can drive a long steel rod into the ground without preliminary drilling. Only in our case, it is first better to dig a trench or pit 30-50 cm deep, and then drive in the reinforcement, so that after connecting it will be possible to hide the circuit underground.


How to drive long reinforcement into the ground without drilling a well

Stages of wiring electrical wires and cables

Next, you can learn how to install electrical wiring in a house with your own hands - these are step-by-step steps and some diagrams that may be useful. Perhaps this approach to work will seem somewhat bureaucratic to you, but there are rules for the construction of electrical installations or PUE, which are immutable instructions that can sometimes save the life of a person who has climbed into the wrong place. The fact is that every point of these Rules is written on someone’s injury or even life, so breaking them not only makes no sense, but is simply tantamount to balancing over an abyss on a rotten rope.

Marking the route in the house plan or on the walls

All routes must be either strictly vertical or strictly horizontal

The purpose of any electrical wiring of wires and cables is to deliver power to the points of consumption by any devices and devices. But at the same time, the laid routes should not interfere with the installation of other accessories used in the room, for example, wall cabinets, paintings or mirrors. In order not to accidentally break the wire when drilling a wall, all routes are laid in a strictly vertical or strictly horizontal direction - this is noted either when designing a house, or simply on the walls if this is a replacement wiring. All sockets and switches are connected vertically. If there are several sockets at the same level along the perimeter of the room, and you do not want to insert each of them into the panel, this is normal, but you should not parallel them with one horizontal wire. It is better to set the dose at the ceiling, raise the connection vertically and place all the wires horizontally in this dose, where there will be a parallel connection with a connection to the common power wire.

Note. We have already talked about choosing the required wire cross-section, so there is no point in creating a special section for this in the step-by-step instructions.

Drilling and scoring walls

If the house does not involve installing plasterboard on the walls or suspended ceilings of any type, then all wiring is laid in grooves or under a layer of plaster. In the second case, everything is somewhat simpler - the wire or cable is nailed to the wall with clips, and the top is covered with a layer of plaster or starting putty. This option is very convenient and does not require laying the wiring in a cable channel - neither straight nor corrugated.

Chasing walls for electrical wiring

It’s another matter if there is already wiring on the walls but not yet installed - it has to be recessed into the grooves, and chiseling them is not always easy, but it is always dusty work. To do this, two parallel lines with a depth of at least 2-4 cm are cut on the wall with a grinder and a diamond-coated disk, and the distance between them depends on the number of wires being laid. Then, with a chisel in impact mode, a strip is knocked out between the two cuts, forming a groove for laying. The holes for the socket boxes are made with a Pobedit hole cutter with a diameter of 60 mm. A passage through the wall for any wires and cables is made with a Pobedit drill of the required diameter (usually such passages are needed for two parallel sockets in different rooms and then a drill ø 6-8 mm is used).

Electrical wiring installation

Laying electrical wiring in grooves

If you run all the cables through grooves, then they will have to be fixed somehow for convenience so that they do not fall out until they are completely sealed with plaster or putty. Here again, you can use clips, but given the width of the groove, this is, at a minimum, inconvenient and, at a maximum, impossible. Therefore, they are spot-fixed with alabaster - namely alabaster, and not with gypsum or polymer putty. The fact is that hardening of the putty takes a relatively long time, but alabaster hardens in a matter of minutes, but in order for it to hold the wire in the groove, 30 seconds is enough.

Schemes are a bonus

At the end I want to leave two connection diagrams: a double switch for the chandelier and a pass-through switch for the corridor.

Connection diagram for a chandelier via a double switch

Pass-through switch diagram (can be assembled without a junction box)

Conclusion

I talked about the basic principles of how to do electrical wiring in a private house with your own hands, but these are only principles, since the specific situation and the diagram, among other things, are determined according to the configuration of the building. But if you understand the essence, you can easily apply this knowledge in your own home.