Quite often, during the operation of housing, various problems arise, including in the field of electricity. As a rule, this is due to the need for repairs, for which you will definitely need a wiring diagram for wiring in the apartment. It is made immediately after electro installation work and further used in the repair and maintenance of the network.
Connecting the elements of the chain
The correct drawing up of the wiring diagram in the apartment largely depends on the basic knowledge of electrical engineering. Without a certain minimum, it is not recommended to engage in this rather complex work. The best option is to draw up a wiring diagram. In addition to drawing up a detailed plan, an electrician can repair identified problems or replace worn-out electrical wiring along the way.
Before you design and draw up a diagram of electrical networks for an apartment, you need to find out what connection methods are used. All elements can be interconnected in various ways:
- serial connection. In this scheme, each element follows the previous one; there are no joints in the form of separate nodes. An example is a Christmas tree garland, where all lighting devices are sequentially located on one wire. However, if at least one element in the circuit is damaged, then all other light bulbs will also stop working. This feature must be taken into account when drawing up the scheme.
- Parallel connection. In this case, the elements are not connected to each other, but are grouped into separate nodes. If any of the consumers fails, the electrical circuit will continue to function, providing current to other elements of the system.
- Mixed connection. On the same section of the circuit, a parallel and series connection is used at the same time.
Ways of distributing wires and cables
Choosing a method for distributing wires in a home electrical network very serious and responsible event. It largely depends on how all the electrical equipment of the apartment will function in the future.
The most popular way of wiring is to connect all components of the electrical network through junction boxes. Such a wiring diagram provides for an electrical panel installed outside the apartment on the landing. It is equipped with an electric meter and circuit breakers. Further, a cable with a certain cross section is laid from the shield, which is brought into the apartment. From it, with the help of junction boxes, wires are bred to each room according to a pre-compiled scheme.
Another way involves star connection. With this connection, each point - a socket or a lighting fixture - is powered by a separate cable line. Each line is connected directly to the panel, in most cases, together with a separate circuit breaker. This type of wiring is characterized by a significant increase in the number of wires and cables, as well as labor costs for their arrangement. Ultimately, the project becomes more expensive. However, if we fully take into account all the positive and negative sides, we can conclude that such a system is much more reliable than usual and allows you to control every element in the electrical circuit.
A "loop" system is considered a cheaper connection. It is similar to the "star" option and is distinguished by the ability to connect several consumers to one cable at once. This method is used in accordance with individual characteristics rooms and the entire apartment. In any case, each of these methods is rarely used in its pure form. As a rule, combined options are used in the circuits, which allows you to get the most efficient and safe wiring for home wiring.
Distribution of consumers by groups
In addition to connections and connections, the distribution of all consumers in the apartment into separate groups, in accordance with their purpose, is of great importance. Typically, the wiring diagram is performed on different sheets, where each sheet corresponds to one group.
Such a breakdown will be even more effective when each consumer group is connected to a separate circuit breaker. With such a technical solution, in the future it becomes possible to repair electrical equipment without turning off the electricity completely, but only in that part of the apartment where the work will be performed. In addition, separate lines have another important advantage: they do not require a cable with a large capacity, capable of withstanding high loads. Such loads necessarily arise when several consumers are connected to one line at once.
The electrical panel, located directly in the apartment, makes it possible to connect each consumer to a separate machine. Such a scheme makes network operation convenient and safe, solving in advance all the problems that may arise in the future.
The standard division into groups can be as follows:
- Only lighting for living rooms, kitchens and corridors.
- Connecting power to living rooms.
- Power connection to the kitchen and corridors.
- Separately, lighting and power are connected to rooms with high humidity - a bathroom and a bathroom. This group should be singled out, since it is subject to increased requirements.
- If the kitchen has an electric stove, then it must be connected to a separate line.
Additional security is provided by installing a separate one for each group, which is also known as a differential current switch. These devices are in without fail are installed on the line of the kitchen and bathroom.
After the groups are formed, the places where the main consumers of electricity will be connected are determined. These include electric stoves, washing machines, water heaters, air conditioners, dishwashers and ovens. Places for installing sockets, switches, lighting fixtures and junction boxes for electrical equipment of the apartment. Next, a conditional connection of the wires is performed, and their length in each section is also marked on the diagram.
After preliminary sketches, a final version of the scheme is drawn up. It is applied to the exact plan of the premises: electrical appliances are indicated by special conventional signs, and wires are marked with multi-colored lines so that power cables, lighting and grounding can be distinguished from each other. The diagram should contain the maximum number of dimensions. The areas of the rooms, the distances from the wires to the structural elements of the premises, heating and water supply systems are noted. Detailed scheme allows not only to significantly speed up the repair, but also to calculate all the necessary materials and costs.
Norms, requirements and specifications
When drawing up a wiring diagram in an apartment, it is necessary to take into account the basic requirements for its placement. In addition, there are rules specifications requiring mandatory compliance.
The most important of them are the following:
- 220V sockets should not be installed in the bathroom. It is allowed to install sockets for electric shavers, the connection of which is carried out using a step-down transformer.
- The electric stove, if available in the kitchen, must be protected by a circuit breaker with a rating of at least 63A.
- Grounding contacts of sockets should not be connected to zero conductors, to pipes of heating and water supply systems, since this is very dangerous for human health and life. Contacts are connected to the grounding system only using a special wire designed specifically for this purpose.
- The laying of wires can be strictly vertical or horizontal, as well as at right angles. This rule must be strictly followed, otherwise there is a high probability of damage during repair and construction work. The wires must not cross each other. If this cannot be avoided, then the distance between the wires must be at least 3 mm.
- Compliance with the standard distances between the cable and the structural elements of the apartment. The height of sockets and switches should be the same, ensuring safe and convenient operation.
An obligatory part of the repair work in the apartment is the replacement or installation of electrical cables, junction boxes, electrical panels. A well-chosen wiring diagram will protect your home from accidents and unforeseen situations.
We will tell you what you need to provide for self-replacing or laying electricians. Here you will learn how to draw up a diagram and distribute electrical outlets in one-room, two- and three-room apartments. Based on our recommendations, you will be able to provide yourself with a trouble-free energy network.
Modern household technologies at the end of the 20th century made a tangible breakthrough. In addition to televisions, computers, security and video surveillance systems, powerful Appliances, wireless connection. In this regard, the wiring of electrical cables has become much more complicated, although the principles of the device have not changed.
Difficulties begin with the very first stage - design. In order to correctly draw up a wiring diagram in an apartment, you need to know in advance the approximate power of household electrical appliances, their location. At the same time, it is necessary to think over the lighting system in all rooms.
If you do not take into account the laying of computer cables and the installation of a router for a home network, in the future you will get wires hanging on the wall or stretched along the floor. At best, they can be hidden in the plinth or sewn into boxes.
Except a large number New devices have one more difference: along with the power network, there is always a low-current system, which traditionally includes telephone and television wires, as well as computer, security, acoustic equipment and an intercom.
These two systems (power and low-current) cannot be separated, since all devices are powered by 220 V power sources.
Wiring diagram of a low-current system in an apartment. Includes three networks: computer, telephone and television. Each network has its own types of cable and equipment.
The number of devices and cables operated simultaneously has changed. If earlier it was enough to install one chandelier in the hall, now many people use a lighting system that includes, in addition to the chandelier, spotlights and lighting.
An increase in power must be added to the increase in the number of equipment - for this reason, the old cables are no longer suitable, and the dimensions of the electrical switchboard have grown noticeably.
What is a wiring diagram for?
It turns out that the device of modern electrical wiring in an apartment is a real art, which only a professional electrician can handle.
If you do not want to constantly change the wall decoration in order to mask cables that appear here and there, we recommend that before repairing an apartment or building a house, draw up a drawing indicating all significant objects related to electricity: sockets, switches, electrical panel with, lighting fixtures.
A sample diagram that a homeowner can sketch. Attention is paid to the designation of the locations of all electrical points, from the electrical panel to the sockets.
Focusing on the requirements or wishes of the owner of the home, the electrician draws up a schematic diagram of the electrical wiring in the apartment. His task is to divide the cables into groups in order to properly distribute the load, think over the control and protection system, and ultimately do everything to guarantee safety and comfort.
What must be taken into account when drawing up a diagram, drawing, work plan, necessary for competent?
Consider the power grid in terms of its constituent parts:
- Automatic protection devices installed in the electrical panel. The functioning of all home equipment and the safety of users depend on their quality and proper installation.
- Cables, wires with a properly selected section and good insulation.
- Sockets and switches with high-quality contacts, safe cases.
In private houses, an obligatory element is an introductory machine and a power cable from it to the shield. With the help they regulate the power consumption and, if necessary, turn off all the electricity at home.
Approximate wiring diagram in a private house. The main attention should be paid to the distribution of power among the circuit breakers and the protection of each dedicated line.
The electric meter is usually installed at the entrance, cut after the introductory machine.
Separation of electrical wiring into groups (lines)
It is much easier to manage and control the power grid if it is divided into several lines. In the event of a malfunction or emergency, you can turn off one group, while the rest will function as normal.
Option for dividing into 4 groups:
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Stationary household appliances
Large household appliances are usually located in the kitchen or bathroom area.
Layout of sockets in the kitchen. Rules: it is forbidden to place sockets directly behind the dishwasher and washing machine; it is better to use waterproof models (+)
A separate connection of the kitchen area is necessary for repairs. If one of the devices fails, it will need to be replaced. In order not to turn off the electricity in the entire apartment, it is enough to turn off one protection device responsible for stationary equipment.
Unfortunately, even expensive household appliances fail from time to time. Repairs sometimes take several hours. A separate electrical group will allow you to maintain a comfortable stay in the kitchen and other rooms
What prevents you from simply unplugging a broken appliance from the mains by pulling the plug out of the socket? The fact is that in built-in appliances, the connection points to the power grid are located in hard-to-reach places.
In addition, a malfunction may not occur in the device itself, but in the wiring disguised in the wall. In this case, moving the circuit breaker lever is much easier.
Dedicated line for the kitchen
The kitchen line is traditionally the busiest. Approximately 5-6 units are constantly connected to the network, even if they are not involved. This applies to the refrigerator, oven, hob, dishwasher, extractor hood, microwave, toaster. Many people use a kitchen electric grill, meat grinder, bread machine, slow cooker, etc.
Electrical wiring diagram for the kitchen, divided into 4 groups. For powerful household equipment, separate machines are installed in the switchboard
In this case, a separate powerful electrical cable will simply make it possible to use several devices at once.
If on general wiring If lighting fixtures or a water heater also “hang”, then when the next device is turned on, the network simply cannot stand it and an automatic shutdown will work.
A detailed analysis of the schemes and layout options is given in the article, which we recommend that you read.
One or more lighting groups?
Given the number of lighting fixtures in each room, one or more lines can be made. If there is one six-arm chandelier in the hall, and low-power overhead lighting and two sconces in the bedroom, then all devices can be combined into one line.
However, if the living room resembles a disco hall - with chandeliers, spotlights, ceiling and wall lighting - then only a separate group should be organized for it.
Wiring diagram for 220 V spotlights or halogen lamps for one room, for example, for a kitchen, children's room or hallway
If, in addition to lamps, transformers or power supplies are included in the network of one room, then it is also recommended to connect it to a separate protection device.
Rooms with high humidity
Increased requirements apply to electrical appliances and cables in the bathroom, since the close proximity of water is a risk. In order for the electrical network to be safe and functional, a number of rules must be taken into account when drawing up the diagram and installing the wiring:
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The requirements also apply to the choice of accessories that will have to be used regularly - sockets and switches. Suppose the degree of protection of sockets must be at least IP 44, and it is even better to purchase special devices with a splash-proof cover.
A three-core copper wire is quite suitable for installing sockets in a bathroom, but you should pay attention to the cross section: for connecting ordinary devices, it must be at least 2.5 mm², for powerful electrical equipment - 4 mm². Domestic version - VVGng
If grounding is not provided in the old housing in the apartment shield, then not only in the bathroom, but in the entire apartment, the wiring will have to be replaced with a three-wire one.
When choosing a cable cross-section, it is necessary to take into account not only the wiring material (copper or aluminum), but also the laying method (open or closed), since closed wiring thermal conductivity is less, therefore, the current is also less (+)
According to the rules, if the intra-apartment networks are divided into groups, then each individual line must be equipped with a 25 A automatic machine. Therefore, when dividing into groups, we take into account the total rated current (no more than 25 A).
There are exceptions: for example, for lighting networks, a 16 A protection device is sufficient, but on condition that the group includes no more than 20 sockets and lamps at the same time.
What is the best connection scheme?
For one-room apartment There are two options: food from one group and food from several groups. The first option in modern conditions practically not applicable, if only because to use even one powerful household appliance (for example, a washing machine), a separate line with a protection device is required.
Such schemes can exist in apartments of the old residential sector, which have not been renovated for many years, or in a country house where there is no powerful electrical equipment. It turns out that even for the installation of electricians in a one-room apartment, it is necessary to divide into groups.
Approximate scheme for connecting electric points by groups. Three groups have been allocated for the kitchen, serving the electric stove, small household appliances and the lighting network
This scheme is practically applicable to any type of housing, but there will be more connection points, respectively, and lines in 2- and 3-room apartments.
Option #2: 2-, 3-room apartment
In principle, electrical wiring does not depend on the number of rooms, but there are a number of features that need to be taken into account:
- it is better to divide the socket network into several groups - by the number of rooms;
- the lighting system must also be divided into rooms;
- for the kitchen, at least three lines should be allocated - for lighting devices, powerful equipment and small household appliances;
- if the bathroom is separate, it is also better to use the division into 2 groups.
Considering that a large area of apartments is typical for elite housing, security equipment is included in the wiring diagrams.
Approximate scheme for installing protective equipment for an apartment with two rooms. It is assumed that in addition to socket and lighting groups, the apartment has a video surveillance system and a burglar alarm.
If specialists are involved in drawing up the diagram and installation, then at the end of the work you should also have a diagram - in case of repair or an unforeseen situation.
Scheme of installation of sockets and lighting fixtures in a three-room apartment. When drawing up a wiring diagram for multi-room apartments, it is better to use several drawings, since it is difficult to identify all groups in one, including low-current
According to the developed scheme for laying power lines and installing electrical outlets, you can safely carry out installation. It is advisable to avoid changes in the planned wiring during the execution of the work. However, if they become necessary, the scheme must be adjusted taking into account the above rules.
When composing, be sure to indicate the input electrical equipment and cable parameters from the input group.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
It is possible to conduct an electrical network in an apartment, protecting all devices and correctly distributing the load, under one condition - if you are a qualified electrician.
It is not possible to work on the switchboard without a special permit. Therefore, you can change the outlet or connect the hood yourself, and it is better to entrust more serious work to specialists.
When repairing or buying an open-plan apartment in a rough finish, the question of electrical wiring will definitely arise. The choice of the connection scheme, as well as the choice of materials used, will depend on where the partitions, household and lighting devices will stand, what the purpose of the premises is. It is necessary to take into account the material of the walls, floors, where the electrical wiring will pass. The main thing is to correctly determine what, ultimately, you want to get. Only having found out this, you can begin to develop a wiring diagram. Essentially, this is a wiring diagram, so you need to consider the installation requirements.
Main Rules
Electrical wiring should be designed in compliance with building codes and regulations, and installation should be carried out in accordance with the rules for electrical installations. The requirements of these documents must be observed, as they are written and take into account all accidents in everyday life and at work.
Below are the basic rules by which wiring is done in a house or apartment. According to them, they make schemes.
There should be easy access to the switchboard, meter, junction boxes, sockets and wiring switches.
Sockets must be installed at a height of 30 - 80 cm from the floor and no closer than 50 cm to gas, electric stoves, radiators and pipes. The cable to the sockets must be laid from below. The number of sockets to be installed in a room is determined at the rate of 1 socket per 6 square meters. The kitchen is equipped with as many outlets as required for appliances. The outlet in the bathroom should be connected through a low-power transformer located outside its walls.
Switches in the apartment are installed at a height of 60 - 150 cm from the floor in easily accessible places. The wire to the switches is laid from above.
Cables must be laid in a straight horizontal or vertical line. Crossing of cables, as well as laying diagonally or in a curve, is not allowed. When laying electrical wiring horizontally, the distance between the wires and floor beams must be at least 10 cm; ceiling and wire 10 - 15 cm, and from the floor to be laid at a height of 15-20 cm. In the case of a vertical laying, the wires must be at least 10 cm from the edge of the door or window opening; from gas pipes - more than 40 cm.
Cables for any type of electrical wiring (external or hidden) should not come into contact with fittings, mortgages and other metal parts of building structures.
If you are laying a cable under a heating pipe, you need to remember that the distance between them must be at least 3 cm. When laying in parallel, you must provide a gap between the wires of more than 3 mm or run them separately in a cable duct, corrugated pipe. Wiring must only be done inside junction boxes.
The connection of cables from different metals is carried out through a special block. The ground and neutral wires are attached to the devices only with a bolted connection.
Wiring methods
There are three ways to wire wiring in an apartment:
- star;
- plume;
- combined.
The first wiring diagram of the "star" type. With this wiring, each device has its own overload protection circuit breaker and a cable from the switchboard to the device. This wiring option is good because it is possible to control any device and in case of repair it is not necessary to turn off other devices. Used in the Smart Home system. It is useful when raising children, you can set the connection time for a particular device, turn off the light at a certain time; to scare away thieves by programming the switching on and off of lighting devices in the absence of the owners according to a certain algorithm. It has one drawback - the most expensive.
The next circuit is called a "loop". This type of wiring is similar to the previous version, only several devices are located on one cable. Much cheaper than Zvezda.
The most common version of the wiring diagram - with junction boxes, combines the qualities of the first two types. From the electrical panel, several cables go to junction boxes, and from them to a group or individual devices in the apartment.
It is impossible to get hung up on any one type of wiring. For example, if you need to connect a powerful consumer of electricity, then the "star" type is used, if a group of low-power ones, then a loop.
Before you need to study where the others lie engineering systems, material of walls, floors and ceilings; is it possible to do without chasing the walls; find out the power, number, location of devices. For example, if the ceilings are made of hollow core slabs, then they can be used as cable channels.
So it depends on financial opportunities, number and type of electrical installations, their location. Only after receiving this information, you can understand what wiring diagram in the apartment is required, and proceed with the design.
Sequencing
First you need to take a drawing of the apartment or make it yourself on a scale with the location of windows and doors. Then place on the plan all energy consumers by rooms, indicate their power, based on this,. It can be:
- lighting;
- socket;
- a group of rooms and a corridor;
- bathroom group;
- if the apartment has an electric stove, then a separate group for it.
Depending on the number of rooms and loads, the number of groups will be determined. So kitchen and corridor sockets can be divorced in two different groups. This is necessary in order to minimize the cost of wires and facilitate further maintenance of the electrical network and repairs.
Each group must be connected through a residual current device RCD (usually called an automatic device). For the lighting group, a 16 A automatic machine is provided, for a socket outlet for 25-32 A, and for an electric stove - 40-63 A.
After the position of all electrical wiring devices has been determined according to the diagram, the number of wires and their cross section are calculated.
The wiring diagram in the apartment must be drawn up in several copies, since in the process of work unforeseen moments appear that will need to be noted on the diagram. In addition to the circuit diagram, you need a wiring diagram for direct performers. Electricians work on it and make changes.
The wiring diagram with all the changes after the completion of the work becomes the executive. This is the scheme that you need to request from the previous owner of the apartment.
What does it indicate
The diagram should indicate all the dimensions of the premises of the apartment, the distances between various electrical devices. This will allow you to accurately calculate the amount of required materials and reduce installation time. It is better to draw different groups in different colors, the diagram becomes more readable. In addition, it is necessary to show where which sockets (single, double), switches (one, two, three-gang) will be placed. The diagram will look something like this.
In addition, a list of materials and devices that need to be mounted is attached to the diagram. Additionally, you need to take into account the consumables used during the installation process, such as plastic clamps, pads, dowels, electrical tape, alabaster for mounting socket boxes in the wall. To determine the exact amount of cable required, you will have to measure with a tape measure, take into account the height of the ceilings.
When choosing a cable, it is better to stop at a copper type VVG, compared to aluminum, it has a higher conductivity and excellent flexibility, installation is facilitated. In apartments, two, three-wire cables with a cross section of 2.5 mm2 are usually laid for sockets, and lighting is connected with a 1.5 mm2 cable. From the storey electrical panel to the apartment panel, wiring is carried out with a 3-5-core cable with a cross section of 6 mm2, for powerful appliances such as an electric stove, a boiler, a cable with a cross section of 4 mm2 is used so that it does not heat up.
Floor and ceiling lining
If there is an intention to make a concrete floor screed, you need to use this, conduct electrical wiring along the floor in the corrugation, then only pour it with concrete. It will save materials and reduce the amount of work. With a stretch or false ceiling, the consumption of materials can also be reduced, the scheme and work can be simplified.
The cable is simply attached to the ceiling from the outside. If you allow outdoor installation, you can significantly reduce the time of work through the use of cable channels. At the same time, the most dusty work - gating - disappears. Accordingly, all this should be reflected in the scheme and materials.
Usually single-phase electrical wiring in the apartment is used. If the apartment is large, with high electricity consumption, then a three-phase power supply may be required. The difference is small. There will be a three-phase meter in the floor shield.
Three phases will go to the apartment switchboard, and then everything is the same as in the single-phase version. When installing in junction boxes, the main thing is to do everything right, not to mix up the phases so that the device does not receive 380 V instead of 220 V. If there is no experience in such work or electrical education, it would be right to invite a specialist.
When new tenants move into an apartment, they are not provided with a wiring diagram - this should be seen as a huge flaw in the organization. Another thing is private houses. The installation plan is necessarily considered when coordinating projects in government bodies. This is right.
If the tenants are going to make repairs in the apartment or there is a malfunction associated with electrical equipment, no one has a clue about the wiring diagram in the apartment, at a time when you need to have an accurate idea of the location of all its elements.
How to get a wiring diagram in an apartment
There are two ways to get out of the situation:
- Firstly, contact the housing department or the REU and with their help try to find or restore the wiring diagram in the apartment, but this will take a lot of time and energy.
- Secondly, draw up a wiring diagram on your own or use the help of a specialist, which is much more reliable, faster and easier.
Drawing up wiring diagrams: standards, specifications
In order to make electrical wiring in an apartment, a person needs to have not only electrical knowledge, but also at least minimal experience in their use, to know regulatory requirements and safety rules. All technical conditions arose not from the whim of officials, but as a response to the many accidents and tragic cases associated with electrical errors.
Today there is no shortage of qualified specialists, so you should not start learning someone else's profession just to do the wiring in the apartment, although this knowledge may be useful to you in the future.
The advantages of a specialist cannot be disputed, he is trained to find solutions in different situations, therefore, he knows the basic principles of drawing up a wiring diagram, understands the structure of an electrical circuit and can accurately guess where the input, output, and ground should be.
True, it is not always possible to contact a specialist, so you need to have a small amount of knowledge. To understand how the wiring diagram in the apartment is formed, you need to know about the principle of drawing up
Three ways to compose an electrical circuit
This knowledge is known to everyone, it was taught to us in a comprehensive school:
- Serial connection of elements: all elements are connected in one long chain, one after another, like electric New Year's garlands. One light bulb broke, all the others went out.
- When connected in parallel, each light bulb in the string must have two connecting nodes, so none of them has a direct connection to the other. One of them crashed or burned out, and the rest still continue to shine.
- A combined or mixed circuit consists of different elements, contains sections with both parallel and serial circuits.
When drawing up a diagram of such a circuit, the connections of the elements are indicated. For example, they indicate that points I, II, III - constitute a parallel connection, and points IV, V, VI - are assembled in a serial circuit. This entire section of the electrical circuit refers to the combined connection.
Types of electrical wiring in the apartment do it yourself
If you decide to do the wiring in the apartment, you must decide on the choice of its type. The schematic display will match it.
From junction box
Electrical wiring from the junction box The most common type of wiring. The shield is not installed in the apartment, but on the landing. The cable taken away from it is sent to the apartment. An electricity consumption meter and a main switch are installed on the shield.
At the entrance, a junction box is installed, from which the electrical wiring in the apartment is stretched through the rooms and premises. You can do this work with your own hands, but the advice of a specialist will not be superfluous.
Based on the stars
Star wiring Each element of the electrical circuit with this type of wiring is based on its own line, equipped with a separate switch, has its own entrance to the electrical panel. The user gets full control over each element of the chain. Despite the ideal performance in the residential sector, it is used very rarely.
The disadvantages include: tangible costs for the purchase of a large number of cable products, high labor costs for installation, the need to install a large electrical panel. The project is considered uneconomical for domestic use.
According to the loop principle
Loop wiring installation The wiring in the loop is also based on the principle of a star, but it involves a more rational placement of the elements of the electrical circuit. On each wiring line, it contains not one single element, but a group of consumers. Such a project requires much less cost.
Combined wiring
The electrical circuit is compiled on the basis of two principles: Star + Loop. This type of wiring is ideal, it allows you to accurately create any rational combination of electrical connections, therefore, in both residential and commercial versions, none of the principles have been applied in their pure form for a long time. The combination allows you to get the best results.
Wiring diagrams
In order to make the correct wiring diagram in the apartment, you need to prepare a plan for the location of electricity consumers, breaking them down into groups. Make up such a plan in the form of drawings for each of the groups that consume energy. Then, if necessary, make repairs or connect a new device to the circuit, the electrician will not have to turn off the power to the entire apartment, because there will be a separate output from the switchboard with a circuit breaker for each room. This approach is rational and practical also because it allows you to do the wiring in the apartment with your own hands from an ordinary cable, and not to select powerful conductors designed for heavy loads. Having such drawings in hand, it will not be difficult to carry out work if they are drawn up correctly.
How are consumer groups formed?
Considering that today the population uses a lot of electric household appliances, a lot of various lighting devices are used in interior design, the classification method into consumer groups greatly facilitates the creation of a high-quality home network, reducing the cost of installing individual machines, powerful cables.
Groups are formed according to the general principle:
- Regular groups:
- lighting of residential facilities - bedrooms, living room, children's;
- lighting of the hallway, corridors, kitchen, balcony;
- supply of household appliances in residential premises;
- supply of electrical equipment in the kitchen, hallway, on the balcony.
- Separate groups:
- power supply of sanitary rooms (special requirements apply to them);
- power supply of an electric stove;
- electricity supply special equipment(saws, muffle furnaces, etc.).
For each individual group in the wiring diagram, there must be a separate protective device for emergency shutdown. This applies in particular to the chain line leading to the kitchen, workshops and sanitary facilities.
Enter in the drawing the connection points to the network of devices, switches
We are talking about the place of connection of water heaters, washing machine, dishwasher, air conditioning devices, electric heating systems, "smart home". These points should be marked on the draft schematic plan.
Next, you need to enter the installation points for switches for lighting fixtures, mark the location of lamps, day and night lamps, places for mounting chandeliers and sconces. Estimate convenient places for installation of junction boxes.
Connect all consumption points on the diagram with lines and calculate the need for cable products for your wiring project using their length. Redraw this schematic plan again to get a second copy, which should be kept in the family documentary archive, because you will have to refer to it more than once.
Clean wiring diagram with accurate accounting of all data
Based on the draft plan, a final version of the electrical wiring diagram in the apartment is drawn up. It should indicate all dimensions, lengths of cables, their places of passage. When compiling it, professional symbols, a system of abbreviations and short designations should be applied. The circuit must be made using lines indicating electrical wiring and dots of various colors, in accordance with the requirements of TU and GOST.
The final copy indicates the exact dimensions of each room, the length of the wiring, the distance from the walls to the appliances. The height of the ceiling is noted, the locations of the heating devices are indicated. The more visual the circuit, the easier it is to make calculations for connecting or disconnecting technical means. This is necessary to comply with safety requirements, to effectively plan do-it-yourself wiring replacement, not only now, but also in the future.
The owner of the apartment is responsible for the safety of all residents
Each electrical project is created taking into account the wishes of the owner. In general, any circuit includes a certain set of the same type of elements: lighting fixtures, sockets and switches, a shield that distributes cables. Doing wiring with their own hands, the owners take a ready-made standard project as a basis and make changes to it, creating an individual scheme for their apartment, adding or subtracting some elements.
Such work will not be as clear and precise as that of a specialist, but it will serve as a good basis for creating your own network. The most important thing at the same time is that the basic safety principles are observed, which everyone, in general, knows from school:
- First, know the exact places where the wires pass, so as not to drive a nail into it or touch it with a drill during repairs.
- Secondly, sockets should not be freely available in the sanitary rooms. And those that are installed for an electric razor or hair dryer are connected through a transformer.
The electrical wiring in the apartment must be either strictly vertical or horizontal on the wall, without violating the right angle, so as not to damage it during the finishing process or performing some work.
Comfort of life modern man directly depends on the availability of a reliable source of electrical energy. Almost everything is tied to it - lighting, cooking and food storage, space heating and water heating, air conditioning and ventilation, means of communication and access to information, dozens of other devices and devices, without which it is already difficult to imagine our existence.
Electricity suppliers in our time work stably, without serious and prolonged failures, and if the consumer pays for services on time, then he can count on full access to the available "benefits of civilization". But only energy supply companies guarantee the supply of voltage to the “watershed” - to the consumed energy. And then the area of responsibility of the landlord begins, and it is in his right to arrange all points of lighting and connection to the power grid in the optimal quantity, from his point of view, and in a convenient place for use. But how to approach this issue? Will the wiring be installed in the apartment with your own hands, or is it more expedient to use the services of electricians?
It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Much depends on preparedness, "savvy" landlord in the field of physics, electrical engineering. An important factor is the ability for long-term planning, since replacement work postings are implied for many years to come. And, in the end, the landlord must have a good set of skills in the field general construction works- without this, too, will not do.
In laying wiring - a considerable component of general construction work
The purpose of this publication is to give the owner of the apartment an idea of the scale of the measures for laying the home electrical network, about basic principles its planning, the correct distribution of loads, installation techniques and electrical fittings products, about other important nuances. It will be possible to understand whether it is worth taking on such a volume of work on your own, or still invite qualified craftsmen. From the point of view of professionals, without practice and without electrical safety clearance, it is better not to do such work on your own, since there are a lot of nuances that simply cannot be described on the scale of one article - their knowledge comes with many years of experience. However, know basic principles wiring in the apartment will be useful to any owner - it will become possible to control the work of the masters (alas, there are rogues among them), and for safe operation housing, such an understanding of the issue will never be superfluous.
Anyone who received a new apartment in houses that were built and rented out according to the old principle - "turnkey" (although, as a rule, with not very high quality), knows how, often inconveniently, thoughtlessly, connection points to the power grid were placed there . Yes, everything corresponded to the old GOSTs, but the trouble is that these standards were written when the saturation of human life with a variety of electrical appliances differed significantly from current conditions.
As you acquire new appliances, you have to stretch extension cords around the apartment or even lay new lines, since some electrical installations clearly do not have enough rated power of old wires. stretching by by Lam cables are both a feeling of certain discomfort, and a clear minus for the interior design of the room.
Moreover, with insufficient connection points, many tenants who are poorly versed in electrical engineering make sometimes unimaginable connections using tees, even using them in several cascades. Alas, this is a direct road to the occurrence of a fire hazard in the apartment.
But this is already a direct path to big trouble.
And so, when sooner or later it's time to make a major overhaul in your apartment, the most reasonable step is to completely, from the entry point to the last outlet, replace both the wiring and the entire electrical fittings part by planning the installation of power connection points in the most convenient, rational and safe way.
There is another very important reason to ever completely change the cable part. The fact is that during the construction of high-rise buildings in the old days, for reasons of economy, internal wiring was in most cases made of aluminum wires. Aluminum seems to have good electrical conductivity characteristics, but now it is practically not used for these purposes, since its disadvantages far outweigh its advantages.
- First, the metal itself is very soft. It is easily deformed, pressed through when using contact screws, terminal washers, etc. - it is unlikely that it will be possible to make contact twice in one place - the wire will simply break in a thinned place. That is, repair work with aluminum wiring is extremely difficult. Soldering it is very difficult, and in the conditions of installing home wiring it will be extremely irrational to use this technology.
- However, aluminum is ductile only when it is, shall we say, "fresh". This metal has an amazing property - the electrochemical processes that occur in it during the passage of current radically change the properties of the substance over time. After 15 ÷ 20 years of operation (and for wiring - this is a very short time) aluminum conductors become brittle. Sudden, almost causeless, are not excluded, which can be very difficult to find, and even more difficult to eliminate, since the wire can break even with careful attempts to make a new twist or bend it for a terminal connection.
- Another striking property: it would seem that the metal is very resistant to corrosion, but it was not there! If even a small amount of water gets on the conductor, then under the action of electricity, electrocorrosion processes are inevitable. And, they may be invisible externally - in appearance, the whole conductor inside can be “corroded” so much that even a small one causes heating, sparking or failure. Sometimes any touch to such a wire leads to its breaking off.
Compare with the picture above - is there a difference?
In other words, if you are serious about electrical issues, then you should not hesitate to replace all the old aluminum wiring with on reliable copper. Its electrical parameters are even higher, plasticity is good (but not excessive), and does not change either from time to time or from operation under heavy loads. The cost of copper wires is, of course, significantly higher, but the wiring in the apartment is done, as already mentioned, for decades to come, and saving on such issues is simply unreasonable. Along with the replacement, you can simultaneously solve all issues with the optimization of the placement of all elements of the home electrical network.
If the owner has purchased a new apartment, in a house that was commissioned on a do-it-yourself basis, then there is nothing to think about - you need to carefully plan the entire apartment electrical network, taking into account your vision of the location of electrical appliances and furniture in the rooms, and do the wiring literally in the first place - even before pouring floors, finishing walls and ceilings. Below in the text it will become clear why this is so.
A few more arguments in favor of not upgrading or repairing, but overhauling the old wiring.
1. In the old days, ground loops in residential buildings were not considered mandatory, and all intra-house networks were laid according to the TN-C system, when the working zero and ground were connected to a single wire (PEN) even at the electrical substation. The only advantage of this approach is ease of installation and minimal material consumption, since all sockets in the apartment were entangled with only two wires - zero and phase.
TN-C system - "the day before yesterday" of electrical engineering
During a reboot or a breakdown on the metal case of electrical appliances, a life-threatening voltage is very likely to appear. Moreover, this type of contact connection does not allow correct operation of residual current devices (RCD), some modern switching power supplies. Today, such a system is not used, in some places it is even prohibited by law, and it must be changed to one of the more advanced systems: TN-S or TN-C-S.
TN-S is more often used in private houses in which their own is organized. Although, they may apartment buildings grounding buses should be organized, connected by welding and passing from the external ground loop along all floors.
But still more often in high-rise residential buildings the TN-C-S system is used, in which deaf-earthed the neutral is divided into two conductors - a working zero and a ground loop, directly in the access switchboard.
In any of the last two cases, three contacts are already used for wiring - phase, zero and ground. You can immediately mention the color marking of these wires - one must comply with current standards.
Please note that the color of the phase wire may vary. But here, zero and grounding - have a mandatory color, so that it cannot be confused during electrical work.
By the way, several phase conductors can be enclosed in one cable. They will differ in color from each other, but at the same time, two conductors will still stand out with their obligatory color - “working zero” and “ground”.
very many modern electrical appliances fitted with a three-prong plug. So, an important clarification needs to be made. When installing new sockets, the owners, of course, also try to install three-pin ones. However, if wiring has not yet been organized in your apartment according to the TN-S or TN-C-S schemes, then in no case should jumpers be made between the zero contact and the ground contact directly on the outlet.
If the life and health of your family and friends are not indifferent to you, never do such a “grounding”!!!
What can be done at the switchboard level - absolutely unacceptable right at the connection point. This will not only not give the desired effect, but also dramatically increase the level of danger. The likelihood of electric shock or a fire hazard with such a connection is huge! It is better not to have a connection to ground at all than to organize such a thing.
And even better - mount a new wiring in accordance with all the rules!
2. The second important argument is that the very principle of wiring, which was previously used in residential construction, is extremely imperfect. It's about about the so-called "dosing" of the load. To understand - remember the old switchboards. An electric meter, two automatic machines (or fuses - plugs) - and that's it. Two wires went to the apartment, were lost somewhere in the thickness of the wall, and branches were made from them in contact boxes to each lighting point or outlet. In a word, as thin branches depart from the trunk of a tree, so layering was made from the main wires. Again: in terms of economy - this is beneficial, but in everything else - does not stand up to criticism.
This system was literally teeming with twists on every branch, and any extra connection of wires is always a weak spot in the wiring. If it was necessary to de-energize one of the rooms, it was necessary to turn off the power in the entire apartment. Even a minor accident, an accidental short circuit on one of the branches, led to the shutdown of the entire apartment network. Well, if something serious happened (a cable breakage or burnout hidden in the wall), then the search for an emergency site and the repair work turned into a very difficult problem.
All this can be easily avoided if you organize a zoned wiring system - from the input point, that is, from the apartment switchboard, separate power lines are laid with the required wire section corresponding to the load, to each room, to every high power electrical appliance every a group of sockets or lighting. Yes, of course, you will need much more cable here, but on the other hand, the home electrical network will become convenient and safe to use, it will be easy to give in to the necessary upgrades or repairs.
The foundation of the basics - home electrical planning
So, the first step in any case is whether a major overhaul will be carried out. or the wiring will be laid in new apartment, there is always a drawing up of a diagram of an apartment electrical network. And it is best to do it yourself - no one but the owners can do it better.
Perhaps someone doubts their ability to carry out such planning. It's okay - there is no need to rush, we do everything sequentially, step by step. And you will see that it is not so difficult at all.
First, you need to prepare a plan for your apartment. There may be several options here. First, you can make a copy of technical passport. Secondly, it should not be difficult for a real man to draw an approximate diagram (best of all, of course, on a scale) on a regular sheet of paper. Thirdly, if desired, you can find a typical project of the house in which the apartment is located. (Such a document may be in the DEZ, another operating or design organization. It is possible that the Internet will come to the rescue). And fourthly, modern computer engineering applications (CAD) allow you to quickly and accurately execute the desired drawing.
For example, let's take the scheme of a one-room apartment, made in just 10 minutes in CAD. The procedure for planning an apartment electrical network with a different number and location of rooms does not change - the principles remain the same.
In this case, Room 1 is a combined bathroom, Room2 is an entrance hall, Room3 is a kitchen and Room4 is a living room.
It’s also good to have a variant of such a drawing and with dimensions: it will then be easier to determine the required amount of cable products from it.
The same drawing - with dimensions to scale
In order not to be afraid of mistakes and some kind of accidental damage to the drawing, you can print it yourself not on a printer or make photocopies in the right amount - for drafts, taking as a basis to start a "bare" scheme - only walls, windows and doors.
The original "clean" scheme - we will start working from it
Now you need to imagine how the existing pieces of furniture and electrical appliances for various purposes will be placed on this square. There is no need to rush - it is necessary to take into account not only what has already been purchased and is waiting for installation, but also the planned novelties in the future at least for 5 ÷ 10 years. For example, children grow up, and after a couple of years they will need to put a desk with a lamp, a computer, a TV, etc. in their room. In the living room in perspective plans install modern climate control equipment (air conditioner or convectors), and sooner or later the hostess will want to dishwasher and multifunctional oven.
Moreover, it is necessary to place all these pieces of furniture and household appliances on the diagram in places where they, with a certain degree of assumption, will be installed. A very awkward situation will happen if, after completing the laying of a new wiring, after a very short time, you have to get the old extension cords! Why then were all these repair torments?
It would probably be wise to hold an “extended family council” on this occasion in order to come to a consensus on interior design and filling the premises. And now we turn to the drawing again - we begin to “put” everything in its place. There is no need to seek special principles for symbols here - this scheme is working. The main thing is to number all objects and devices, put them in a description - a table, and it is desirable to highlight in the diagram those that require a mandatory connection to a power source, for example, shading in a different color (in the diagram considered for example, they are highlighted in red).
So, by room:
Virtually "put" everything in its place
In the living room:
1 - fold out sofa bed.
2 - bedside table with night light and connection point, e.g. phone charger.
3 – air conditioning – split system.
4 – a plasma TV with a home theater sound system, receiver or other digital television equipment.
5 - Dining table with chairs.
6 - cabinets.
7 - a work area with a computer and peripherals.
Those points that require connection can also be highlighted in the text.
In the kitchen:
8 - fridge.
9 - Dining table with chairs.
10 and 11- desktops (tabletops) on which can be located permanently or periodically kitchen appliances - microwave, multicooker, food processor, blender, electric kettle and others.
12 - electric stove with oven.
13 - washing.
14 - Dishwasher.
In the bathroom and toilet:
15 - washing machine.
16 - boiler.
17 – sink with spot lighting and a hair dryer connection point.
18 – toilet.
19 - bathroom.
In the hall:
20 - closet with additional spot lighting.
So, the main "consumers" in the diagram are highlighted. It is clear that backup sockets are also needed (for example, turn on an iron, a vacuum cleaner, and other small household appliances) - their placement can also be provided for, so that they are not uselessly located behind massive pieces of furniture.
You can immediately apply the location of the sockets on a separate clean “form”.
You can, of course, use any conventions understandable to themselves. But if the owner wants his idea to become clear to a specialist electrician, then it is better to use the icons accepted in a professional environment. All of them to know - not necessarily, the most basic ones will suffice. For example, those indicated in the table:
| Symbol | What does it mean on the diagram |
|---|---|
 | Power shield |
 | Energy consumption meter |
| Single pole circuit breaker | |
| Bipolar circuit breaker | |
 | Residual current device (RCD) |
 | Socket outlet with protective earth contact, flush-mounted |
 | Double socket, with protective earth contact, for concealed installation |
 | Three-pole socket, with protective earth contact, for surface installation |
 | Two-pole socket, with a protective earthing contact, increased moisture resistance (IP44 - IP55) |
| One-gang switch | |
| Two-gang switch | |
 | Block - two switches and a socket, concealed installation |
So, let's place the outlet on the diagram:
Now it's time to think about lighting points. They can be placed in the center of the room (that's when you need the dimensions on a scale), and in any order, focusing the illumination in one direction or another, or organizing several points (tiers) of illumination. In our case, place the lamps in the center of the rooms. And immediately mark the places for the switches. They are usually located inside the room (with the exception of bathrooms and, sometimes, kitchens). A typical installation location is near the door, on the side of the lock. Although this is not a dogma at all, the owner himself can determine the most convenient place, in his opinion. For example, you can place a block of switches in the hallway, which will be used to illuminate the corridor itself, to the bathroom and even to the kitchen.
Then, we “hang” the lamps and arrange the switches
We decided on the placement, now it is necessary to proceed to planning the wiring route. Here, various options are possible, depending on the degree of readiness of the premises in terms of construction, on the planned methods of finishing, on the location of the entrance to the apartment, on the preferences of the owners themselves.
Video: Tips for planning an apartment electrical network
Methods for laying electrical wiring in an apartment
Let's make a reservation right away - only apartment options will be considered, that is, with concrete or brick walls. If someone needs information about, then he can get it in the corresponding publication of our portal.
So, what are the acceptable ways of laying power cables used in residential conditions:
A. If the walls are in the "draft" version, and in the future they are planned to be covered with a layer of plaster or lined with drywall, then the wiring can be placed directly on the existing surface in corrugated plastic pipes (if the thickness of the future finishing layer allows) or simply in open form, provided that the cable has reliable double or triple insulation.
Video: option for laying wires on the walls of the apartment
B. If the plaster layer has already been applied to the walls, or it is planned to be too thin, unable to close the cable distribution, then you will have to make strobes in the wall to lay the wires in them.
This matter, of course, is very tedious and dusty, but it happens that there is nowhere to go - this approach often remains the only option. When laying wires in such strobes, they are fixed in them either with plaster blotches, or with special plastic dowel brackets inserted into the holes drilled for them.
The wire can be fastened in the strobe with a special bracket ...
... or just plaster "blotches"
Strobes cannot be cut in completely arbitrary places. There are certain rules on this matter - there are areas near window and door openings, external and internal corners, near gas mains, where making strobes and laying cables are unacceptable. Graphical information on this subject is in the diagrams below:
Be sure to pay attention to one essential detail. All hidden gaskets to sockets and switches from junction boxes must be carried out exclusively vertically. This is explained very simply - it will not be difficult to trace the route of the wire covered with plaster without any special devices.
There should be no ledges and turns, no “in a straight line” at an angle. No need to hope, they say, "I will remember." This is very quickly forgotten, and, in addition, another person can make an attempt to drill a hole or drive a nail. It can end very sadly.
When laying cables in strobes, it is necessary to have in your arsenal also a crown for a perforator, which will be required to cut sockets for under sockets and distribution ( junction) boxes.
Now let's talk about the main sections along which wires will be laid from the switchboard to the junction boxes.
1. The first option is exactly the same as described above, that is, horizontally along the upper edge of the wall, in a strobe or in a corrugated pipe. The option is extremely time-consuming and costly - for example, to supply power to the outlet at the opposite end of a large room, you will need to go around all the corners - the cable will take a lot.
2. If in a new or undergoing overhaul Since the apartment has not yet been filled with screeds on the floors, it is possible to lay the lines in plastic or metal pipes along the surface of the ceiling. Here it will be possible to lay routes to junction boxes the shortest by . In the future, a screed or other floor covering will completely hide these cable glands.
By the way, with such a “lower” location of the apartment wiring, in some cases it is possible to do without making strobes at all or to reduce this operation to a minimum. For laying wires in such situations, special electrical skirting boards are often used, on which there are already mounted ones.
Yes, and that's not all. A new trend is becoming widespread - special kits that include electrotechnical skirting boards, cable channels, junction boxes, sockets and switches, others electrical fittings products.
Wiring kit - everything is thought out, to the smallest detail
Of course, this approach is not applicable to all styles of interior decoration, but it also has a right to exist. And, by the way, it is in ever-growing demand, as it reduces dirty and complex construction work to a minimum.
3. Another option that helps to significantly reduce the consumption of wires is to use the ceiling surface for laying main routes. This, of course, does not eliminate the need to make strobes for laying wires along the walls and sockets for installing sockets and boxes. But here, from the switchboard to the mounting boxes, the wires can be mounted on special clips directly to the ceiling, laying the tracks over the shortest distance. By the way, absolutely nothing prevents you from placing the junction boxes themselves also on the plane of the ceiling (however, it will not be easy to get to them later if you need to carry out any repair or adjustment work).
The ceiling is a great place to place electrical wiring. Of course, subject to further decoration
True, all this will be possible only if it is planned to install a suspended or stretch ceiling that will hide the cabling. In a word, if it is possible to mount a suspended or stretch ceiling, you must definitely agree - a lot of electrical problems will simply “dissolve”. Last resort, it is quite realistic to come up with some original hanging structure along the wall, in which it will be possible to hide the laid wires.
We continue to draw up the scheme
Let's return again to our scheme - the points where it is necessary to supply power are already marked on it, but the routes have not yet been laid. It's time to do this.
The reader has probably already understood how the highways are laid, and in relation to his apartment he will be able to decide whether it will be a wall gasket, or it can be led in some areas along the shortest path if a floor or a flow plane is used.
In our example, the tracks will be along the walls.
So, each room should have its own junction box (at least one). It is located, as a rule, near the entrance of the line from the switchboard to the room. It is more expedient to place the bathroom box in the corridor so that the contact connections in it are not once again exposed to high humidity.
On the diagram, we conditionally mark the junction boxes with orange circles.
We continue to draw up the diagram - we outline the location of the mounting boxes
We begin to "pull wires" to each box from the farthest outlets. It is better not to place sockets in a loop, that is, in series - there may be voltage drops at the far one if those that are closer to the box are reloaded. It is better not to be stingy and lay your own cable for each.
By the way, if the sockets are placed “coaxially” on both sides of one wall, you can connect them with wires coming from one box and located in one gate (in our example, this possibility is specially shown - a socket in the living room and in the kitchen). Of course, this will save a lot on laying strobes. In this case, one common cable can also be used - however, at the same time, we do not forget that the cross section of the wire going to such a block must correspond to the total possible load.
To make it easier to understand in the drawing, we denote the wires to the sockets, for example, in red.
“We stretch wires” from boxes to sockets
Change the color of the pencil to green, and "lay" the wires responsible for the lighting - from the mounting boxes to the switches and fixtures.
Do the same with lighting - lamps and switches.
Now let's put a power distribution board on the diagram and lay "highways" from it to soldering boxes. You can, of course, limit yourself to one cable per room, which will power both lighting and sockets. However, we have already talked about this, it is more reasonable to divide them into two different streams. If, of course, they allow financial resources, since cable products, and automatic machines, and RCDs in this case will require more. In a word, it is up to the owner to decide, since both options are, in principle, acceptable.
The diagram shows a variant of combined wiring for power supply and lighting (thick blue lines from the shield to the junction boxes).
Now - the line of lines from the switchboard to the junction boxes
And, finally, one more nuance. To some devices that consume high-power current, completely separate lines are laid from the switchboard, which have their own automatic machines, RCDs, wire strobes. They must not have any other connections, branches, etc. throughout their entire length. Very often, such lines end not with an ordinary socket, but with a reinforced, special type. And in some cases, high-power electrical appliances are connected to the network not at all through sockets, but through those installed directly next to them.
In our diagram, we will draw separate power lines from the shield to the electric oven in the kitchen and to the boiler in the combined bathroom (thick purple lines).
We “connect” especially loaded lines (oven and boiler) and the entrance from the entrance. The scheme is ready!
And, finally, we will complete the diagram by drawing on it a general input to the apartment from the access switchboard
So, the scheme is ready, and you can start applying it practically. And first of all, it will help to calculate how much and what kind of wire is required for the installation of a new residential electrical network.
You can move on to work “on the ground” - transfer the drawing really to the walls of the premises, already accurately determining the location of the boxes, strobe lines, installation points for sockets and switches - that’s all basic principles were agreed upon by us, the drawing is at hand - for the cause!
Surely, when marking up, questions will arise - on? There are no strict rules here, and the recommendations are detailed in our publication specifically dedicated to this issue.
Marking lines drawn on the walls and a scaled drawing will help to calculate the number of wires for each section. But what section of wire will be required?
What size wires are needed for laying?
Any line on our diagram, leaving the switchboard, is equipped with an automatic machine of the appropriate power and a residual current device (RCD), with its own operation parameters at a certain leakage current. Plus, a common machine is necessarily installed for the entire apartment network and a common RCD. All these mentioned quantities directly depend on the total load on each selected area, and then already they give the total result for the whole apartment.
So knowing enough exactly, which electrical appliances will be used in each of the sections of the apartment network, you can calculate the total load on it. For this, passport data of devices (devices) are taken, the probability of their simultaneous operation is taken into account, and the power consumption is found by usual summation. If there are no passports for products, then you can search for their data on the Internet or simply use the average power table of the most popular household appliances and devices:
| Appliance type | Approximate power consumption |
|---|---|
| Hot tub (Jacuzzi) | 2000-2500W. |
| Sauna stove | 10-15 kW |
| Warm floor | 0.7-1.5 kW |
| solarium home | 1.5-2.5 kW |
| Split air conditioner | about 2500 W |
| Fan | up to 900 W |
| Lighting devices (depending on the lamps used and the number of horns) | 100 - 1000 W |
| Radio (Music Center) | 100-250W |
| Desktop computer with LCD monitor + peripherals (printer, scanner, modem, router, etc.) | up to 800 W |
| TV | 100-200W |
| Sound system "home theater" | up to 750 W |
| Vacuum cleaner | up to 1200 W |
| Iron | 1000-2000W |
| Electric massager | up to 300 W |
| hair dryer | 500 - 1000 W |
| Gadget chargers | about 50 W |
For calculation, you can use the formula that allows you to determine the current consumption in each section of the network.
Icmind= Psum/unom
Icmind- the total load current in this section of the circuit.
Psum- the total power consumption of electrical appliances simultaneously included in the circuit.
Unom- rated voltage in the network (in our case, this is a household voltage of 220 IN).
If, for example, a site is calculated on which, with a high degree of probability, a computer (750 W), a heater (1.5 kW), a table lamp 100 W will work simultaneously, and an electric kettle will periodically turn on (another 1.75 kW), then we get the total power consumption, which reaches up to 4.1 kilowatts at the peak of the load. Substituting this value into the formula, we get the current consumption in 18.6 A.
When conducting professional calculations, they use more complex methods that take into account a lot of all the nuances of the network (this applies more to a three-phase 380 volt network). In conditions of a not too branched and loaded single-phase home network, it is recommended for insurance to simply add another 5 amperes to the result. As a result, in our example we get 18,6 + 5 = 23,6 ≈ 24 A
Now it remains only to go to the table (listed below) and find the most acceptable cross-section of a copper cable, depending on what type of wire will be used.
| Cross section of copper conductor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| solid wires | two-core wires | three-core wires | ||||
| single laid wire | bundle of two wires | bundle of three wires | bundle of four wires | single twin wire | single three-core wire | |
| 0.5 | 11 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 0,75 | 15 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1,0 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| 1,5 | 23 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 15 |
| 2,5 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 21 |
| 4,0 | 31 | 38 | 35 | 30 | 32 | 27 |
| 6,0 | 50 | 46 | 42 | 40 | 40 | 34 |
| 10,0 | 80 | 70 | 60 | 50 | 55 | 50 |
| 16,0 | 100 | 85 | 80 | 75 | 80 | 70 |
| 25,0 | 140 | 115 | 100 | 90 | 100 | 85 |
| 35,0 | 170 | 135 | 125 | 115 | 125 | 100 |
| 50,0 | 215 | 185 | 170 | 150 | 160 | 135 |
The load on the site in the example given is quite serious. According to the table, it turns out that either three single wires, laid in a single bundle, with a cross section of 2.5 mm each, or one three-core wire with a cross section of 4 mm, can cope with such a load.
This - more one argument in favor of the fact that it is recommended to run its own cable to each outlet ( socket block). Work with large wires by connecting them to electrical fittings devices or making their contact connections - it is very difficult due to the sharply increasing rigidity.
Is it important to calculate this cross section? Maybe it makes sense to lay approximately the same wire in all sections?
Very important, and even from several points of view!
First. A wire that is too small in section may not fully cope with its task. It will start to heat up, which over time leads to damage to the insulation, broken contacts on the terminals or in twists. This is the straight path cause a short circuit, i.e. cause electric shock or fire.
Second. The owner overdid it, and will lay wires of excess section. For the sake of interest, go to the store and compare prices for copper wires of the same brand, but of different sections, for example, 1.5 and 2.5 mm. The difference will probably surprise you and inspire you to the fact that it is still worth calculating the load so as not to pay extra for absolutely unnecessary, overpriced options.
The experience of qualified electricians who have changed the wiring in more than one hundred apartments makes it possible to roughly depict the home network in the following picture:
The diagram shows some possible sections of the apartment network, indicating the recommended cable cross-section, the approximate total load, the rating of the circuit breaker and the threshold (leakage current) of the RCD. Of the variety of cable products, most experts unanimously recommend VVGng (index H G says that it is enclosed in non-combustible insulation).
This scheme is by no means a dogma. Nobody cancels the network planning and calculation methodology, which you have read above, since it is simply impossible to take into account all the nuances in each individual apartment.
By the way, this is especially true for modern cuisine, which has recently become literally “stuffed” with electronics and electrical engineering. You just need to look at the table to see in what range both the functionality and the power consumption of kitchen accessories lie.
| Type of household appliance | Average power consumption | Features of connecting to the power supply |
|---|---|---|
| Stove or hob electric | from 3500 to 12000 W | Individually routed power line |
| Electric oven | from 2500 to 10000 W | |
| Washing machine | from 1500 to 3000 W | |
| water heater | from 2500 to 7000 W | |
| Dishwasher | from 1500 to 3500 W | |
| Microwave | from 700 to 2500 W | connection to a regular 16 A socket is allowed |
| Refrigerator (only at the time of start-up) | from 500 to 2000 W | |
| Electric kettle | from 700 to 1500 W | |
| Food processor (combine) | from 500 to 1500 W | |
| Bread maker, steamer, etc. | from 700 to 2000 W | |
| Toaster | up to 1000 W | |
| Kitchen hood | from 500 to 1500 W | |
| waste shredder | from 400 to 1000 watts |
To connect such a mass of equipment, one has to use remarkable imagination in terms of its location in the kitchen, and to carry out rigorous power calculations. Judge for yourself - how difficult it would seem to organize at least such an arrangement of outlets:
The kitchen is a very special room in terms of electrical wiring.
And this, as they say, is not the most "fancy" option. However, if you calmly sit down with a sheet of paper, a pencil and a calculator, everything can be calculated very clearly and with high quality.
So, the reader has learned how to draw up a scheme, he is familiar with the rules of calculations, basic principles he also already knows the laying of the cable part. You can safely get to work, and let the articles of our portal become assistants in this, which will tell you in detail about techniques, types, about connecting powerful electrical appliances and much more. All this is in sections and.
And the last remark. The author of this publication is fully aware that any teacher of electrical engineering would slap a “juicy deuce” for the quality of the executed graphic diagrams, therefore, perhaps, critical remarks about this will appear in the comments. However, the goal was not to teach the visitors of the site how to draw. The main thing is that the reader understands the principle, using which he can independently plan his home electrical network.
Video: basic concepts of self-installation of apartment wiring
