This is the first article in which I will tell you my ideas for installing electrical wiring. I am planning a continuation, where I will tell you about the implementation of ideas, right up to the finished installation. I don’t presume to say exactly how many articles there will be. I’ll try to make do with available resources. I’ll tell you about interesting resources and techniques.
The moment has come when you realize that the current state of the wiring in the house does not suit you. About 40 years have passed since the construction of the dacha. Requests have grown. I didn’t want maximum comfort (there is no limit here), but I wanted the house to be comfortable and in good working order.
Analyzing electrical problems
When planning the work, we carefully write down our wishes and form a rough plan.
To do everything at once and never come back, I suggest going through the checklist.
First of all, we pay attention to what our safety depends on. These are critical faults that require repair. No, you can’t put it off until “later.”
– inspect the electrical panel for terminal oxidation, mechanical damage, and traces of rodents and insects. Were there any strange malfunctions or sudden automatic shutdowns of the machines? We write everything down.
inspect all junction boxes (open the lid and examine the filling) and input into the house (facade of the building, connection to the meter) for oxidation, overheating and improper installation;
– faulty lamps, switches, sockets and other electrical installation and installation products. Was there a smell of burnt plastic? Or maybe there were sparks when you pulled the plug out of the socket? Does the light bulb in the chandelier blink if it is accidentally touched? The switch key does not immediately move to the “on” or “off” position?;
– obsolete sockets (old Soviet ones, it’s difficult to plug in a European standard plug);
– for open wiring – inspect the appearance of the network for mechanical damage (for example, you put a table leg on the wire. Don’t laugh, anything can happen), insulation or its degradation (for example, from ultraviolet radiation). If the veins are already visible, urgent repairs are needed;
– determine the cross-section of the cable used to enter the house (if each core is 2.5 mm 2 – this is not enough according to modern requirements);
– there is household equipment that requires a separate powerful line with its circuit breaker (for example, a washing machine or a powerful power tool). I classify this item as a critical malfunction because operating equipment that is turned on “anyhow” can lead to a fire.
You can add to the list yourself, based on the “filling” of your home.
Convenience and Comfort
Next, we look at it from an ergonomic point of view. Items from this list do not apply to critical faults requiring urgent repair:
– places with insufficient lighting;
When thinking about a future project, keep in mind that one light bulb per room is usually not enough (unless it is a toilet or bathroom). Any lighting must have its working scenario. Installing backlighting simply because you want to is short-sighted (you won’t use it anyway, but money and time have already been spent). In terms of ergonomics and lighting, I highly recommend the site houzz.ru, Articles section. There is no separate section for electrical work, so you will have to search.
– switches located in inconvenient places;
– inconveniently located sockets (the website houzz.ru also has about sockets) or an insufficient number of sockets (you have to use a tee);
– Do you often use power tools outdoors? Is the extension cord that is pulled from the outlet in the house getting in the way? Install an outdoor waterproof outlet that is switched off by a separate circuit breaker. Please note that on some models, the covers that cover the sockets no longer stay in place over time. Choose a place for an outdoor outlet that will be 100% protected from precipitation, and even better, from the sun. Electrical insulating materials are either non-flammable or UV-resistant.
think about options for the future: perhaps the house needs a separate line for an electric stove, hood, refrigerator, heater, pump or boiler.
Even if you don’t see the point now, leave free space when designing the electrical panel (for circuit breakers, voltage stabilizers, terminal blocks and automation), the input cable should also be selected with a reserve cross-section;
The current state of the electrical system in the house
At the moment, the electrical network in my house requires upgrading. I’ll tell you more.
We have a country house of the “dacha” type, not intended for living in winter. Half of the first floor is brick, the veranda (kitchen) and the second floor are wooden. This imposes the first and main limitation on the choice of materials and installation – non-flammability. In addition, the house is humid in winter. I don’t yet know how I will ensure the resistance of the electrical network to moisture in the air. For now, I’ll just remember this as a fact.
The wiring is morally and physically outdated (there is not enough lighting, there are few sockets and are inconveniently located, all connections are made with long twists, twists of stranded and single-core wires were found, places of corrosion and overheating were found, there was not enough cross-section), the installation was carried out with wires of the type “whatever we could get.”
Garden Electrical Equipment
Here I think it is necessary to move away from the topic to explain one thing.
The contract for the supply of electricity for gardening specifies a markup for losses in networks – 2.4% (the figure may be different in different gardens).
Where does this figure come from? This particular meaning seems to come from the ceiling.
This is the difference between the total gardening counter and the sum of all readings from each gardening house. The difference is mainly formed due to non-payers and those who steal electricity. This also includes electricity losses due to the heating of the wire. Where does the heating come from? Any whole wire has a certain resistance. The current passing through the wire, overcoming resistance, does work, causing the wire to heat up. The greater the load (current electricity consumption), the greater the heating. At a length of a couple of meters, it does not particularly affect the readings. What if the wire is 500 meters long?
What will we change?
Let’s return to the topic and go through the “wishlist”.Purchased an induction cooker. It has increased connection requirements. The voltage in the dacha network is usually low, which can lead to breakage of the stove. At the moment it is simply plugged into the outlet, but in the future, you need to run a separate wire and provide a voltage stabilizer.
The refrigerator is old, but working. There are situations when you need to leave it on and leave for a couple of days. It is unsafe to leave the entire network turned on, so the refrigerator needs its wire with a circuit breaker.
There is a light bulb in the corridor that illuminates the stairs to the second floor. If it is turned off, it is dark to rise. The solution is to install a pass-through switch. Why not a motion sensor? One sensor will not be able to cover the entire space, and if you install two (one per floor, near the stairs), then there will be no clear command to turn on (simply being at the top, without having the desire to go down, I will turn on the light bulb below). LED staircase lighting? Option. But there is already a light bulb that does this. The LED backlight still needs to be turned on somehow. Reason – see above.
I would like to make a sink and drain for the kitchen. I am planning to install a water tank in the house. This entails the installation of automation for the pump (there is a well), and you will also need a second street outlet for the pump itself (which will be controlled automatically).
Lighting in the kitchen. More LEDs to the God of LEDs (don’t forget, each backlight has its scenario)!
Important! If your home has (or is planned to) other household equipment, find out the requirements for its connection, installation and operation. For example, is it possible to place an oven next to a refrigerator (and how close can they be), will they withstand winter in an unheated house, is a voltage stabilizer needed, and what size wire is needed for connection? Etc. and so on. Typically, these requirements are described in the operating instructions.
Well, that seems to be it. More ideas may arise during the design process. We draw a diagram, look at SNiPs and leaf through catalogues.
New entrance to the house
The hardest thing is to start. Therefore, let’s start with the simplest and most understandable at the moment. Entering the house.
First, let’s take a look at the requirements.
The facade fastening of the wire must be located at a height of at least 2.5 m from the ground and at least 0.3 m above the window. From the side of the window to the wire there should be at least 0.5 m, from the doorway to the wire – at least 1 m. Between the points of attachment to the facade – 0.7 m. You can do less, but if you do more, the wire will sag.
Let’s decide on the materials.
A SIP type wire approaches the facade of the house, where a VVG NG 2x6mm 2 cable is routed to ceramic insulators . The SIP is attached to the facade using a tensioner (search for the phrase “anchor clamp for SIP wire”).
The insulation of the SIP wire is resistant to ultraviolet radiation but is flammable. Therefore, the wire can be attached to the facade (necessarily at a distance), but cannot be led into the house.
The insulation of the VVG NG wire is non-flammable, but not resistant to ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, we will hide the wire in black corrugation, it will protect it from the sun. The edge of the corrugation will go into a metal pipe, which will allow the wire to pass through the wall. We remember that the wall is wooden, which means it is flammable. The only way through such a wall is through a metal pipe.
