Laying electrical wiring in the apartment is a responsible event. The master will need some skill and deep knowledge in this area. The safety of the operation of the premises, the life and health of people, the safety of their property, directly depend on the correct installation.
The process of laying electrical communications is regulated by building codes and rules (SNiP). In accordance with the developed rules, all work should be done. This ensures high quality of the final result, safe operation of the system.
General principles
There are certain rules for laying electrical wiring in an apartment. SNiP, PUE regulate the conduct of this process. Professional organizations that engage in such activities, in their activities must be guided by these standards.
It is possible to carry out independent installation of electrical communications only in the most extreme case. It is highly recommended that you entrust this work to professionals. There are many nuances that the master must consider when repairing wiring.
As a rule, such an action is timed to the time of the overhaul. This is one of its most difficult parts. The master must possess not only superficial knowledge in the field of electrical engineering. He must clearly understand what materials and system components can be used for installation in each particular case. If the plan is not properly designed, high load will act on the wires. As a result, fire, electric shock to people is possible.
The cost of wiring in an apartment in Moscow is from 1 thousand rubles per 1 m² of the total area of the room. The price may increase if the complexity of the work increases. This indicator is influenced by many factors. The cost of professional replacement of electrical communications depends on the material of the building, the choice of manufacturer of sockets, switches, circuit breakers, wires and other elements of the system.
It is because of the high cost of professional replacement of wires that the owners of various real estate decide to do all the work themselves.
Where to begin?
Before starting repair work, it is necessary to carefully study the SNiP, GOST on the wiring of electrical wiring in the apartment. You should also consider the technology of this process in theory. Only after that you need to start practice. It is also extremely important to study safety rules when working with electrical systems. Otherwise, the master risks his health and life.
The norms for conducting electrical wiring are regulated by SNiP 31-02. In accordance with existing norms and rules, draws up a system plan. The procedure for replacing wiring in an apartment is required for several reasons. Over time, communications and all elements wear out. In order to prevent adverse effects, you need to update the wiring in a timely manner. Otherwise, the use of new, powerful equipment in the apartment is prohibited.
All aluminum wires that were previously used to create electrical networks will need to be removed. Instead, copper conductors are installed. It is also necessary to replace the grounded connection diagram with a system with the grounding of all consumers.
The rules for laying electrical wiring in an apartment also imply the elimination of branched circuits. Each consumer group needs to have a separate line.
Work stages
The rules for laying electrical wiring in an apartment involve all the work in a certain sequence. Strict adherence to the stages and features of their implementation ensures high quality of the final result. Perhaps some points of the work plan will have to be entrusted to specialists. However, many operations can be performed independently.
First, a detailed wiring diagram is developed in the apartment. It indicates the exact dimensions of the room, the distance from all points of connection. Also, the total capacity of household appliances that will be connected to each individual line is necessarily considered.
The created plan will need to be approved and registered. In this case, the power supply scheme, its details are taken into account. The relevant municipal authorities are considering whether the plan is drawn up correctly, where are the consumer food outlets and other information. Often, the preparation and approval of the plan is trusted by professionals.
Laying electrical wiring in the apartment with your own hands from the shield may require proper preparation. The master must acquire the necessary materials and equipment. To reduce repair costs, it is necessary to calculate the need for cables, automatic machines, sockets and other necessary elements in accordance with the plan.
Next, all the components of the system are installed. Switches, automatic devices, RCDs, sockets are installed. Next, stationary devices are installed.
Laying methods
There are various ways to lay electrical wiring in an apartment . It can be open, hidden or combined. The choice depends on a number of factors. At the stage of overhaul, you can choose the option in which the wires will pass in the thickness of the wall under the finish layer. This will help to hide unseemly communications and make the interior more aesthetic.
Ditching the channels at the base of the walls is quite a challenge. This is especially noticeable if the walls of the room are highly hard. After such an operation, a lot of construction dust remains. Room cleaning should be performed very efficiently before further finishing work.
If the owners of the house do not plan to carry out major repairs at the moment, they most often mount open wiring. In this case, the wires pass along the surface of the bases of the walls, floor or ceiling. They are most often covered with various boxes. This allows you to give the room a more aesthetic appearance. However, today there are such options for installing open wiring that do not need to be covered with plastic panels. This, for example, retrospective. The wire is twisted and connected using special ceramic insulators.
Arranging open wiring is cheaper. However, such a solution may not always fit into the existing interior. But this method is almost the only right decision when creating an electrical network in an old or wooden house.
The presented options for wiring in the apartment can be combined in one room. Most often, this option is used for offices.
Rules for arranging open and hidden wiring
You should consider the main points of how wiring is created in the apartment. Wiring rules for open and closed systems are significantly different. This must be considered before starting installation.
Wires that are hidden in the thickness of walls, ceilings or floors pass in specially prepared mines. To create such voids, it is necessary to groove the grooves in accordance with the created scheme. The depth of such shafts should be about 2 cm. For switches, sockets, they also make corresponding recesses (a crown is used for a drill or perforator).
The wire inside such a system passes in a protective sleeve. This allows, after finishing work, if necessary, to get all communications and repair them.
Easy installation is characterized by open wiring in the apartment. The rules for laying wires suggest that they pass at any convenient height in special channels, baseboards. Communications should be installed in places not subject to mechanical stress. In one channel should not be power, lighting, low-current wires.
When connecting hidden and open systems, only suitable materials must be used. The wire must have a special protective sheath that will prevent fire.
Recommendations of specialists
Before starting work, it is necessary to make the correct grounding. It is also necessary to take into account a number of recommendations. So, laying the electrical wiring in the apartment with your own hands according to the rules should not have bends. It is allowed to mount it only vertically or horizontally. This will prevent accidental damage. All turns are done exclusively at right angles.
It is better if the line goes above the wall at a distance of about 15-25 cm from the ceiling. At the same time, it will be easier to repair the system if necessary. At height, the likelihood of damaging communications mechanically is greatly reduced. It is also possible to lay electrical wiring in the apartment on the floor. For this, a special protective baseboard is used.
Switches must be mounted at the entrance to the room. Moreover, it is more correct to install them from the side of the door handle. The distance from the switch to the floor can be different. If there are children in the house, it is better to install this element of the system lower.
Outlets can also be at different heights. Their number is regulated by regulations. For every 6 m² of room you need to make at least 1 outlet. In the kitchen there can be even more. This indicator depends on the number of household appliances.
A junction box should be in every room. An UZO is necessarily included in the power supply circuit. Most often for apartments choose a 30 mA device. However, the choice depends on the features of the electrical system. A separate 10 mA RCD is installed for the bathroom.
Switch box
Laying the electrical wiring in the apartment from the shield requires the fulfillment of all the requirements of the PUE, GOST and SNiP. This design is installed in a dry, protected environment. The shield must be located in an accessible place for property owners. It will contain machines and other necessary electrical equipment.
For each separate line, it is necessary to install a separate switch in the shield. Automatic machines are intended for emergency shutdown of the line in case of its overload. When choosing this equipment, you will need to calculate what maximum load will be supplied to each line. In accordance with the data obtained, they purchase an automatic machine with a nominal indicator, which will slightly exceed the calculated value. In this case, when all household appliances of this line are turned on at once, the appliance will not de-energize it.
Do-it-yourself wiring in an apartment requires the correct connection of automation. It must be connected to the circuit after the counter. It is not recommended to save on the quality of circuit breakers. The operational safety of the entire system depends on this.
You will also need to install an RCD in the system. For each line, you need to install this device separately. He will be able to de-energize the line in the event of a leak. This will prevent electric shock to a person in case of wire insulation failure. You can install combined RCDs and machines.
Cable selection
Laying electrical wires in the apartment requires the right choice of materials. It is very important to choose the right cable for installation. Before buying it, you need to calculate the maximum rated load of each line. In accordance with the result, the wire cross section is selected.
For the installation of both hidden and open wiring indoors, it is forbidden to use an aluminum cable. In this case, only a product with a copper core is suitable. This type of conductor can withstand a large load with a smaller cross section.
When buying a wire, you need to give preference to a cable like VVG or NYM. The first option is less expensive. However, a NYM type wire has an extra layer of insulation. In the event of an emergency, it will prevent a fire.
Do-it-yourself wiring in an apartment involves connecting wires to a two-phase network. In this case, the wire will have three cores. They are called "phase", "zero", "grounding".
Power lines will leave the shield. For them, it is recommended to choose a three-wire wire. It has a certain section. Most often, a wire is used for these purposes, the cores of which have a cross section of 2.5 mm². This wire runs from the shield to the junction boxes, and then to the outlets.
To connect lighting devices and switches from the distribution panel , a three-phase wire with a cross section of each core of 1.5 mm² is carried out.
Create Hidden Posting
To carry out the wiring in a hidden apartment , you will need to perform a number of operations after creating a plan and purchasing the appropriate materials. First, the grooves into which the wire will be laid are chipped. Their width should be about 2 cm and a depth of 2.5 cm. If the diameter of the sleeves along which the conductors will be laid is larger, you need to create recesses of the appropriate dimensions.
Further, recesses are drilled in the corresponding places for installation of sockets, switches and junction boxes. To do this, use a puncher or drill and nozzles of the appropriate diameter.
The cable is cut in accordance with the prepared plan into pieces of the appropriate size. You need to make a margin of about 10 cm. This will allow you to connect communications to the network without problems. The cut wires are pulled into a corrugated pipe. It is laid in prepared channels. Using a building mixture, the corrugated pipe is fixed in the shaft. The distance between the areas with the building mixture should be about 15 cm.
Junction boxes are installed in appropriate places. The wires are connected to them. Next, mount the sockets. The wire connects to switches and sockets.
Create Open Posting
The wiring in the apartment can also be performed in an open way. To do this, you need to purchase plastic boxes. They will cover the wires. Corrugated cable channels can be used in technical rooms.
First, on the surface of the base outline the route along which the cable will pass. Further in the appropriate places it is necessary to drill places for installation of the fixing expansion bolt shields. The distance between them should be about 40-45 cm. Then, boxes are installed along the intended contour. A wire is laid in them. Plastic protective pads are fixed, covering the contents of the cable channel.
Switches and sockets in this case will also be overhead. They do not need to drill holes. The modern market for electrical goods offers a large selection of such sockets and switches. Previously, overhead varieties looked bulky. Today, there are many elegant, beautiful models that harmoniously complement any interior.
After connecting the wires, the system is checked using special equipment. Only then can electricity be supplied to the line. To do this, you will need to obtain permission from the company that supplies electricity to consumers. After checking the system for proper installation, property owners receive permission to operate electrical communications.
Having considered how the wiring is carried out in the apartment, you can perform this procedure yourself. Given all the requirements and rules, you can mount a reliable, durable system with your own hands.