Nowadays, PUE (rules for the installation of electrical installations) provide for the mandatory grounding of sockets in private and apartment buildings. But it was not always so. The houses of the old construction and most private sectors still use a two-wire system - phase and zero. To be precise, a considerable number of electrical appliances do not require the presence of an earthing contact. Typically, these are various lamps in a plastic case, televisions, musical equipment. If there is no corresponding bus in the switchboard or if one of the listed household appliances is required to be connected to the network, you can use outlets without grounding, the cost of which is much lower. They will be discussed.
Electric networks yesterday and today
At the time of the Soviets, houses were erected at an accelerated pace, there was not enough time to think through and arrange grounding. Moreover, such protection was useless - none of the household electrical appliances had the corresponding contact on the plug. The maximum that you could count on when moving to a new home is double sockets without grounding, which pleased the opportunity to include additional electrical appliances in the network.
Now everything has changed, and it has become quite difficult to find large household appliances in stores without grounding contact. We got a new look and sockets, in which an additional bracket appeared, and the contact holes began to be closed with internal curtains, to protect them from children. But although the usual connection points have not disappeared anywhere, you can see them much less often. Usually mounted without grounding external sockets with a high degree of protection IP.
Varieties of products for connecting household appliances
On the shelves you can find sockets of various modifications, shapes and colors. This allows the buyer to choose those that are suitable for his interior or will meet the requirements. You can purchase products with curtains and sockets without curtains, with grounding and without it. It is worth considering these varieties in more detail.
Sockets with curtains: what are they for?
Such products are well protected from children's curiosity. Curtains are called special partitions inside the case, which block access to live contacts. In order to insert a plug into it, it is necessary to exert certain efforts. A little curious discoverer will not be able to stick into it any foreign body - a nail or a spoke. This allows parents to be calmer. Previously, special plastic plugs were used for such purposes, which were quite easily removed by the child.
Another form of such protection, although simpler, is the cover, which is pressed against the housing by a spring. Such products are often used for outdoor installation, and therefore they do not have a large assortment of colors. Mainly produced gray and white outdoor outlets without curtains with grounding or without it, equipped with covers.
What is the effect of the grounding contact?
To connect a similar outlet requires a certain wiring. 3 wires should be suitable for the connection point - phase, zero and a yellow-green ground wire. Such sockets, with proper installation, provide additional security for both household appliances and humans. If the grounding is performed properly, and all the necessary automation is installed in the control cabinet, you can not be afraid of overloads, power surges and even phase breakdown on the metal housing of the household appliance.
Connecting outlets without a grounding contact: what do you need to know to get the job done right?
Installation of such products is extremely simple. Preparation may be a little time-consuming if a new seat is made. If a simple replacement is required, for example, single to double sockets without grounding, all the manipulations can take about 5 minutes. The algorithm of actions will be as follows.
- The general power supply to the home power supply is turned off. This is done with an introductory circuit breaker located in the control cabinet. If the shield is on the stairwell of the staircase, it makes sense to hang a prohibition sign: “Do not turn it on! People work. ”
- Unscrew the fixing screw of the decorative panel, 2 spacer bolts of the contact platform of the socket and loosen the clamps of the supply wires. After that, the old product can be thrown away or put away in the pantry “until better times”.
- After removing the outer cover from the outlet without grounding, it is necessary to loosen the contact clamps, and then fix the supply wires in them - in one phase, in the second zero. Their location does not matter.
- By stretching the contacts, you can install the device in the "glass" and tighten the screws of the spacer mechanism.
- When the socket is tightly fixed, they put and fix decorative plastic and apply voltage.
Important tip! Do not hope that everything is done perfectly, and immediately turn on the household appliance. It is necessary to check the voltage at the contacts with an indicator screwdriver.
What are good sockets without grounding?
The advantage of such products is simplicity - the fewer nodes, the more reliable the mechanism. It is also worth noting the low cost of such outlets. Ease of connection is likely to play a decisive role for novice home masters, who first encountered such a question. However, it must be understood that if a ground wire is provided for by the home power network, then it should not be ignored and even more so cut off, as some do. Such contact at some point can save a life. Of course, it would be better if such a danger did not arise, but the Japanese (and this people are very smart) say this: "It makes sense to sharpen your sword your whole life so that it will save your life once." A similar statement is true in the case of grounding.
To summarize what has been said
Outlets without grounding have the right to exist, but only in the absence of a circuit. This applies to houses of old construction and private sectors. If in the home power network there is a third, yellow-green wire, do not ignore it. It is better to purchase and connect a socket equipped with a grounding bracket. You should not assume that it is planned to connect equipment whose plug is not equipped with the appropriate contact - everything can change. After all, it makes no sense to remodel several times when you can mount what is suitable for powering any household appliance.