For the construction of a country house, the main material is often selected wood. In addition to its many positive qualities, it has one drawback. It is a flammable material. In half of all cases of fire, the culprit is electricity.
For outdoor wiring to be safe, it must be mounted in accordance with all rules and requirements. The question will help sort out the advice of professional electricians. In this case, do all the work yourself.
Installation steps
Studying how to make external wiring , it is necessary to consider all stages of the process. If the owners of the house want to do all the work themselves, it is necessary to study all the subtleties and details of such installation.
The initial step in conducting outdoor cables is to draft. The plan must indicate all the elements of equipment and communications, as well as their location. The total network capacity is calculated.
Next, you need to choose the right cable. To do this, take into account the total capacity of the system. You should also pick up other electrical equipment, elements for installation. After that, the power supply is entered into the house, the circuit breaker is connected, the switchboard and meter are installed.
The cable is laid along the established route, it is wired to points. Lamps are connected, their switches, sockets. Further, grounding and RCDs must be mounted. After that, you can test the system.
Design
Outdoor wiring in a wooden house requires proper design. To do this, draw a building plan with the appropriate dimensions. Next, you need to put on it all the lighting devices, power points and off. At the same time, their maximum power is indicated.
Yard lighting is connected to a separate circuit breaker. When the owners leave, it will be possible to leave light on the site, turning it off in the house.
The method of laying communications, the methods of mounting switches, fixtures, dimmers, etc. are selected. After this, it is necessary to calculate their total power. For a wooden house in almost all cases, the external type of cable laying is chosen. This is the safest way. If necessary, you can consult a professional electrician.
Cable selection
The cable for external wiring must be copper. The section is selected in accordance with the previously calculated total power. The brand of conductors may be NYM or VVGng. The second option will be cheaper, but the first variety is preferable. This is due to the extra insulation layer that the NYM cable has. It is also convenient to carve. Experts agree that it is this cable for external wiring that provides a high degree of protection of materials from fire or penetration.
Aluminum wires are cheap. However, its cross section will be significantly larger than that of copper varieties. Aluminum is considered a brittle material. If the conductor is bent, it may be damaged or broken. Therefore, it is better not to use it for external wiring.
The cable must have three cores. Two of them are reserved for “phase” and “zero”, and the third is grounding. Many suburban real estate owners neglect this advice. But in this case, the security level will be lower. If powerful spotlights are used to illuminate the site, it will not be possible to do without grounding.
Lead wires to the house
External wiring requires you to choose the right method of bringing the conductor to the building. There are two options. Communications from the power line can be brought to the house by air or underground.
In the first embodiment, the work will be performed quickly. Communication costs in this case will also be minimal. The cable must be self-supporting. It has a different cross section. The number of its veins also differs. This method allows you to create wiring less durable. The appearance of the network will be less aesthetic.
If the owners decide to create an underground wiring, you will need to pay more attention to this issue. The process will be time consuming and more costly than the previous option. But this wiring will not spoil the general view of the site, it will be safe and durable. For these purposes, a power wire with a copper core is used. It will pass into the trench along the channel from special protective material.
Connection to the shield
After bringing the wire to the house, you need to connect it to a special shield. It can be located on the street or inside the house. In the second embodiment, the cable is carried inside the structure through a metal tube.
The installation box for outdoor wiring allows you to receive and distribute incoming electricity to all consumers. If the house is large, you can bring communications to a special shield. It will contain circuit breakers.
The shield or mounting box must be in an easily accessible, protected place. This appliance is not installed in wet rooms. If the owners want to install a shield on the street, it is necessary to consider its high-quality protection against precipitation, unauthorized entry. It is preferable to install the shield indoors.
Switches and circuit breakers
In the distribution panel , special devices are installed. They will automatically turn off the power of a group of electrical consumers in the event of an emergency. Each switch for external wiring should slightly exceed the total value of the consumer group in terms of rated load. In this case, when all devices are connected to the network at the same time, the circuit breaker will not disconnect the line.
If the network in the cottage is three-phase, it is necessary to choose equipment with the appropriate characteristics. For single-phase wiring, a single-pole or two-pole circuit breaker is purchased.
Switches are installed after the counter. Equipment must be of high quality. Famous brands should be preferred. In this case, you can expect high safety equipment.
Vintage wiring
In a private house or a summer house, an interesting way to lay cables like retro wiring looks interesting. In the old days, this technique was used in almost all electrified houses. The cable cores twisted together. Ceramic insulators were used to connect them.
Nowadays, such wiring can be equipped in your own home to create a specific decorative effect. This adds coziness to the building. Today, special cables are on sale to create this type of communications. They can be covered with fabric, paper or other decorative materials. However, special refractory materials are necessarily used under them.
To create such a decorative effect, insulators for outdoor wiring are also on sale . This system can be connected independently.
Material selection
To make retro wiring, you need to select the appropriate materials. There are two main types of connection according to the presented methodology. The first involves the use of special ceramic insulators. The wire is twisted and connected to such rollers. The second option involves the purchase of special wires, ready to connect.
In specialized stores you can purchase all the necessary materials. Here you can buy insulators or rollers, junction boxes and wire. To reduce the cost of installation, you can give preference to products of domestic brands.
Popular today enjoy vintage materials for outdoor wiring company Gusev. You can also purchase products of foreign manufacturers "Salvador", "Bironi", "Vilaris". They are also recognized as reliable and high quality.
Create retro wiring
Installation of outdoor wiring in a vintage style is simple. First you need to twist several single-core wires into one bundle . If there is no grounding in the house, and powerful electrical appliances will not be connected to the network, you can twist the cable from two cores. If grounding is required, three wires are required.
Insulators should be installed on the wall. You can use a drill for this. Some models include installation with glue. Before connecting the contacts to the rollers (insulators), it is necessary to connect a heat-shrinkable protective element to them. This tube should match the color of the cable. In this case, the strength of the installation will be higher.
If you are purchasing ready-to-connect harnesses, you need to make sure that all components are made taking into account all established standards. The wire must have non-combustible insulation, not be able to emit smoke when heated.
Wire laying in channels
Outdoor wiring in a wooden house can be done using special decorative boxes. Using these products you can hide unseemly communications.
The channels are made of special material. It prevents the formation of fire. The color of the box can be very diverse. This allows you to choose products identical to the tone finish. Boxes are used for walls with a flat surface. For structures from timber, this technique will not work.
Protective channels can simply cover an already laid cable. However, the conductor can also be laid in special skirting boards. In this case, the cable is first inserted into the protective material, and then the entire system is installed in the space provided for it. This technique is suitable for almost any type of interior. Channels should be invisible, merge with a touch of wood.
Switches and illuminators
External wiring involves the connection of sockets, switches and lighting devices on special metal platforms. This reduces the likelihood of a fire during a short circuit.
After all the wires have been brought to the appropriate points of feeding, it is necessary to mount metal platforms. They install external sockets, switches. Lamps must be protected from moisture, have appropriate shades.
After connecting all elements of the system, a test can be performed. First, you can measure the resistance in the network using a multimeter. If all values correspond to the norm, you can turn on the electric current. When determining the health of all elements of the circuit, you can fully exploit the system.
Having considered how external wiring is connected , each owner of his own house will be able to carry out a similar procedure on his own.