Repairing electrical wiring in an apartment is a rather complicated event that requires attentiveness, accuracy and knowledge of their business from the contractor. With the right approach and following all the recommendations of a professional electrician, any problem can be quickly resolved.
During work, it is very important to follow the safety rules. They will not only save life, but also help maintain health.
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Do you want to change the wiring in the apartment with your own hands? - It's possible! To do this, it is not necessary to have a valid electrician permit, or an electrician diploma. It is enough to be an electrician in the shower, and have a little technical education and understanding of what you are dealing with. If you do not have enough practical experience, but you really want to change the wiring yourself - this article is for you.
First you need to draw wiring diagram of your apartment ... You don't need to be an engineer to do this, because you don't need a sophisticated linear circuit in accordance with GOST. It is enough to draw a schematic drawing "by hand". The wiring diagram is needed in order to properly spread the cable around the apartment, and calculate its approximate amount, as well as determine the load on each future line.
Draw where you will have sockets and switches. At the same time, take into account what household appliances you will include in them, how many and what lamps you will use.
It is not recommended to hang more than 8-10 sockets on one line. Since all the sockets in the line are through-type, then with each subsequent outlet there is a possibility of weakening the contact.Especially do not make many outlets on one loaded line, for example, in the kitchen, it is better not to save money and extend two lines to the kitchen.
Determine the required number of lines and the expected load on them. It is better to divide the lines by zones, for example: kitchen sockets, corridor sockets, bath sockets, room 1 sockets, lighting, etc.
In order for electrical appliances to work without overloading the network, the cable of each line must be of the appropriate section. And if, on the same line (for example, to the kitchen), there are several consumers (and it will be so), then it is necessary to calculate their total capacity and leave safety margin of the cable , that is, select the desired section (wire thickness). The power of all household appliances is always indicated by the manufacturer. For example: a 40W incandescent lamp, and a 6000W hob, etc.
In order not to bother with calculations, follow one simple rule. - For outlet lines, use a copper cable with a cross-section of 2.5 sq. Mm, for all lighting 1.5 sq. Mm, and for a hob or instantaneous water heater 4 sq. Mm - and you will be fine!
Each device (consumer) has its own declared maximum power, measured in watts.
The cable must be three-core (phase, zero, earth). Zero is always blue, earth is yellow or yellow-green, phase is any other color ... If you change the wiring, do not save on material - always take a cable with a third core (with grounding), because all modern devices have an additional protective terminal, and protective automatics work only with the use of grounding .
It is best to use a VVG-ng cable to replace the wiring. You can, of course, use NYM or PVS, but the advantages of the VVG cable over others are obvious. Firstly, VVG does not need to be crimped with sleeves (soft must be crimped). And secondly, it is smaller and flat, which allows you to make smaller strobes, and it is possible to push the cable into a thin slot (3mm for a three-core cable with a cross section of 1.5mm)
Always take only a cable in accordance with GOST! For example, an excellent cable is Gostovsky VVG ng. This is a very important point in preparation for replacing the wiring! You can save money on automatics or sockets (you can always change them), but do not save on the cable - take a good one.
Determine at what height the sockets and switches will be located, the easiest way is to measure the lines of sockets and switches from the ceiling, because the floors in apartments are often crooked. For example, if the height from floor to ceiling after repair is 250 cm, and you want to raise the sockets by 30 cm, measure 220 cm from the ceiling.If there are several sockets and switches in one group, draw a horizontal line along the level and put a mark every 7 cm (box size 71mm), the same applies to vertical groups.
For lovers of standards, so that it was "like everyone else" or "how they do" - remember they don't exist! There are requirements for kindergartens, kindergartens and schools where sockets and switches are installed at a height not lower than 160 cm. ... Everything else, especially at your home, you can do as you like. For example, some make rosettes in the slopes of windows or even in the floor.
Usually, wiring in apartments is carried out either on the floor or on the ceiling. There are other options, such as cable routing under skirting boards or ducts.
Lighting lines, in any case, are laid behind a stretch or false ceiling, if they are not planned to be done, then the ceiling must be channeled. And since the monolith of the ceilings shading is strictly prohibited , you need to apply a layer of plaster to the ceiling, which will allow you to hide the cable without damaging the monolith. We highly do not recommend shaping the ceiling on your own, since you need to know the technology of correct shaping, so that later the whole house does not collapse.
In cases where plastering of the ceiling is not planned, experienced craftsmen find voids in the slab of the monolith with the old cable, and tighten a new one in its place.
Crown for concrete 70mm or 68mm (perforator attachment), holes are drilled for socket outlets. A groove cutter or a grinder is used to cut the grooves for laying the cable. The grooves in the walls should be strictly vertical rather than horizontal or diagonal. The lines from the sockets to the panel are laid in the floor screed or along the ceiling.
If the ceilings are not wooden, then according to the PUE (electrician's bible), cable laying without corrugation is allowed! There is also no need for a floor screed in corrugation, the most important thing is a high-quality cable with good insulation in accordance with GOST! Save money on corrugation, if you do not have drywall or wood (or other flammable materials), then corrugation is not needed!
When you start hammering in the walls, do not forget about the law. It is possible to make noise with a puncher in apartment buildings only at a strictly defined time; each region of the Russian Federation has its own procedures. For example, in Dagestan it is necessary to obtain permission from the elders, in Moscow they simply call the police without talking, and in Taganrog they begin to hammer back. Better to start work on weekdays from 9 to 19 , with a break for lunch from 13 to 15 .
Before you start chasing, it is highly desirable that the walls and ceilings be plastered with a leveling layer of plaster. Firstly, you will not have any further problems with the final installation of the sockets, since all sockets will be flush with the wall, and not recessed into it (which happens when they are installed before the walls are plastered). And secondly, the slitting will be much faster, since in some places it will not be necessary to cut the monolith.
Check in advance the places where you will chase, so as not to touch the communications - old wiring and plumbing pipes. If you cannot determine where the old wiring goes, call an electrician , or just turn it off in the shield (if you are going to change it all). For the convenience of work - make yourself a temporary carrier (extension cord).
The hole for the sockets is channeled to the full depth of the crown. In order to quickly drill a hole in concrete, mark a circle with a crown, after which any drill, no less than the depth of the crown, drill as many holes as possible around the circumference. After that, chipping with a crown will go much faster, you can say - it will go smoothly. When hitting the reinforcement, it is best to use another crown, in extreme cases, you can knock it down with a spatula. It is better to use a more powerful puncher (do not forget about the neighbors and the police).
Strobes for cable laying go from the socket to the floor or ceiling. It is necessary to lower the strobe down so that the cable calmly lies in the screed and does not stick out in the corner, so you need to know the thickness of the future screed, the same with ceilings. It is best to have a chaser with a vacuum cleaner for these cases, but in extreme cases, you can do with a grinder, with a diamond disc on a stone. In the case of a grinder, take care of your health, put on a respirator and goggles. Close all windows and doors to isolate dust from entering adjacent rooms.
It is not difficult to lay the cable on the floor, it is enough to grab it to the floor in any way so that it does not float up when they are doing the screed. Usually, the cable is laid along the walls (at a distance of 10-15 cm from the wall), so that later you know exactly where the cable goes.
It is worth noting that it is better not to lay the cable under doorways! To lay the cable on the floor, it is better to make through holes between rooms. Otherwise, there is a possibility of damage to the cable when installing the interior sills.
Laying the cable in the groove is also not particularly difficult. You can fix the cable in the groove using dowel clamps or ordinary alabaster (stucco). Alabaster quickly hardens, so it is also convenient to use for mounting socket outlets. But before smearing the strobes with them, it is necessary to remove dust from them and moisten them with water.
If the cable is securely fixed in the groove and does not protrude anywhere, the grooves can be covered with ordinary plaster mixture, this will save a lot of time.
Soldering (or junction boxes) are necessary for switching (connecting) wires in them and branching lines, for example, for a switch.
Today professional electricians will tell you that there is no need to install junction boxes in well-timed apartments ! They can play a trick on your harness. In the event of a short circuit, otrania, neighbors flooded, etc., you will need access to this very junction box. It is easy to refuse junction boxes - do all the switching in socket boxes! This requires DEEP socket boxes , in which all switching for lighting will take place. Usually, deep sockets are made for light switches, but if switching is needed to branch out the outlet lines, then deep sockets are also installed under the sockets.
The most budget-friendly option is to install all the circuit breakers on the staircase in a common shield, where your old automatic machines and a counter are already located. To do this, it is necessary to lead all the cables into the driveway. If you want a shield in your apartment, then you need to choose a suitable place for it.
Built-in or overhead flap, it's up to you. Built-in looks more aesthetic, but it is easier to mount a consignment note. All lines from the apartment go to the shield, and already one thick cable goes from it to the driveway, the cross-section of such a cable must be at least 6 mm, that is, a three-core cable for example VVG 3 * 6.
Each separate line has its own automatic protection device, with a rating depending on the cable cross-section. It is impossible to insert more than two lines into one machine according to the rules, if you are trying to power more than three lines from one machine, you must install a special branching bus.
Today, there are many ways to protect electrical wiring, even at the household level. The most necessary condition is the installation of overload and short-circuit protection circuit breakers (conventional single-pole circuit breakers). It is also recommended to install an additional residual current device - RCD (current leakage protection).
RCDs are best installed on the line of high-risk zones: wet rooms, children's rooms. There is no need to install one common RCD for the whole apartment! One common RCD is installed only with the aim of saving. The consequences of such savings are complex diagnostics of a fault in the event of a leak, + the whole apartment is left without light when it is triggered. On some lines, for example, on lighting or street lines, an RCD is not installed.
Installation of additional types of protection is already a luxury: thermal relay (protection against cable heating), lightning protection, stabilizer or protection against voltage surges (saves from 380V), fire alarm, etc.
One of the most crucial moments is the assembly of the shield. If you use a soft cable, then before inserting the wire into the machine, it must be crimped (to increase the contact area). In single-module machines, only phase wires are inserted (phase L marking - can be of any color except blue and yellow), all the rest (zero N blue, ground PEN yellow-green) are inserted into their buses. When using RCDs or difavtomats (machine and RCD "in one bottle"), the neutral wire is inserted into its groove (marking N - neutral, blue. The common phase connects all the machines to each other, for this, instead of jumpers from wires, it is better and more reliable to use special combs.
For all connections in the switchboard, it is very important to use wires of the appropriate cross section, that is, it is best to separate the phases and zeros along the machines with a cable with a cross section of 4 mm2 or 6 mm2. Also, after tightening all cables and combs in the machines, it is necessary to check the reliability of their clamping. Since it very often happens that the wire simply does not fall into the clamp, or it is bad to hold on to it.
Sockets and switches are installed last, after a clean finish (painting or wallpapering). The most important rule of good editing is good contact!
Most of the sockets in your apartment are loop-through, that is, through them a cable goes through a loop to each subsequent outlet. In order to avoid problems with wiring in the future, firstly, do not buy cheap sockets (for example IEK), they have a very bad (to put it mildly) clamp and subsequently such sockets and switches can simply burn out. And secondly, pull all connections a second time! Check each pinched or twisted wire by tugging at it. If the wire jumped out of the clamp, it means that you did not clamp it well or the clamp turned out to be defective.
Among professionals, it is believed that the best clamps in sockets are possessed by the products of LeGrande and Schneider.
To make the frames fit evenly and tightly, set the group of sockets or switches in level, joint to joint, and screw them to the socket boxes with small self-tapping screws from two opposite sides close to the wall. Then screw the spacers inside the socket (if any). It is important not to hit the wires inside the socket with spacers or self-tapping screws!
Trace the position of the cable in the socket box so that it does not fall on the spacers. Also, do not use screws that are too long to touch the wires.
Video (click to play).
At each stage of the repair, it is necessary to check the lines for operability, since after the final finishing it will be impossible to fix anything without damaging the finish.
screwdrivers of various configurations and sizes;
