Slitting the ceiling for wiring: selection of tools, preparation

Strobing is not the easiest and safest way to lay electrical wiring, but sometimes you can't do without it. This type of construction work may be required in several cases:

• if you need to upgrade the existing power grid;
• switches and sockets are not located as the owners would like;
• in case of damage to any of the cables (for example, as a result of flooding by neighbors from above).

How to slit the ceiling for wiring

A groove is a special groove in concrete, respectively, grooving is the process of creating it. It is complex, time consuming, requires many details and differs depending on the devices used.

Choice of tools

In the sequence "from more labor-intensive to less", one can name: a hammer and a chisel, a hammer drill, a grinder with a diamond disc and a wall chaser. According to the criteria "from cheap to expensive" and "from less work to more" the sequence will remain the same. Therefore, the first tools are usually used for chasing small distances on the ceiling of one rooms, and the latter are used by professional builders if it is necessary to create an intra-house electricians.

Training

In short, it can be described in three steps: choosing a method of laying the cable, drawing up drawings (indicating all switching nodes and connection points) and purchasing tools. It is very important to pay maximum attention to safety.

• all lighting devices cannot be connected to one machine;
• first the boxes are installed, and only then the electrical wiring is laid;
• cables should not cross each other;
• in order to avoid fire, it is important not to make a mistake with the cable cross-section (it is calculated taking into account its maximum load);
• in rooms with high humidity (kitchen, bathroom), moisture-resistant boxes are installed;
• when drawing up drawings, it is necessary to calculate the shortest path, and all corners must be straight;
• work should be done in rubber gloves, construction goggles to protect the eyes, a gauze bandage (to protect the lungs from dust) and in rubber-based shoes;
• the room must be ventilated;
• it is worth considering the distances: from the groove to the nearest corner - not less than 100 mm, and to the gas pipeline - not less than 400 mm.

The preparatory work can also include leveling the ceiling with plaster if its surface is not even enough.

Gutting

The working method will differ depending on the tool.

The first step is to mark the future strobe. If a hammer and chisel are used, then small pits are knocked out along its edges. Then they gradually deepen (the optimal groove depth is 10 mm). The process will require a lot of time and effort, so this method is usually used in the absence of access to the mains.

To work with a hammer drill, you need a wide nozzle. The material that remains between the pits is removed with a special spatula and uneven places are smoothed with it. The main disadvantage of this method is the difficulty in creating an even groove, as well as the risk of damaging the ceiling.

The grinder is used complete with a chisel or perforator. First, it is carried out along the side lines, then the material remaining between them is removed. Straight lines are obtained, but this tool heats up quickly, therefore, requires periodic stops.

The most convenient device is a wall chaser, since it is designed specifically for this work. But its cost is also high. The only thing that is additionally required to manipulate it is to connect the vacuum cleaner pipe (to draw in flying dust and pieces of debris).

The next steps are laying the cable, securing it and sealing the groove with plaster.

Important! Before removing the grooves, make sure that there is enough cable left on the outside, as further, it can be useful when installing sockets and switches and when connecting wires in distribution boxes.

If this has not been done before, it is necessary to remove dust from the grooves and cable. The plaster is diluted and tightly sealed along the entire length of the groove with a wide brush, while the cable is pressed inward. Movements are made with a herringbone or crosswise. The last step is to remove excess with a spatula and smoothen the surface.

In which houses the ceiling cannot be gouged

Such work can be carried out not in every residential building, and ignoring this fact is fraught with a collapse of the ceiling! Moreover, this can happen both in the process or immediately after it, and after several years.

First of all, old apartment buildings - panel buildings and “Khrushchevs” - are in the risk zone. Their ceilings are usually made of concrete slabs with internal voids. The most dangerous jobs are chipping at their junction.

By the way! If there is an urgent need to hide the wires, sometimes builders do the following trick. They drill two holes in the ceiling (where the voids are) and use a wire to pull the wire through them. But even this is not one hundred percent safe. Moreover, you should not do it yourself, without the help of professionals.

If this method is not suitable and it is necessary to resort to slitting, then it is important to minimize the risks. For example, it is worth abandoning a method that involves drilling strips and further gouging out the material. It is better to resort to the following: first, the concrete is cut to the desired depth, then the furrows are obliquely hollowed out with a perforator blade. The depth of such grooves should not exceed 10 mm.

It turns out that if you can do without strobing, then it is better to do so. For example, cables can be fixed under false ceilings without such work. It is also worth considering several times if the only reason for chipping is design aesthetics. Sometimes it should be neglected for the sake of safety. The best indications for such work are reliable ceilings, compliance with safety regulations, and, ideally, also the hands of professionals.