It is almost impossible to fit openly hanging wires into the interior. About 40 years ago, there were two ways to conduct electricity in an apartment - brick the wires into the walls or leave them in plain sight by fixing them on insulators. Leaving it in plain sight is ugly and dangerous. Embed in walls - there will be difficulties with replacing the wire and transferring the sockets to a convenient place. Installation of cable channels eliminates these inconveniences.
Content
- How to choose a cable duct
- Preparation for work
- The nuances of mounting to a concrete wall
- Tips & Tricks
How to choose a cable duct
The cable duct is a rectangular, usually U-shaped profile, closed by a flat snap-on cover made of the same material. They are sometimes called boxes. Installation of cable channels is carried out along the perimeter of the rooms under the ceiling at a distance of 15 cm with vertical outlets to sockets and switches. To route wires through walls, holes are drilled in opposite channels and the wall.
For laying power and low-current wires in one box, profiles with one or two partitions are produced. The standard length of the box for walls and ceilings is 2 meters, the profile section is minimum 8 × 8 mm, maximum 100 × 60 mm. For laying in the corners between the floor and walls a small number of wires, usually low-current, there are skirting boards of a special design. If you need to lead the wire to a device remote from the walls, there are floor options with a rounded surface.
The boxes differ in cost and performance, depending on the material. Products are produced by:
- made of plastic. The most common and cheapest option. For rooms with high humidity and on the outer walls of the building, IP 55 plastic with a high degree of protection can be used. The color palette of plastic boxes allows you to select the desired tone;
- aluminum coated with polyethylene. More expensive, but stronger and more durable than plastic. The number of opening-closing cycles of the lid is small due to the unbending of the locks. The polyethylene coating is easily destroyed by mechanical stress. The color is given to the channels by a polyethylene coating and is quite varied;
- steel galvanized. Such structures are the most durable and expensive. Mainly used under high load conditions. For example, in floor wiring and in the outdoor environment. The color of the products is varied.
The choice of the type and size of boxes begins with the definition of wiring throughout the house from the electrical panel and entry points of television cables, computer networks, telephone and burglar alarms to sockets, switches and lamps, drawing lines of wires on the drawing of an apartment or house. Depending on the power of the connected equipment, the wires will be of different thicknesses, this should be noted on the drawing.
The cost of the structure strongly depends on the cross-section of the trunk box. However, if boxes of different cross-sections are installed in the room along the ceiling, this will ruin the interior. We determine, according to the drawn diagram, the cross-section of the trunk cable channel for each room and the total length of each standard size, taking into account the vertical connection to the sockets and switches.
You should immediately calculate for each section of the box the number of internal and external corners along the line wiring, the number of end transitions of plugs, the number of T-shaped transitions to branches and their section. Of course, you can do without them, but the slots at the joints, the difference in cross-sections will be striking. The use of a sealant to seal the cracks will lead to difficulties if necessary, for example, add or replace wire in the line.
The wiring will take on an aesthetically finished look if the sockets and switches are installed from the same manufacturer. They are perfect for both size and design.
We advise you to pay attention to the walls. The unevenness of the walls during the installation of the boxes will be especially visible. If the type of the room is important, in this case it is worth considering installing the structure along the wall along the floor.
Preparation for work
After determining and purchasing the required nomenclature of boxes and additional elements, the installation sites should be marked. At the same time, trying to maintain the horizontal and vertical lines of the installation, we advise you to focus on an equal along the entire length, the distance to the ceiling of the main ducts, and for bends - the distance to the nearest room corner.
For work, you will need a stepladder, a perforator drill, a screwdriver, a hacksaw for cutting plastic, a level. Depending on the materials of the wall and the box, other tools may be required, for example, a hacksaw for metal.
It is not necessary to saw off the main canals in advance - the probability of an error is high. During installation, you can determine the exact size by simply attaching them to the installation site.
The nuances of mounting to a concrete wall
How to fix the cable duct to the wall depends on the material of the walls, since they have different strengths. The weight of the structure is mainly determined by the weight of the cable in the trunk box and ranges from 100 grams in the lightest case to several kilograms per linear meter. The distance between the screws should not exceed half a meter. If holes for fastening are not provided in the base of the box, it is better to drill them just before installing each segment. Consider each type of wall material and installation features.
There are several ways to fix the cable duct to a concrete wall. You can choose the most suitable one:
- Professionals do this job with a pneumatic gun and special nails. The fastest option, but dismantling will be difficult, and the tool is expensive.
- We drill holes in the previously marked attachment points for the cable channel with a puncher. We insert plastic dowels and fix the channel with self-tapping screws. The most common installation method for small volumes of work.
- Adhesive bonding. It is used only on flat surfaces. Subsequent dismantling will definitely render the cable ducts unusable. Procedure: special glue (liquid nails) is applied to the base of the cable channel of the required length along a sinusoid and for a second apply it to the place marked on the wall. After 2 minutes, the cable channel must be firmly pressed for the glue curing time indicated on the package.
Fastening the cable duct to a brick wall can be carried out in the same way as for concrete walls. It should be borne in mind that the dismantling of the glued structures will lead to the separation of the plaster.
Installation of the channel cable on a wall made of wood or GVL is made in almost the same way. No drilling required, screws are screwed directly into the wall material.
It should be noted that due to the fragility of gypsum fiber, the distance between the screws can be reduced. The glue method as applied to wood and gypsum fiber board has the same advantages and disadvantages as on other materials.
If it is necessary to fasten the cable channels to a metal partition, you can use special metal screws 1.5-2.0 cm long, having a drill at the end. If the surface is smooth, the glue method can be used.
Tips & Tricks
Before purchasing and installing cable channels, determine the position and number of power and low-current outlets in each place. If you know where and what kind of furniture and electrical appliances will stand, it will not be difficult to count the sockets.
It is more convenient to lay wires in channels in one bundle, while closing the box. You can stretch the wires one by one, securing the already laid with a small piece of the cover every half a meter.
For fixing a large number of wires on GVL sheets, you can use special nylon plugs inserted into the wall for screws.
