Wiring in a private house: DIY installation, how to do it, step by step diagram

Self-laying new electrical wiring requires a competent approach and accuracy. Before starting direct installation, a wiring diagram is drawn. In a private house, this is especially true, since errors during installation can lead to a fire hazard. A drawn power supply diagram will help you quickly and accurately eliminate future damage or upgrade your home network.

Requirements for wiring in a private house

Wiring is carried out in the form of a combination of wires and cables, as well as their fasteners and associated protective elements. It can be installed both open and closed. Open-type wiring is laid on the surface of walls, ceilings or floors using: cables, rollers, sleeves. Concealed electrical wiring is laid in the middle of various elements of the house: under the floor, in walls, suspended ceilings or in other monolithic objects.

Do-it-yourself installation of electrical wiring in a private house is not difficult at all if there is a clear schematic diagram. At the same time, all work is much faster and the probability of making mistakes is less. Before you start planning and drawing up a diagram, you need to know what the installation requirements are.

The list of requirements is established by special PES rules (rules for the operation of electrical installations), which are mandatory. Here's a basic list:

• the electrical wiring at the facility is made of conductors with insulation that prevents combustion;
• the installation of wires takes place in pipes, metal sleeves, plastic boxes, corrugated tubes;
• when using metal channels, their reliable connection with each other is created;
• metal parts involved in the installation must be grounded without fail to protect against insulating breakdown;
• connections and branches of wires are made in specially prepared places with easy access for inspection;
• all conductor connections are made using a crimping tool, soldering work, as well as clamps using screws or bolts;
• the joints and branches of the wires should not be subjected to mechanical stress causing a burst or break;
• parts of electrical wiring containing metal are protected from various environmental factors;
• the color combination of the cable cores must match for the same type of cores;
• the rated power of the wire and electrical accessories should not be less than 15% of the maximum load of the consumers connected to it;
• the cable is laid vertically and horizontally without bends.

Stages of electrical wiring

Compliance with all requirements will ensure the correctness of the electrical wiring in the house with your own hands. A step-by-step scheme for drawing up a plan can be represented in the form of the following operations:

• choice of material and its quantity;
• drawing of the installation diagram;
• laying and installation of all parts of the wiring;
• performance check.

It is not difficult to complete the points on your own. But before you properly conduct the wiring in the house, you will need to complete the preparatory stage. It includes the definition of the places where the connection points of electrical appliances and lamps will be located, their number.

Selection of materials and method of installation

The power supply company supplies electricity through laid lines using poles and supports, or through a power cable buried in the ground. From the common line there is a branch of the cable to the electrical panel, located on the territory of private ownership. The branch is made with a two-wire or three-wire wire. Accordingly, a two-phase or three-phase line is used. More often, a cable containing a phase and zero is removed. An electric meter is installed at the end of this line. It is important to know that the line to the meter is fully owned by the power supply company, and it is prohibited to perform any operations with it.

Further laying of the line is carried out by the owner of the household independently or by an electrician. The line itself can be laid open or hidden..

Open wiring is carried out on the surface in a visible form, which is both a disadvantage and an advantage. The advantage is the simplicity of laying, free access to any part of the electrical network, and the disadvantage is poor protection from mechanical damage. The cable, laid over the surface, is attached through insulators resembling a fungus. In this case, the design of sockets, switches, junction boxes is used overhead. To protect against damage and ensure electrical safety, plastic boxes are used. They form a channel in which the cable is laid.

The hidden wiring is located in the executed, and after the cable is laid, plastered, grooves. Hidden in the floor screed or behind false panels. Electrical fittings are used internally. The wire itself, if not laid in a concrete or brick wall, is laid in a metal hose. The disadvantage is that if the wire is damaged, you will have to remove it from the monolithic structures. It is possible to use a combined method, making some areas hidden, and others external. The mandatory parts of the wiring in the house will be:

1. Switch box.
2. Circuit breaker.
3. Electrical connection point.
4. Switch.
5. Junction box.
6. Cable.

The electrical panel is installed in such a size that all the input elements fit into it. The circuit breaker is designed to quickly break the wire in the event of an emergency on the line. Its main characteristic is the value of the rated current. How many amperes the machine will need in the house is calculated by summing up the power of the entire planned load, which can be simultaneously included in the circuit.

When selecting an automatic machine, not only the power of the connected devices is taken into account, but also the quality, as well as the section of the laid electrical wiring. A mismatch in the cross-section of the cable that will be used for wiring electricity can lead to overheating, resulting in a short circuit and fire.

The cross-section of a wire is characterized by the amount of current that it passes through itself without deteriorating its electrophysical properties. For example, a copper wire with a cross section of 1.5 mm / 2 can withstand a continuous current load of 19 amperes. Therefore, it is impossible to use an automatic machine for 20 A with such a section, it will be needed for 16A.

The junction box looks like a plastic container with a lid, on the sides of which there are holes for cable entry. Its main characteristic is the size and quality of the material of its manufacture. Switches and sockets are designed for a current not exceeding the value of the devices connected to them.

Building the circuit

After the selection of materials and the location of the electrical connection points, a drawing of the electrical circuit is performed. It is best to use a ready-made house plan, which depicts all the elements involved in the construction of the electrical network.

To simplify wiring, consumers are divided into groups, this will also help to distribute the load and save materials. If a private house has many rooms, then the drawing shows separately socket circuits and lighting. The diagram indicates the following:

1. Exit points of lines snapped to room surfaces. This is an outlet, a switch, a lamp. At least two dimensions are specified as anchor, for example, from the floor and the edge of the wall.
2. Cable laying and installation of elements.
3. Lines corresponding to the passage of wires. For clarity, it is better to perform in different colors and sign the appointment, brand and section of the wire to be laid.
4. Connecting the group to the phase.
5. Designations with lines for which part of the lighting a particular switch button is responsible.

The cable leaving the meter comes out and is switched on the distribution board. A number of automatic protection is installed in it, consisting of an input circuit breaker and single-pole switches. Perfectly, each electrical point is equipped with its own automatic machine, but this is not unprofitable in terms of costs. Therefore, groups are created, each of which has its own fuse.

In the middle of the group, disconnection occurs in the following way. The power cable leaving the machine branches out in the distribution box to each electrical point. Such a point is the place to which the electrical device is commuted. In this case, a wire with two or three cores is connected to the outlet, and it is connected in parallel. The switch is installed in series in the break of the power wire.

A three-core wire implies grounding through one of the three wires. The presence of grounding is important, since there is a potential difference on the metal housings of electrical appliances, for example, on a refrigerator, kettle, heating boiler, etc. This voltage can be life-threatening in the event of insulation breakdown. Grounding performed eliminates this problem. For this, a grounding contact is provided in the socket. In fact, this is a continuous connection of the metal parts of electrical appliances with the ground.

Grounding is done using a triangular loop welded from thick metal with equal sides. The ground loop is placed at a distance of no more than 1 meter from the foundation of the house. A large cross-section wire is screwed to the triangle with a bolt, the other end of which is connected to the grounding bar in the shield.

Cable laying and installation of elements

After drawing up a diagram and purchasing materials, installation takes place. The main thing is to observe safety precautions and follow the drawn diagram exactly. First, lines are drawn along the surfaces of walls and ceilings, corresponding to the laying of the wire. Then the locations of the electrical accessories are marked. With hidden wiring, the following is performed: chipping, preparation of recesses for sockets, switches, space for a shield. In the outdoor version, the cable holders are attached at an equal distance and holes are made for fastening the surface-mounted fittings.

After laying and securing the cable, the shield is assembled. For this, an introductory machine is installed on a din rail and automatic switches are installed on each group of lines. If necessary, an RCD is added or a differential automatic is installed instead of the input one. This is a type of switch that combines the functions of a circuit breaker and an RCD at the same time. A grounding bar and a zero bar are also installed in the shield.

After installing all the elements in the shield, the wires are connected. It is generally accepted to use brown for the phase conductor, blue for neutral and yellow-white for grounding. All connections are made using the clamps of the devices. In the junction box, the wires are connected by twisting with further insulation or using clamps, in sockets and switches according to their device.

Functional check

After the wiring is done in the house with your own hands or with the help of a specialist, it must be checked. To do this, using a multimeter, in the dial-up mode, they check the integrity of the wiring, the absence of a short circuit in the sockets and switches, the operability of the machines.

Only after a successful check is the input machine connected to the meter terminals for supplying electricity to the system. If there is a possibility, then the machine in front of the meter will be disconnected when connecting. It should be remembered that the voltage of 220 volts is life-threatening and working with it requires admission and knowledge of protection, so at the final stage it is better to invite an electrician.