Wiring in a wooden house: do it yourself, step by step guide and diagrams

Despite the abundance of building materials on the market, even today many people prefer to use wood as the main raw material when building a country house. This is due to the fact that not a single modern cinder block or gas block can provide the warmth and comfort that natural and environmentally friendly material can provide. Attention should be paid to the wiring in a wooden house. It's easy to draw up a diagram with your own hands, knowing all the rules.

Primary requirements

Almost no one builds wooden houses for permanent housing today. This is due to the high cost and other inconveniences, as well as a decrease in stocks of raw materials. Nevertheless, wooden dachas are considered the warmest and most comfortable, so many prefer this option. Wooden houses are characterized by an increased fire hazard, and the requirements for laying wires and cables are somewhat different. In order to avoid emergencies that are often observed when self-mounting the wiring,

it is recommended that you study certain requirements:

1. The risk of spontaneous combustion and transmission of fire to the building in the event of a short circuit should be completely eliminated. For this, cables with high-quality insulation and a protective sheath are used. It is better to install the shield in a separate room, where the walls are sheathed with non-combustible materials.
2. It is highly recommended to exclude heating of the wires even under intense load. For this purpose, a diagram is drawn up, the total power of all electrical appliances in the house is calculated. Only then can you choose the type of cable that meets the requirements. Early design will help avoid various emergencies.
3. It is also necessary to exclude the possibility of electric shock to households or animals. When using poor quality materials and mistakes in cable routing, such situations are quite common.
4. It is recommended to lay the electrical wiring in an open way, since this is the only way to easily service some areas if necessary. For a closed type, permission from specialists is required.
5. The use of PVC corrugations in wooden structures is not recommended, but it is sometimes used.
6. Each group in the mains must have its own automatic shutdown. This will help to avoid excessive stress, overheating of cables and fires in the wiring.

In the absence of experience in installing electrical wiring, it is recommended to entrust this work to specialists.

Required documents

There are several documents that contain the basic requirements for wiring. It is recommended to study them in detail in order to prevent complications in the work. The 7th edition of the PUE is considered the most important., which sets out the principles of designing an electrical network in an apartment or private house.

In addition to the basic provisions, the document contains detailed guidance on cabling, installation of circuit breakers and lighting. There is also SNiP - a document describing the rules for preparing a dwelling for installation work and the requirements for the materials used.

It is worth noting that the sources contain only specific information in technical language. That is why the average user cannot always interpret it correctly. If necessary, it is recommended to contact a specialist, but the most important points should be taken out from the first document, and others should be used only as auxiliary ones.

Tools and accessories

Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare all the necessary tools and additional parts to speed up the process. Tools should have insulating handles. It is recommended to have on hand a knife for working with electrical wiring, pliers and screwdrivers of different diameters.

An obligatory element is an electrical panel. It can be made of metal, sometimes durable plastic is used. The first option for a wooden structure is more preferable. Its dimensions are different, since they depend on the number of wires and cables that will be connected. An electrical cable is also required. It is not only its thickness that matters, but also the number of cores, the type of insulation and the outer sheath. It is better to take a product made of copper, since it will conduct electric current better.

It is also recommended to calculate the number of outlets and switches in advance according to your needs. For external wiring, you will also need special cable channels. When permission has been obtained for an internal installation, care should be taken to purchase a corrugated pipe made of metal.

In addition, it is necessary to prepare a counter, self-tapping screws, special clamps, electrical tape. If the building is large, junction boxes will be needed to eliminate the risk of overheating the center cable in case of increased load.

To calculate the amount of materials required, it is necessary to take into account all electrical appliances and the area of ​​the house. The nominal unit is taken as an indicator of 60 square meters. If it is exceeded for each subsequent meter, an increase in the standard number of cables and wires by 1% will be required.

Drawing up a diagram

After preparing the tools and additional components, it is recommended to decide on the type of wiring. It can be open or closed:

1. The first involves placing the cable duct on a wall or ceiling. It can be used when the walls in the room are already finished with some kind of material and are fairly even. The main advantage of this method is the possibility of unhindered access to the system if necessary. Mounting can also be carried out on brackets or insulators when the cable duct cannot be laid for one reason or another.
2. The closed type of wiring is rarely allowed to be used, only if the final wall cladding has not yet been completed. The cable and all wires are laid in a corrugation or a metal pipe. It is strictly forbidden to use plastic. The merit of the method is the aesthetic appearance.

After determining the type of wiring, it is allowed to start drawing up a diagram. All important components, switches and sockets should be marked on it. Electrical assemblies are located in an easily accessible place with the possibility of unimpeded service. Switches should not be covered by furniture.

As a rule, they are installed one meter from the floor, but there is no specific standard. All electrical appliances must be connected to sockets without extension cords, and only one is enough for 6 square meters of the room. This rule is usually violated in practice. The maximum distance from the outlet to the floor should not exceed 40 cm, but in old-style houses they are mounted slightly higher, since they had to meet the requirements of that time.

There should be no bends or twists of wires in the circuit. Only horizontal and vertical lines are allowed. The wiring can be located at the top or bottom at a distance of 15 cm from the floor or ceiling. This is considered a standard and is strongly discouraged from breaking. All wires are interconnected in junction boxes.

Step-by-step instruction

Before starting installation work, it is recommended to pay attention to the line entrance to the house. Over the years, the voltage from electrical appliances has increased, and old cables cannot cope with such a load. In addition, they are constantly exposed to sunlight and other external factors.

Typically, the main cable enters the house through a wooden attic and is only protected by a rubber sheath. Over time, it deteriorates, cracks appear. This is why it is recommended that you first take care of the external input when wiring. There are two ways to remedy the situation.

The first involves grounding the wire at a depth of 1 meter, erecting a special site and installing hazard warning signs. The second is less costly and requires the use of a self-supporting insulated wire, which has a long service life (25 years).

It should also be noted that the connection of internal wiring to an external line is carried out only on the street and after all the preparatory work. If work is carried out to provide electricity to a new house, it is recommended to wait until it shrinks to avoid subsequent deformation of the box.

Cable, boxes and sockets

The first step is to lay the main cable that will connect the switches and sockets to the main source. Cut the cable into pieces that are 20 cm longer than the distance from the switch to the outlet.

The two points are then connected by cables, but not closed. The next steps will be:

1. Installation of junction boxes, from which the wires will diverge to switches and sockets. Their number is determined at the planning stage.
2. All wires from one room enter the box, but are located in it so that contact between them is excluded. For this, special caps are used. The box can have several holes for the entry of a certain number of wires.
3. The ends of each wire are connected together by twisting and applying electrical tape.
4. Finally, it is necessary to mount the sockets and switches directly into the wall, pre-insulated with aluminum or asbestos.

It is necessary to fix switches and sockets firmly enough to prevent their subsequent loosening and breakage.

Lighting and visor

Usually, several types of lighting fixtures are used in wooden houses: built-in, overhead and outdoor. Their installation must be taken responsibly. Indoor lamps and sconces should be installed only on a prepared aluminum platform, which is considered the best option for ensuring fire safety.

When buying lighting fixtures, they usually come with contacts for connecting to the electrical wiring in the house. It is recommended to pay attention to the arrangement of the switchboard. After entering the room, the main cable is directed towards it without any branches.

The shield is a box made of metal or plastic, inside of which there is a sealed meter and an automatic device that prevents short circuits. An additional machine for 16 or 25 A is also installed, which independently cuts off the power at home in order to prevent the wiring from igniting in the event of a sharp increase in voltage.

Some owners install a residual current device in the shield that is triggered when a leak appears in any section of the wiring. Its cost is high, and many neglect this element.

The last step will be the installation of grounding. Experts strongly do not recommend that beginners engage in such work, since accuracy and compliance with all the rules are required. Even if the owner of the house independently assembles the wiring in the house, it is better to entrust the grounding to professionals.

Closed wiring is laid in a similar way, only the cable is placed in a metal tube. It is recommended that all grounding conductors be routed out prior to final wall cladding.

Do-it-yourself wiring installation is a difficult and responsible job, on the quality of which the functioning of all electrical appliances and the safety of households depend. When laying wires in a wooden house, it is recommended to follow all the rules in order to exclude the likelihood of emergencies. In case of difficulties, it is necessary to consult a specialist.