Heat-resistant cable for the sauna: the right choice of wire, the basics of safe installation

Installation of electrical wiring in rooms with high temperature and humidity is one of the most important stages, which should be given due attention even during the construction process. The safety of visitors to the bathhouse directly depends on the quality of the laid wires. A heat-resistant cable for a sauna must not only be installed correctly, but also chosen. This is the only way to ensure its long service life in extreme conditions.

Features of the electrical network in the baths

The primary condition when choosing a designated cable is its thermal resistance. There is a ban on installation in rooms with a high concentration of steam outlets. If we talk about laying wiring in such rooms, due to high humidity, grounding must be created. Choosing and purchasing heat-resistant cables for a bath,

it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the categories of rooms representing such a structure:

• Premises in which a normal temperature regime is constantly present, where it is allowed to install ordinary wires intended for residential buildings.
• Rooms with temperatures up to 150 degrees. In such areas, only heat-resistant wires are necessarily used, which are supplied to an electric oven.

Standard temperature wiring

Typically, in such rooms, several types of cables are used. Among the most common are the following:

• NYM;
• AVVG;
• PVA;
• VVG.

Such wires are allowed to be laid both with a hidden and surface method. In this case, the main condition must be observed - ensuring reliable isolation. After all, saunas and baths are usually built from wood that is subject to light inflammation. Crosslinked polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and other polymeric materials are used as insulating materials.

If we talk about lighting devices, they are connected via cables:

• NYM 3 * 1.5;
• VVGng-LS 3 * 1.5;
• PPGng-HF 3 * 1.5.

The sockets are mounted using wires, the cross-section of which is from 2.3 sq. mm.

Steam room cables

In compartments with high humidity and temperature, exclusively heat-resistant wiring is used that can withstand such loads. If the insulating layer deforms during thermal action, there is a high risk of fire in the building. The modern market offers the following wires for installation in steam rooms:

• PRKS 3 * 2.5;
• PMTK 3 * 2.5;
• PVKV 1 * 2.5;
• RCGM 1 * 2.5.

From similar wires of foreign production, it is worth giving preference to the Olflex Heat 3 * 2.5 brand. But such product and a significant drawback - high cost, which is why domestic heat-resistant cables.

Instrument laying rules

The installation of the indicated devices is preceded by the correct calculation of power, sufficient for the smooth operation of all household appliances powered from the network. For this reason, a heat-resistant type cable with a cross-section that can withstand the maximum load must be selected.

For the normal functioning of the lighting system, a power of 2 kilowatts will be enough. However, the arrangement of additional units, accessories will lead to an increase in voltage. If an electric stove is installed in a bath, it is necessary to take into account when calculating that it consumes on average about 10 kW of power.

The installation of any functional unit powered by an electrical network requires compliance with basic safety rules. During the installation process, the current supply is necessarily turned off. Also, experts recommend purchasing lighting fixtures with switches and sockets at specialized points of sale in order to avoid getting your hands on defective products. If necessary, sales consultants will help you figure out the installation scheme, if there are photos of the interior space of the building.

Arrangement of wires

Heat-resistant wires for a sauna are laid by an open method, masked under all sorts of details. In practice, the second method is more preferable, but some nuances should be taken into account when using it. According to the current GOSTs, when working with wiring, it is unacceptable to place cables in metal corrugations, tubes. It is not allowed in baths, saunas to use wiring in a metal sheath. The fact is that the metal loses its quality characteristics over time due to corrosive processes in an environment with high humidity.

Working with switches and sockets

Upon completion of the installation of the cable system inside the sauna, bath, it is time to install additional accessories, without which it is difficult to create a comfortable living environment. We are talking about switches and sockets that are allowed to be used in the described rooms, with the exception of the steam room. It also should not contain distribution boards.

In addition to steam rooms, this rule applies to showers. In other rooms, subject to safety rules, you can install and use any accessories for the electrical network.

Arrangement of lighting elements

It is difficult to imagine a sauna without bulbs and lamps. They are installed together with switches, sockets. Standard devices will not work; at elevated temperature and humidity, they will quickly fail. Their sealed options will be appropriate, in which there will not be an accidental short circuit with subsequent fire when water enters.

Moreover, uneven heating of the lamp and the flow of steam under the ceiling will lead to the fact that it will burst and, with a high degree of probability, injure the people present in the sauna.

When performing work on lighting the described premises, it should be borne in mind that the light in them should be muted. The best option would be matte-type plafonds, complemented by 60 W lamps.

Experts recommend placing the designated fixtures in the corners around the perimeter of the ceiling. These zones usually have the lowest temperatures.

Mains voltage in the sauna

Even at the design stage, this issue should be carefully considered. In this case, the correct and uninterrupted functioning of the building will be guaranteed. When it comes to a sauna for personal use, it is convenient to combine its heat-resistant wiring with a common home network of 220 volts. Immediate connection is carried out subject to a number of conditions:

• The wiring lines are protected by special automatic interlocks that react to power outages.
• Mandatory equipping of the equipotential bonding system, without which the electrical system in the steam room simply cannot function.
• An additional grounding type TN-C-S is created for the power supply.

If the owner of the sauna or bath has no possibility of equipping the indicated devices, energy is supplied only through a transformer capable of reducing the limit in an emergency voltage. Such a device is installed outside a room with high humidity and temperature.

The use of a heat-resistant wire for the bath is mandatory. There is simply no alternative or other solution for installing electrical wiring in such premises. This is the only way to ensure the performance and functionality of the steam room, complete safety for its visitors.