Building your own country house is the dream of any resident of the city. Just imagine how pleasant it is to work in the city all day, then tired to return to your suburban den and breathe fresh air. However, to equip such a home will have to make a lot of effort. Of course, the primary task of any construction is the construction of walls, roofs and interior decoration in the house. However, at the time of development of the project, the wiring diagram in a private house should already be clearly worked out, since not a single modern dwelling can do without signs of civilization - a TV, telephone, music center and other household appliances. If you do not pay due attention to the design of the electrical part of the house, it will be significantly more difficult to install electrical equipment. This should be remembered by any developer who develops a home electrical wiring diagram with his own hands.
Why do we need a well-developed scheme?
As it has already become clear, everything should be considered before the start of construction. Of course, you can lay wires around the house before finishing, if you have the proper experience of an electrician, however, the wiring diagram in a private house should be designed in advance. This will allow you to take into account some points for the maximum adaptability of the design of the "box" of the living room. Besides:
1. The wiring diagram in a private house will allow you to get a complete picture of the need to purchase all the supplies needed for installation: wires, junction boxes, sockets, switches and other little things, running after each of which into the store will be extremely inconvenient during the work.
2. In the design documentation for electrification, all the necessary calculations are carried out to determine the required cross-sectional area of the wires, as well as the parameters of other devices - a switchboard, electricity meters, automatic overload protection devices that will help prevent an emergency.
How to make a project?
The wiring diagram in a private house largely determines not only the convenience of using all available electrical equipment in the future, but also the safety of this operation, so in the ideal case, it is worth entrusting its development to professional electricians who have already studied all the bottlenecks and problem areas. However, this does not mean that you cannot do the project yourself. Let's discuss the basics that will be needed for this.
So, the most common option for bringing electricity to the countryside is an overhead line with a voltage of 0.4 kV. Three wires come to the input device of the circuit - the input shield - from the overhead line of the support: working PEN, phase L and zero protective. Recently, such an electrical panel is installed outside the building. This block contains an electric meter and circuit breakers (we will talk about them below).
Wires from the “receiver” get inside the house to the internal electrical panel, after which the wiring diagram in a private house branches out into several groups of main energy consumers:
- sockets;
- lighting;
- economic group (sockets, bulbs, switches in utility rooms, for example, storage rooms or outbuildings for placing tools, and other elements of the wiring diagram in the house);
- power group needed to power high-power devices - a heating boiler, boiler, etc.
In order for electricity to be safe, the wiring diagram in a wooden house (brick or block, this also applies) must provide protective devices for each of the described groups. What is it for? Imagine a situation when, for any reason, a short circuit occurs in the lighting device. If there is only one circuit breaker in the switchboard, then the light in the whole house will be cut off, which means that it will be much more difficult to repair it. If each group has machines, then the house will not be left without electricity. If there are 2 floors, it is advisable to put a separate switchboard for both.
The sequence of devices before the boiler or bulb is as follows:
- introductory machine installed outdoors;
- electric meter;
- an internal single-band machine (suitable for a single-phase wiring diagram in a house), from which a zero or phase wire comes out;
- zero tire;
- machines for each of the phase wires (to sockets and so on);
- grounding bus.
The wiring diagram in a wooden house is also a plan according to which you can conveniently calculate the length of the cables. Therefore, the best option is to display the elements on a separate sheet of the house plan. So you will carefully consider the placement of sockets, switches, bulbs, etc.
Electricians also develop a schematic diagram of the electrical wiring, but this requires additional knowledge, so when you perform the work yourself, you can omit the item.
Tricky Recommendations and Rules
It doesn’t matter at all, a wiring diagram is being developed in the "Khrushchev" or wooden country house. In any case, it is worth considering some of the provisions of the current world practice of electrical work, which will help optimize the amount of consumables and distribution points of the supply line without compromising the convenience of using electrical appliances:
- The most convenient switch is the one that is located next to the door on the side of the handle. The best placement option is at the chest level of an adult. Firstly, it will be convenient for all family members (we will be supportive of the female half of the population, whose average growth is 10-15 centimeters less than that of men). Secondly, the switch will be inaccessible to unnecessarily curious little children.
- The wiring diagram for each outlet should not be random or simply evenly distributed around the perimeter of the room. As a rule, for convenience, it is better to move away from standards and symmetry - consider where stationary electrical appliances like a TV, a computer will stand. It is in those places that it is worth placing sockets. In no case do not skimp, as the number of installed outlets does not spoil the interior of the room, but protects you from overloads that may result from the use of tees. Do not place the sockets too low, especially in children's rooms (it is generally better to install an option with a closing lid or automatically hiding plugs).
- Do not underestimate the cross-section of the wires in order to save. In the best case, such savings will lead to frequent disconnection of the circuit breaker, in the worst case, it will be necessary to “open” the wall and transfer the burnt wire. Believe me, it’s much more expensive than buying what you need right away.
- When laying out the wires according to the construction plan of the house, do not allow their diagonal placement. As a rule, the main lines are drawn parallel to the ceiling, and the necessary branches are made only at right angles. Of course, this slightly increases the length of the wires, but it greatly simplifies maintenance, and also protects you from electric shock when you need to hang a bookshelf. Just imagine what danger you are exposing yourself if you drill a hole in the wall, not knowing where exactly the power wire goes.
Wiring Methods
So, the wiring diagram in a panel apartment or a private country house has already been developed. Now you need to decide on the features of installation. They consist in choosing one of the types:
- open;
- hidden.
As the name implies, when choosing an open option, the wiring will be on the surface of the wall, ceiling, and so on. Flush mounting - complete “masking” of wires and power cables in the walls, under sheets of drywall, over a suspended ceiling.
Features open wiring
Immediately it is worth distinguishing the main advantages and disadvantages of these types of installation. The first is an impeccable service option. If the do-it-yourself wiring diagram is not developed professionally enough, then at any time you may need intervention, for example, replacing any part of the wire with a more massive one with a large cross section. Just imagine that for this you need to disrupt a section of wallpaper, break a layer of plaster. This can be avoided by using a neat plastic box, which is nailed to the wall, holding it inside the wire. Of course, the appearance will be somewhat spoiled.
If the wiring in a private house is made on wooden walls, then hidden installation is best avoided, since wood is a fire hazardous material that can easily ignite in the event of a short circuit in the wires. You can resort to a partial masking of the wires in the cable channel of a modern plastic baseboard. However, it is also not worth overdoing it, because the joint placement of power and lighting wires is unacceptable. Between them there should be a gap of about 2 mm. Therefore, two streams of electricity of different capacities are better divided into groups.
Hidden wiring features
With hidden installation, “punctures” in the calculations and laying of wires are completely unacceptable, but the aesthetics are “off scale”. The second option for placing electrical wiring will completely hide it in the wall structure or, for example, the ceiling.
The hidden wiring diagram, in addition to aesthetics, has some requirements. So, all wires must have a sufficiently thick insulating layer, which will prevent mechanical damage to the metal part. Otherwise, the replacement of the wiring section will result in a fairly large penny and the time spent on new repairs.
If the wiring is laid in a room with a high level of humidity, for example, in a bath, sauna or pool, then with hidden installation it is better to choose wires with a polyvinyl chloride sheath, which will prevent water from entering the wires.
Preparatory work
The wiring project in a private house is the basis of all further work. Installation is the final stage, but it is no less responsible than drawing up a diagram. Therefore, before drilling grooves in the walls or nailing the box, you need to do some preparation:
- The parameters of the developed scheme are systematically and accurately applied to the surface of walls, floors and ceilings - marking, punching of holes, preparation of places for installing junction boxes, socket boxes, sockets, switches are made.
- An accurate calculation of the required amount of electrical equipment and supplies. In no case should you buy wires “end to end” with the available distances - there should always be some margin.
Optimal "purchase"
Now we proceed directly to the calculation of the required amount of electrical equipment. With the introductory and distribution board, everything is clear - 1 introductory and 1 or 2 distribution boards (depending on the number of storeys of the house). Circuit breakers are also calculated by the number of wiring lines available. But on the wires, switches and sockets it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail.
The length of the wires is determined after marking the walls for the following reasons:
- The distance between the switchboard and the junction boxes, as well as from the boxes to sockets and switches, is measured. For each joint, it is worth adding at least 100 mm of margin on each side so that you can neatly and conveniently place the wires in the junction box without pulling them and breaking.
- In places where sockets and switches are connected, there should also be a small margin - about 50-150 mm (depending on the convenience of placement).
- If the wires pass the corner of the room, it is necessary to provide a compensation loop, which will prevent tension and wire breakage as a result of deformation of the house structure when the foundation dries and sags. The minimum margin of wire per loop is 100 mm.
Now a little about the outlet. We will formulate the requirements in the list of recommendations:
- As noted above, sockets should be located as close as possible to stationary appliances. For at least every 10 square meters of a normal living room, you need to place 2 outlets. Even better, if they are not single, but double: one for the TV and some hairdryer, and the second for the computer or laptop. If the number of electrical equipment is greater, then more sockets will be needed.
- In the kitchen you will need 1 larger outlet (if the electric stove is in the house), one for the refrigerator, one for the electric kettle, and the others, as needed, 1-2 for switching on the food processor, mixer, etc., 1 for reserve.
- In the bathroom, a permanent outlet for connecting a washing machine can be useful, and another one for a hairdryer, curling iron and so on.
- Be sure to consider the likelihood of moving furniture in the room when planning the number of outlets.
As for the switches, things are much easier with them - one will be enough for each room, if there is only one light bulb. If there are several of them, then you can use a double or triple version.
Safety Devices - RCD
If your home will be wired with your own hands, the circuit of its connection must necessarily include an RCD, or a protective connection device. They ensure the safe operation of any electrical equipment, in particular, water-related equipment - washing machines, showers, dishwashers and water heaters. The principle of operation of such a device is simple - it differentiates the current value in the phase and neutral wires. In normal operation, the current difference is zero. In the event of an emergency, a leak to the ground wire may occur, as a result, the circuit breaker automatically disconnects . Do not neglect this device because of its cost, as it can save a human life.
Wiring Replacement
Very often, not only the wiring in the new house is required, but also its replacement during the overhaul. In this case, you can observe a depressing picture, when the insulation of the wires became very solid and ready to crumble from a simple touch. Therefore, it is better to replace all wires without exception, as well as double-check junction boxes, contacts in sockets and switches (this is often not discussed, since I really want to change the old socket to a modern one, which is both convenient and beautiful). High-quality wiring will work for a very long time, so both when replacing and initial installation, do not save on wires - changing them is much more difficult than a socket or switch.