Installing the outlet in concrete is a fairly responsible task. In its implementation, accuracy, attentiveness, certain skills and safety precautions will be required.
The workflow includes several stages, including: marking the surface, making a strob, laying wiring, installing a socket and accessories, as well as finishing work.
Consider how to properly install a socket in a concrete wall.
Preparatory work
The installation of sockets in concrete is carried out in the following sequence:
- Prepare the necessary materials and tools.
- Determine the areas where the sockets will be installed.
- Draw a diagram where the location of the line of wires and the location of sockets and switches are provided.
When installing outlets in residential premises, they are usually installed at a height of about 40 cm from the floor. In the corridor, bathroom or other utility room, fittings are placed at any convenient height.
Before installing a wall outlet in a concrete wall, you need to know the rules for wiring.
Some rules for laying wires
- Wiring should be placed at a distance of 15-20 cm from the ceiling.
- Wiring should only be done horizontally or vertically. Building codes prohibit diagonal laying, creating twists or zigzags of wires.
- The distance between the gas pipes and the strobes should be at least 35 cm.
Materials and Tools
Before installing an internal outlet in a concrete wall, it is necessary to prepare the following tools and materials:
- Hammer drill. This is the most convenient tool for drilling holes in the wall for mounting devices.
- Tools for making a shtrob (shtroborez or grinder).
- Crown for working with concrete, a nozzle in the form of a shovel, a drill bit.
- Nippers, knife, screwdriver.
- Hammer with a chisel.
- Any level.
- Roulette.
- Putty knife.
- Alabaster, gypsum, cement or other putty.
- Primer deep penetration.
- The socket, acting as a frame and providing the product with greater rigidity.
- Wires.
- Pencil or marker for marking the location of drilling a hole in concrete .
Markup executions
Before you install an internal outlet in a concrete wall, you need to properly and accurately drill a hole. For this, markup is done. It is performed as follows:
- Mark on the surface of the wall the center of the axis for the placement of holes and wiring. This is done with a pencil and tape measure.
- If you will be installing the device block or adjacent outlets, you must observe a certain distance between the elements. It is advisable to choose the average center distance - 7 cm.
- Then two axes are drawn in the center: horizontal and vertical. These lines should be sufficient to set the sockets as even as possible.
Hole making
Before installing a wall socket in a concrete wall, it is necessary to make holes in the wall. There are 3 ways:
- With a crown on concrete.
- Using a percussion drill, hammer drill and drill bit.
- Using a grinder (angle grinder).
Concrete drilling
This method is considered the most common. Holes in concrete are made using a special device - a crown, which is worn on a perforator. The cutting element is a diamond-coated crown. Winding nozzles are also used. With such a durable material, it is easy to destroy a solid concrete surface. It should be noted that the cut is rounded and very smooth. A drill is located inside the nozzle, which centers the cutting element.
The nozzle should be larger in diameter than the installed socket.
The drill is placed on the marked point and the crown is immersed in the material. At the end of the cut, the remaining concrete is hollowed out with a chisel and hammer.
Further we will consider how to install the socket in a concrete wall without a crown
Drilling with a drill, hammer drill and drill bit
In the absence of a nozzle-crown, the hole for the outlet can be made using a drill with a drill, using a hammer drill or hammer drill. But the latter option is more time-consuming and complex.
The circle is drilled along a pre-marked line. The step is minimal. In order to control the depth of immersion, an insulating tape attached to the drill can be used. Modify the hole with a hammer and a chisel.
Using a grinder
A grinder is far from the best option for making round holes. It is more suitable for making squares. But if necessary, and in the absence of other tools can be used.
The work is performed as follows:
- A special disk is selected for concrete work.
- A square is drawn instead of a circle.
- Four cuts are made along the lines drawn on the wall. Their depth is slightly larger than the size of the undergrowth.
- The remains of concrete are removed with a chisel and hammer.
Fitting a hole for a socket
After the hole is made, check how suitable the socket is to it. Since initially the diameter of the hole was made larger than the socket, there should be no problems with the width. Basically, you have to adjust the required depth. For this:
- The depth of the hole is brought to such a value that the undergrowth is recessed in a niche by 5 mm.
- Such a reserve of depth is necessary for laying fixing materials (cement or gypsum mortar) into the hole. Also, the place will be occupied by the bend of the wire, which goes to the outlet.
- By adjusting the depth, the mounted socket will be completely hidden in the hole with the outer skirt. In addition, the device will be in the same plane with the wall. If you do not drown the skirt, a gap is formed between the frame of the outlet and the wall up to 2 mm.
Wiring
The work is performed in the following sequence:
- Check wire strands and insulation for defects.
- Remove the cover from the junction box.
- One end of the cable is led into the junction box, the other into the installation box.
- At the top of the hole, prepare a stub under the wire. They do this with a chisel and hammer or a perforator with an impact nozzle.
- Lay the wires in the stub. In niches, they should lie freely, without interfering with the socket. To place the wire on its reverse side there is a special slot.
- The cable is fixed with alabaster mortar or gypsum.
- Defects are covered with putty.
Installation of socket boxes
The work is performed in the following sequence:
- Turn off the power supply.
- Try on the box to the drilled hole. At the same time, there should be no obstacles for installing the sockets on a level with the surface. Excess items are cut and removed.
- The bottom of the hole is cleaned of dust and dirt, then primed. This is necessary to ensure good adhesion of the fixing composition to the wall surface. Allow the primer to dry.
- A plastic fragment is squeezed out in a box, a cable is pulled through it.
- The solution treats the bottom and walls of the recess, the outer part of the undergrowth.
- A device or block is installed in the solution. The upper edge of the undergrowth is aligned with the level of the wall.
- Check the construction level of the horizontal eyes.
- Excess solution in the box is removed.
How to install an outlet block in a concrete wall? Connection is performed by a star or a loop. In the first version, the wires from all the sockets go to a common “collection point”, so to speak, where they connect - zero to zero, phase to phase. In the second case, wires from the previous one are brought to the contacts of one outlet, then they are taken to the next.
Finish
They start finishing work only after the fixing compound has completely dried. If you start plastering holes and strobes earlier, there is a risk of displacement of the installed device.
Finishing is performed as follows:
- They process all noticeable defects (bumps, chips) with a primer. Once again, trim the surface near the socket.
- After the wall dries, they begin to putty the surface. When the putty dries, sand the coating. The result should be a smooth concrete surface.
- Apply another primer layer and wait for it to dry.
Hardware Installation
After finishing work is completed, proceed to the installation of outlet mechanisms. First of all, check the lack of power. It is advisable to shut off the power supply in the switchboard. To do this, disable the circuit breakers. The wires are connected to the outlet depending on its type (spring, screw). Consider how to install the device with spring terminals:
- The wires are prepared by removing the protective outer sheath from them. Stripping the ends of the cores by 10 mm.
- The wires are routed to the terminals of the outlet.
How to install an outlet in a concrete wall with grounding? There are three terminals on the outlet: one for grounding, two for live contacts. They are clamped with bolts. If you use color-coded wiring, then the yellow-green wire goes to the ground terminal, the blue wire to zero, and the remaining phase. Grounding is connected only to the contact intended for it, and the phase with zero is connected to the remaining ones (any order).
To work with the wiring requires a certain qualification, and non-specialists should not take up its implementation. However, if you have basic knowledge of electrical engineering, the right tool, and with strict observance of safety precautions, you can deal with installing sockets in a concrete wall yourself.
How to install an outlet in a concrete wall on an apron
Modern cuisine today is a place where not only food is prepared. In this room, all family members gather for dinner every day, very often they receive guests here. That is why every housewife needs a wide variety of household appliances that can simplify and even decorate everyday life.
A kitchen apron is a zone located above the work surface. It is quite functional, as it serves not only to protect the walls from spray. It most often contains sockets for connecting electrical appliances that are used to prepare various dishes: electric stoves, electric meat grinders, slow cookers, blenders, mixers, etc.
But before you install the socket in a concrete wall on an apron of any materials, you need to determine their quantity, and this mostly depends on how many electrical appliances it is planned to have in the future. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to carry out a kitchen project with a detailed description of their quantity and location. But when installing outlets, you should also take into account the visual placement, and at what height it will be most convenient to use them.
There are rules on how to install a socket in a concrete wall with a tile correctly:
- Behind countertops, kitchen outlets are installed at a height of approximately 10 cm.
- Under hoods, sockets are mounted at a height of about 50-60 mm from the kitchen cabinets.
- For small household appliances, it is necessary to install at a height of 1 to 1.4 m from the floor.
The installation sequence is the same as when installing the devices in a concrete wall.