Non-flammable wiring for wooden houses. Which wire is best for installing wiring in a wooden house - selection recommendations and tips

Agree that a private country house made entirely of wood is, of course, cool and beautiful. A wooden structure has numerous advantages. It is warm and durable, with ideal humidity levels, and when it comes to environmental balance, none construction material doesn't even compare with natural wood. But despite all the advantages, such a house has one significant drawback: firefighters call such buildings “combustible material.” And since the cause of fires is often electricity, the most pressing problem was, is and will be wiring in a wooden house. According to statistics from fire organizations, it accounts for half of all fires in buildings built from wooden beams.

Main requirements for wiring

Installation of electrical wiring in a wooden house has special requirements. Due to the fact that wooden buildings are classified as fire hazardous, the laying conditions power cables and the wires are completely different. Therefore, you should not think that since you know how to distinguish “phase” from “zero” or change sockets with switches, then you will be able to do all the electrical work in a wooden house with your own hands.

It is desirable that the entire scope of work (from supplying electricity to the house and up to installation last lamp) were performed by professional electricians. But since among people in this profession there are also many hacks, it will be useful for every owner of private wooden house construction to know the basic principles, requirements and rules for installing electrical wiring in order to later evaluate the quality of the work performed.

• The wiring of a household electrical network in a wooden house is carried out with a cable that has a non-flammable sheath and a low level of smoke emission. You can easily distinguish such a cable by its markings; its abbreviation must contain the letters “ng” (non-flammable). Its outer shell is made of non-flammable polyvinyl chloride; this quality is achieved through the use of special plastic compounds in the manufacture. Conductors of this type have a reduced level of smoke emission; during fires, it is a particularly dangerous factor, because a smoke screen impairs light transmission and interferes with emergency rescue operations.
• The wiring must be done in such a way as to completely eliminate the possibility of electric shock to people and pets.

• It is prohibited to lay electrical wiring in a wooden house near heated surfaces (chimneys, stoves, fireplaces).
• It is necessary to completely eliminate the possibility of the cable catching fire and the fire spreading to wooden surfaces in the event of a short circuit.
• Installation of hidden electrical wiring in a wooden house is carried out only on fireproof structures.
• The installed cables and wires, as well as the installed switching devices, must have such performance characteristics as to have a sufficient margin for the total power consumed.
• Heating of conductors and connecting electrical components is not allowed.

Important to remember! You should not improve the interior design of wooden housing construction by reducing the level of safety. Trying to solve aesthetic problems can cause catastrophic consequences.

Main stages

Step by step, the entire process of installing electrical wiring in a wooden house can be divided into several main steps:

• Calculation of the total power that will be needed for all electricity consumers (household electrical appliances, power tools, lighting network).
• Before making wiring in a wooden house, it is mandatory to draw up a schematic design.

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• Based on the diagram and calculated data on the load, materials (wires, cables, switching devices, protection elements) are selected and purchased.
• Carrying out input from the main power line to the house.
• Installation and assembly of the distribution panel.
• Installation of internal wiring (in a wooden house, hidden and open wiring options are used).
• Installation of switching equipment and lighting elements (sockets, junction boxes, switches, chandeliers, lamps, sconces).
• Installation of protective grounding and RCD.
• Laboratory tests, checking the operation of the household electrical network and preparing the relevant documentation.

Project

Do-it-yourself electrical wiring in a wooden house begins with drawing up a project.

Essentially, this should be a house plan, which indicates all the lighting elements, installation locations of sockets and switches, as well as household electrical appliances, requiring an individual line (air conditioning, hob, oven, water heater).

It is advisable to indicate the maximum power of electrical appliances on the drawing.

The lighting load is connected by a separate line to an individual circuit breaker (if the house is very large, there may be several of them - for each room or for each floor). It is necessary to provide a separate machine for yard lighting.

click to enlarge

Also, individual lines power the sockets in different rooms. If the house is small and there are few rooms, all sockets can be connected from one machine. The exception is the kitchen, which has so many powerful household appliances that a separate line is required.

Thus, you divide the entire household electrical network of your home into groups, now calculate the maximum load for each of them. To do this, the power of all electrical appliances that can be turned on at the same time is summed up. Based on the obtained figures, the power of the input and output machines is selected.

Entering the house

The introductory section, from the main power line to the distribution panel, is considered the most critical. There are two ways to properly supply electricity to your home.

Laying cables in the ground

It's more reliable way, because the conductor is completely hidden and is not exposed to any external influences. In addition, in the event of a short circuit and fire, there is no possibility that people or property will be harmed. Thanks to such high fire safety, underground input especially recommended for wooden house construction. Moreover, it does not spoil at all appearance plot.

At the same time, considerable costs will be required. It will be necessary to dig a trench at least 0.8 m deep. If access to the house will be through the foundation, the installation of a thick-walled metal sleeve will be required. And it is advisable to protect the cable itself from the chemical effects of soil, microorganisms and rodents, and pressure from vegetation roots. To do this, it is not simply placed in a trench, but is pre-stretched in a metal pipe or corrugation.

It is advisable to use the underground method at the stage when new house It’s just being built, so you can think about the passage of all communications in advance.

Cable laying over the air

If the structure has already been erected, then an overhead line would be a cheaper, more convenient and easier option. A tap is being made from the nearest support of the main power line.

Remember the main thing! Neither you nor your friends, even with the highest electrical engineering education, have the right to climb this support to make connections. This work is done by electricians from the staff of the energy supply organization servicing this power line (they have a special permit for this).

Its insulating layer is made of a material that can withstand temperature changes, Sun rays and precipitation. Under the insulation layer, the SIP wire has not only conductive cores, but also a steel cable, which will ensure good tension. If you use another cable, it will need to be fixed with clamps on an additional supporting cable, also stretched between the support and the house.

Another important nuance. If the span is more than 20 m, then additional support must be installed, otherwise the sag will be large, which increases the mechanical load on the wire.

The air supply enters the house through a hole drilled in the wall into which a piece of metal pipe is mounted. It is very important that there are no tall bushes, trees or outbuildings in the path of the wire.

Distribution panel

Now Energonadzor requires the installation of two distribution panels in private country houses. One of them must be located outside the house; a meter is installed in it electrical energy. This is done so that the controller can come and check the meter readings at any time.

The second panel is located inside the house, it is connected to the one outside by an electric cable. It will contain input and output circuit breakers and residual current devices (RCDs).

In wooden buildings, mounted distribution boards should be installed, which must be protected from moisture and dust. The shield must always be freely accessible.

Exposed internal wiring

Open electrical wiring in a wooden house (it is also called external wiring) can be done in three ways. Let's look at each of them briefly.

Corrugated electrical pipes

Now it’s not a problem to buy corrugated flexible pipes. The material they are made of is a special plastic that does not support combustion. It is necessary to conduct a cable in them, and two, and if necessary, more conductors can be placed in one pipe.

Open wiring in a wooden house is quickly and easily done with your own hands, but it has significant disadvantages. It is unlikely that several rows of corrugated pipes will add aesthetics to your room. And taking into account the current loads and how many different household electrical appliances there are in the house, there can be five or more such rows.

In addition, when you already stretch the cable into the corrugated pipe, it will practically not be possible to lay it evenly, it will not be stretched like a string, and sagging will still appear in several places. Such curves also do not look very nice.

Another drawback is that the corrugated pipe perfectly collects dust on its surface, which can only be removed with a vacuum cleaner, but this is not convenient to do everywhere.

Electrical box

Such electrical boxes are also called cable channels. The most common boxes are made of plastic, which does not support combustion and does not emit harmful substances when melted. They are affordable and have different color scheme, come in one or more sections (in these you can lay several cables at once that go in one direction).

Another advantage of boxes is that with the help of them, electrical wiring in a wooden house can be done with your own hands without any problems or labor costs. You don't need any special tools, devices, experience or skills. Electrical boxes can be glued to the wall surface (most often liquid nails are used for this) or holes can be drilled and secured using self-tapping screws. After this, the conductors are laid in the cable channels and closed on top with a snap-on lid.

But electrical boxes also have a lot of disadvantages. The most important one is related to the fact that a wooden house will inevitably shrink over time. This will lead to squeezing of the boxes, as a result the lids will fly off, and the cable channels themselves will crack.

To accurately install the boxes, you will need all kinds of additional parts - turns, joints, corners, plugs. And we can’t say that this gasket will decorate your room; the look still turns out to be somewhat boring, similar to an office one.

Open cable

Open wiring in a wooden house, made with an unprotected cable directly along the wall surfaces, is considered the most optimal option. But this appearance turns out to be completely dull, because a metal or asbestos gasket must be mounted under the cable.

You can comply with all safety requirements and at the same time make the room original with the help of retro wiring, which has recently been gaining popularity. A special cable is laid on porcelain insulators, it turns out beautifully, especially if your interior design matches the retro style.

Hidden internal wiring

In general, hidden electrical wiring in a wooden house is not recommended, but if all fire safety requirements and standards are met, then this method is quite acceptable. It’s worth noting right away that it will cost more in terms of material costs. But if you are not experiencing financial difficulties, you can use one of two hidden wiring options.

Metal pipes

The most important advantage of metal pipes is that in the event of a cable fire, they reliably protect wooden surfaces and structures from fire.

They are laid in hidden cavities and voids behind the cladding of walls and ceilings. Or, recesses in the form of channels are drilled into wall surfaces, into which pipes are then laid. And already inside them a cable or wire is stretched.

It is advisable to use galvanized pipes to protect them as much as possible from corrosion. And in order to avoid damaging the insulating layer of the cable on the sharp edges of the metal pipe when pulling it, you must use special plugs made of plastic, or thoroughly clean and sand the cut areas.

Copper pipes are considered the most technologically advanced; they bend well without special tools.

This is especially true if the hidden wiring in a wooden house has a complex branched circuit. But here, as they say, it’s a double-edged sword - installation is simplified, but the price increases several times; copper pipes are far from cheap. However, it should be remembered that it is better to spend money on high-quality electrical wiring once than to count the losses from a fire later.

Under plaster

There is another way of hidden wiring - under plaster. Now it is used less and less. The technology is painstaking - you need to criss-cross the timber with shingles (these are wooden slats 3-5 mm thick), and on top put a layer of clay plaster at least 10 cm thick. Then the cables are laid in corrugated pipes and another layer of plaster on top to hide the wiring . About 30-50 years ago this method was popular; now it is unlikely that owners of wooden buildings from beautiful timber they will want to throw thick layers of plaster on it, at least it will look strange.

Remember the main thing! Installation of hidden wiring in wooden houses through voids and ceilings in corrugated pipes or plastic boxes is prohibited.

There are two good reasons for this:

1. During installation, the insulating layer of the conductors may be slightly damaged.
2. Rodents can damage the corrugated pipe along with the cable insulation (believe me, mice will gnaw PVC material won't be difficult).

Both of these cases will result in exposed conductors. And when you start using the wiring at full capacity, in places where the insulation is damaged, the cable will begin to overheat, which will lead to a short circuit and fire.

Selection of switching devices

When choosing switching devices for wooden structure the first criterion should be their fire safety. Perhaps this will turn out to be expensive and will not fully fit into your design, but think again about the consequences that occur with the slightest spark in an outlet, when there is only one tree around.

Sparking in switching devices must be excluded, so buy high-quality products from well-established companies.

It is undesirable to install switches and sockets in wooden houses, working part which are fixed on technical porcelain. This ceramic dielectric is cheap, does not burn, but is very fragile.

When the switching device is turned on and off, it periodically heats up and cools down, that is, it experiences temperature-dynamic loads. In this case, the porcelain becomes covered with cracks and at a certain moment may burst. Due to this, the working part becomes mobile, which entails deterioration of contact, the formation of sparks and even arcs.

Therefore, buy sockets and switches, the working part of which is mounted on heat-resistant plastic; it is resistant to dynamic influences and does not deform over time. Try not to buy a fake made of cheap plastic, which will begin to melt in the event of an emergency heating of the socket. High-quality heat-resistant plastic can easily withstand temperatures up to 130 degrees.

Protective grounding

Electrical wiring in a wooden house must have protective grounding. This work can be done with your own hands. Below is step-by-step instruction grounding installation:

• Dig a hole in the shape of a triangle with equal sides 1 m each, a depth of 30-40 cm will be enough.
• At the corners of the triangle, drive metal pins or corners at least 3 m long into the ground.
• Using corner pieces 1 m long, weld these pins together.

• Drill a hole in one of the corners and secure the grounding conductor using a bolted connection.
• Take this conductor out to the distribution panel and connect it to the grounding bus. You will then connect all grounding conductors to the same bus.

According to operating conditions, such grounding is required by most household electrical appliances whose housing is made of metal.

Test work

Do-it-yourself electrical wiring in a house necessarily requires a set of testing work. You will need to call specialists, and they will make all the necessary measurements and tests:

• perform insulation resistance measurement;
• the machines will be loaded;
• measure the resistance of the grounding conductor;
• check the phase-zero loop;
• will perform an RCD check.

After all the tests are completed, they must issue a report indicating the values ​​of all measurements and a verdict that the electrical wiring is suitable for further use. This protocol will be needed for representatives of the energy supply organization when they come to seal the electricity meter.

You can clearly see the nuances of electrical wiring in a wooden house in the video:

As you can see, the power supply of a wooden house has a number of special requirements and nuances. Therefore, even if you are well versed in electrical engineering, do not rely only on your knowledge and strength. In some cases, consultation with professionals is simply necessary.

Environmental deterioration has led to an increase in demand for natural building materials, including wood. In Russia, wood is in constant demand due to the availability of this environmentally friendly material with good thermal insulation properties, relatively small specific gravity and easy to process.

In private housing construction today, wood is not a way out of a situation with a limited budget, but a full-fledged building material, but due to its flammability, it requires the use of special technologies, including when installing residential power supply systems.

Let's consider the installation of electrical wiring in a wooden house, regulated by the requirements of PUE-7, SNiP 3.05-06-85 and SNiP 31-02-2001.

Requirements for electrical wiring in a wooden house

In wooden houses, as in stone buildings, the power supply system is installed in two ways:

• hidden – less in demand;
• open – more common.

Both technologies do not eliminate the factor electric current, but they minimize the risks associated with this, since all wood is flammable, and even impregnation with special compounds only reduces the degree of flammability of wood. The basic requirements for the installation of electrical wiring in wooden houses are defined in the Electrical Installation Rules:

Electrical networks laid behind impenetrable suspended ceilings and in partitions are considered as hidden electrical wiring and should be installed: behind ceilings and in the voids of partitions made of flammable materials in metal pipes with localization capabilities and in closed boxes; behind ceilings and in partitions made of non-combustible materials* - in pipes and ducts made of non-flammable materials, as well as flame retardant cables. In this case, it must be possible to replace wires and cables.

*Suspended ceilings made of non-combustible materials mean those ceilings that are made of non-combustible materials, while other building structures located above suspended ceilings, including interfloor ceilings, are also made of non-combustible materials.

In addition to those specified in the PUE, there are rules for installing electrical wiring in a wooden house that are common to both installation methods:

• use of cables with copper conductors;
• insulation of conductive cores must be made of non-flammable material (optimal choice— NYM cables or its analogues VVGng);
• calculation of cable cross-section for current load with a margin of 30%;

Table of dependence of cable cross-section on load power

P(W)	I (A)	Copper
		Open wiring		Hidden wiring
		S (mm2)	d (mm2)	S (mm2)	d (mm2)
500	2,17	0,43	0,74	0,54	0,83
1000	4,35	0,87	1,05	1,09	1,18
1500	6,52	1,30	1,29	1,63	1,44
2000	8,70	1,74	1,49	2,17	1,66
3000	13,04	2,61	1,82	3,26	2,04
4000	17,39	3,48	2,10	4,35	2,35
5000	21,74	4,35	2,35	5,43	2,63
10000	43,48	8,7	3,33	10,87	3,72

• mandatory installation of a grounding loop;
• The distribution panel must be isolated from the base - placed in a mini-box.

Power supply to a wooden house

The internal power supply system of the house is connected to the electrical network by the local energy supply organization - at the request of the consumer, with the installation of an electric meter and only subject to the availability of a project.

Power supply to a wooden house is carried out in one of two ways:

1. By air line.
2. Underground cable laying.

Overhead connection

The rules for connecting a private house to power supply from an overhead line are determined by clause 3.18 of SNiP 3.05.06-85.
According to these standards, the following must be used at the power supply input to the building:

• insulated cables in an NG class sheath (non-flammable) with a conductor cross-section from 4 mm² for copper and from 2.5 mm² for aluminum;
• insulated wires of the same cross-sectional dimensions.

In the design places for the passage of cables through combustible structures, sections are installed steel pipe(sleeves) so that their cuts protrude outward by 1 cm. The gaps between the sleeves and the walls of the holes made are sealed with cement mortar.

To prevent the ingress of rainwater and the accumulation of condensate, the passage sleeves in the external walls are mounted with a slope of 5 degrees.

In the section of passage through the steel sleeve, a piece of rubber tube is put on each wire - an additional rubber sleeve.

At the ends of each of the rubber sleeves, maintaining alignment, special input fittings are put on: on the outside there is a funnel, and on the inside there is a bushing. These products are made solid from porcelain or split with tightening clamps - from stainless or galvanized steel.

For a wooden house, the distance between adjacent funnels (outside) must be at least 10 cm. The bushings and funnels of both pipes are filled with bitumen waterproofing compound upon completion of installation.

Conventional section of the power supply input from an overhead line into the wall of a wooden house

Wires outside should be located at a distance of at least 0.2 m from each other and from the protruding structures of the house, and the point of entry of power into the house (hook with an insulator) is located at a height of at least 2.75 m from the surface of the blind area.

In addition to porcelain and metal lugs, when installing a cable entry into a house from an overhead line, various UCPs (cable passage seals), including heat-shrinkable ones, are also used. As a rule, such devices are designed for a certain range of cable and sleeve diameters, so the choice the right size not complicated.

Further installation of wiring inside the house at the cable exit from the porcelain bushing depends on the design method of its installation (hidden, open).

Input of electricity through a pipe stand

If the height of the building is insufficient to meet the requirements of the PUE for the vertical parameters of the overhead line connection, the power supply to the wooden house is carried out through a pipe stand - a hollow mast, vertically mounted outside on the wall or roof and serving as a channel for the cable.

Pipe stands are made of steel pipes with an internal diameter:

• from 20 mm – when power is supplied by two wires;
• from 32 mm - for four conductors.

On the upper section of the pipe stand, to prevent rainwater and snow from getting into it, a semicircle is formed using a pipe bender.

Approximately in the middle of the height, a horizontal crossbar made of a 40x40 mm steel angle, 45-50 cm long, with two vertical steel rods for mounting ceramic insulators, is welded to the pipe stand.

At the transition of the arc to the straight section, a ring (washer, nut) is mounted to the pipe, to which two guy wires made of steel wire will be attached to counteract the tension created by the overhead line.

Some hardware (bolt, nut, stud) is also welded to the pipe stand - to “zero” it by connecting it to the neutral core.

In the lower part of the pipe stand, using the same pipe bender, an angle of 85° is formed so that the bent section of the pipe (10 cm longer than the wall thickness) after installing the structure is located in the wall with an inward rise of 5°. At the bottom of this bend, a Ø 5 mm hole is drilled in the pipe for the condensate outlet.

The cut edges of the pipe stand are processed with a file, after which the structure is coated on the outside with two layers of anti-corrosion paint.

If, when installing a pipe stand on a wall, the distance from its lowest point to the ground is less than 2 m, then it is mounted on the roof, arranging for the supply of power to the home through the roof. Particular attention in this situation is paid to the rigidity of mounting the rack on roofing and sealing the passage in it.

Before installation at the design location, a “conductor” (cable or thin wire) is pulled through the pipe stand for subsequent pulling of the cable through it. The structure is installed in place and attached to anchors mounted on the base, after which it is equipped with guy wires and the gaps in the passage are sealed. Threaded connections “bolt-nut” are made using screw washers and are covered with a protective layer of technical petroleum jelly.

Connection with underground cable

Inputting power into a wooden house with an underground cable is more reliable and safe, since the impact external factors on the conductor when installed correctly is minimal.

The supply of electricity to a house via an underground cable line is regulated by clause 12.1 of VSN 59-88 (Departmental Construction Standards).

Underground power supply to the house should only be carried out
armored cables that are laid in a trench without protection by pipes. The practical use of unprotected cables placed in electrical polymer pipes is a violation of current standards.

From the trench, the power cable is inserted into the building in one of two ways:

• through the foundation or wall of the basement - with the installation of a thick-walled passage sleeve made of steel;
• through an external wall - with an entrance to the building at a height of at least 2.75 m and pipe protection up to a height of 1.8 m.

Home power supply underground cable arranged during the construction of a building - at the stage of constructing the foundation, which makes it possible to provide everything necessary for the input of communications.

Electric meter installation

According to the requirements of energy regulatory authorities, electricity meters in private homes must be installed in places with constant access for supervisors. Consequently, the shield has to be mounted outside, where the components placed in it are exposed to weather conditions. Taking this into account, two distribution panels are installed in a private house:

• external – for placing an electric meter and the required minimum additional devices (at the expense of the energy supply company);
• internal - located in the house, connected to an external switchboard, equipped with the equipment necessary for safe and convenient management of the housing power supply system (at the expense of the owner of the building).

Unlike stone houses and city apartments, where when choosing a mini-box, they give preference to built-in models; in wooden houses, mounted distribution boards are installed - dust- and moisture-proof.

The electrical wiring diagram with the method of its installation is an integral part of the house design. If a hidden gasket is designed internal system power supply, then the possibility of implementing such a solution begins to be provided in the process of assembling the log house.

In beams or rounded logs through which vertical sections of wiring must pass, technological passages for cables are made before laying them at the design site - strictly in accordance with the power supply diagram. To form a vertical channel in a wall from logs stacked on top of each other, the holes made in them after assembling the structure must be strictly coaxial.

Horizontal passages are arranged after the walls are erected:

• for cables - along and across the logs;
• for mounting and distribution boxes - across.

Horizontal transverse and vertical channels are made with a powerful drill with a core drill or Forstner drill.

Longitudinal hidden passages are, as a rule, grooves along the beams, made using hand or power tools (chisel, milling cutter). The least labor-intensive way to perform this type of gating is with a grinder and a disk cutter for wood.

According to the PUE standards, when installing electrical wiring in a hidden way all cables must run through steel (copper) pipes or be insulated from wooden bases with a layer of cement mortar or alabaster of at least 1 cm. Installation and distribution boxes must also be made of steel or copper. The sections of steel protective channels are connected to each other and to the boxes by welding or threading; copper tubes are connected by soldering and crimping. Protective channels and boxes must be grounded.

In a wooden house, it is prohibited to conduct hidden wiring cables in metal hoses. Corrugated metal covers are a strip 0.2 mm thick, twisted in a spiral. Protection made of metal of such thickness is not capable of localizing a short circuit, since its walls cannot withstand the temperature of the arc and instantly burn out. The metal hose in the polymer shell is also not capable of localizing the arc.

Corrugations made of a homogeneous polymer are also not suitable for placement in channels for hidden wiring - it is almost impossible to fill them with cement mortar while maintaining a layer thickness of 1 cm around the cable. In addition, polymer corrugations are susceptible to damage by rodents.

The choice of steel pipes for hidden wiring channels is made taking into account the wall thickness, which is regulated by SP 31-110-2003, and the internal diameter.

Maximum wire cross-section (mm²)		Pipe wall thickness (mm)
Aluminum	Copper
up to 4	up to 2.5	not standardized
6	—	2,5
10	4	2,8
16: 25	6; 10	3,2
35; 50	16	3,5
70	25; 35	4,0

The cable placed in the channel should cover no more than 40% of the lumen.

One of the ways to place hidden electrical wiring is along the beams of interfloor floors. The pipes, according to the wiring diagram, are cut into pieces of the required length, after which threads are cut at their ends, and a “conductor” is pulled through each element to tighten the cable after installing the channel in place.

Fragments of pipes are attached to the beams using clamps, connected to distribution boxes and bent down at design locations to supply power to the chandeliers. At the same time, the electrical wiring lines are tightened in them.

After installation, distribution boxes must remain accessible for maintenance, so on the floor between the attic and the second floor they are placed with the covers up for access on the floor, and on the beams between the first and second floors with the covers down, with access from the ceiling.

Upon completion of the assembly of the power supply system, it is “dialed” and pulled threaded connections pipes, measuring the grounding resistance and coating the outside of the channels with two layers of anti-corrosion paint. Then the rough flooring is mounted on top of the beams.

When installing longitudinal horizontal lines of hidden wiring along the walls, you can use a thin-walled steel profile for plasterboard. To do this, grooves of the required cross-section are made in logs or beams, into which the profile is sunk and secured with self-tapping screws. A strip of plasterboard is placed at the bottom of the profile along the entire length, fixing it pointwise with alabaster solution. A cable is also attached to the plaster over the strip, after which the entire volume of the profile is filled with gypsum. The completed groove is sealed to its full depth with a special putty, after which the channel dries and is painted to match the main background.

The requirements for ensuring the fire safety of houses made of SIP panels are especially high, since these structures are flammable.

A SIP panel is a “pie” of two oriented strand boards with a layer of insulation between them, in which manufacturers install internal channels for the installation of hidden wiring.

According to SP 31-105-2002, hidden wiring in this case can be installed using standard channels - without additional protection with pipes, but using NYM cable. However, the PUE requires that electrical wiring in a wooden house be installed only through metal pipes.

There are two ways to resolve this contradiction, but both of them are costly financially and time-consuming:

• according to the PUE, install hidden wiring in metal pipes along the walls and ceiling, then lath them and cover them with plasterboard (the method also “steals” the dimensions of the premises);
• sequentially install 3 layers of gypsum board on the walls - the first as a gypsum protective base, in the second, after installation, make grooves for wiring, cover the second with a third continuous sheet.

A reasonable alternative to these expensive solutions in houses made of SIP panels is the installation of open wiring.

Advantages of hidden electrical wiring

• There is no need for masking or decorative design of electrical wiring elements.
• Minimum chance of cable damage.
• Easy to replace lines by pulling a new cable through the old pipe.
• High electrical and fire safety when installed correctly.
• The hidden power supply system does not interfere with finishing work.

Disadvantages of hidden wiring

• The complexity of the implementation of both the main power supply system and additional hidden branches.
• High prices for installation.
• Additional costs for pipes.
• Impossibility of visual control technical condition wiring.

Installation of wiring in steel pipes does not eliminate the need to correctly calculate the cross-section of conductors, grounding devices and the use of RCDs, but is only a mandatory requirement for hidden cable wiring.

Open electrical wiring in a wooden house

Wiring open type in wooden houses it is used more often - due to its ease of execution and lower cost.

The essence of the method is explained in clause 2.1.4 of PUE-6 and consists in the open placement of all electrical wiring elements on the surfaces of walls, ceilings, trusses and others building structures.

PUE-6 2.1.4 Electrical wiring is divided into the following types:

1. Open wiring- laid along the surface of walls, ceilings, along trusses and other construction elements of buildings and structures, along supports, etc.

When open wiring is used following methods laying of wires and cables: directly on the surface of walls, ceilings, etc., on strings, cables, rollers, insulators, in pipes, boxes, flexible metal sleeves, on trays, in electrical skirting boards and platbands, free suspension, etc. .

With this technology, the installation of cables does not slow down construction, since it is carried out after the construction of the log house. In addition, with open wiring, switches, sockets and external boxes are used, which eliminates the need to install mounting sockets in logs.

For external sockets and switches, when installing them on wooden walls, additional special overhead sockets are required.

Laying cables and wires of open electrical wiring is carried out in the following ways:

• conventional installation (cable with double or triple insulation) directly on the surfaces of building structures - using various types of staples;
• laying in protective corrugated pipes;
• placement in cable channels;
• on ceramic rollers or insulators.

The listed methods for installing open electrical wiring are applicable not only to houses made of logs and beams. Wooden frame buildings and cottages made of SIP panels, despite design differences, can also be equipped with open wiring according to the same rules, since the main material for the manufacture of their structures is wood.

Open wiring with staples

Electrical mounting brackets are cheap and easy to install, but the wiring made with their help is not aesthetically pleasing.

When laying on a wooden surface, a steel strip, galvanized or painted, must be installed under the cable along its entire length, protruding from under it on both sides by at least 10 mm. The thickness of the strip should not be less than 0.8 mm; it is fastened to the wall with self-tapping screws in increments of 0.8-1.0 m.

To fix the cable on the strip, holes are pre-drilled in it for staple nails - in increments of 30-50 cm.

If the cable does not have a grounding conductor, the strip must be grounded. Using asbestos tape instead of steel is tempting, but this material is carcinogenic.

Installation of open wiring in protective corrugated pipes

Pipes used to protect exposed electrical wiring are made of polymers (PVC, PE, PP), steel (tinned, galvanized or stainless) and metal in a PVC sheath.

Protective polymer tubes intended for use in wooden houses must have a fire safety certificate and the marking “ng” - non-flammable.

When choosing plastic corrugated channels, you can first be guided by their color: the white tube burns only when supported by a flame and goes out when it stops, the gray sleeve burns independently after arson.

Black corrugations should also not support combustion, but they are used for external wiring exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

A corrugated steel tube is a twisted strip that is not inferior in flexibility to a polymer cover, but is more resistant to mechanical loads (compression, tension). Accordingly, the durability of steel corrugations is stated by manufacturers to be several decades, and their price is several times higher than polymer ones.

A wide range of pipe diameters (from 6 to 100 mm) allows you to select protection for a cable of any cross-section, including for placing several wires in one channel.

The diameter of the corrugated channel must be twice the sum of the diameters of the cables placed in it.

To tighten the cable, a “conductor” is first pulled through the corrugation, to the end of which a conductor is attached. Instead, you can put a pen cap on the end of the cable, insert it into the cover and easily push the conductor through the entire length of the protection.

Metal corrugated tubes are fixed to the base using steel brackets with one or two legs; polymer covers are secured with nylon ties and clamps. The fastening pitch is maintained within 30 cm. The layout of the channels on the base is carried out so that the tubes do not cross each other and do not have twists.

Device for passing external wiring through interior wall is performed using a sleeve - a piece of steel pipe protruding from both sides by 1 cm. To prevent damage to the cable by the sharp edges of the cuts, protective tips are put on the ends of the sleeve.

It should be taken into account that a newly erected wooden house with a wall height of 3 m will shrink during the first year, depending on the material of the frame:

• log (regular/rounded) - up to 10 cm/8-10 cm;
• timber (natural humidity/chamber drying) - up to 6 cm/2.5 cm;
• glued beams – up to 2 cm.

Therefore, installation of open wiring must be carried out taking into account the amount of shrinkage, evenly distributing the technological slack of cables and channels between spans.

Disadvantages of open wiring in corrugated ducts:

• the difficulty of cleaning corrugated walls from dust accumulating in the folds;
• the inevitability of sagging of channels along the spans;
• the difficulty of replacing a section of wiring without dismantling the protective channel.

Open electrical wiring through cable channels

Cable channel – protective structure made of aluminum, galvanized steel or flame retardant plastic, consisting of a U-shaped profile for placing wires in it, an easily removable cover for it and connecting (transition) elements. At the place of installation cable channels there are:

• wall (parapet) - produced in strict and decorative design;
• floor - differ from parapet ones in greater strength and streamlined cross-section;
• plinth - available in various sections, including those simulating a plinth, with a groove for cable placement.

According to the markings, the box is attached to the wall, the cables are laid in it, after which the channel (groove in the baseboard) is closed with a lid.

In boxes, wires and cables can be laid in multilayers with an ordered and random (scattered) mutual arrangement. The sum of the cross-sections of wires and cables, calculated by their outer diameters, including insulation and outer sheaths, should not exceed: for blind boxes, 35% of the clear cross-section of the box; for boxes with openable lids 40%.

Advantages of cable channels:

• ease of installation;
• availability of cables for periodic inspection;
• ease of replacing a wiring section;
• aesthetics;
• affordable price.

Flaws:

• a certain volume of the structure;
• low strength of wall-mounted products.

Open wiring on ceramic rollers or insulators

In wooden houses, this method of installing electrical wiring is popular, since, if it complies with the PUE standards, it also visually harmonizes with the base material - wood.

The technical execution of installation on insulators is not difficult and is possible with your own hands, since with correct calculations of the parameters of the power supply system it only requires compliance with the wiring diagram. However, the price of modern components made as antiques is quite high. At the same time, it is also necessary to purchase fireproof socket boxes for sockets, switches and boxes.

Basic installation rules:

• horizontal line insulators are placed in increments of no more than 45 cm, vertical lines - up to 50 cm;
• when turning the cable at right angles, two insulators are installed - to form a smooth bend of the conductors;
• the distance from the edge of the socket, switch or junction box to the wall of the nearest insulator should be 4 cm;
• after removing the fabric braid from the wire, it is tied with a nylon clamp - to prevent further unraveling of the thread weave;
• Wire passages through walls are made using porcelain bushings.

The aesthetics of electrical wiring through insulators is high, but only under the condition of a simple internal power supply system. And numerous twisted lines of wires on the walls are far from attractive, not to mention the difficulty of repairing such foundations.

Approximate prices for electrical installation work in Moscow and the Moscow region

Type of work	Cost, rub.)
Installation of a socket box in a wooden base	300
Installation of one electrical point (for hidden wiring)	250
Installation of one electrical point from external wiring	200
Replacing an old electrical point	250
Installation of distribution box	250
Preparing the space for the junction box	250
Installing a telephone socket	250
Installing an outlet for a TV cable	250
Installing a computer network outlet	300

But even taking into account the high cost of services, in the absence of experience in electrical installation work, it is better to entrust the installation of electrical wiring to professionals, since the cost of even a minor mistake can be very high.

Conclusion

Installation of an internal power supply system in a wooden house is a complex of works, the safety of many people depends on the correct execution of each of them. The cost of installing wiring by third-party contractors also takes into account the factor of the contractor’s responsibility for the result.

Despite the pursuit modern technologies In recent years, some industries have been returning to their roots. Most a shining example is the construction sector: people much more often give preference to the construction of suburban wooden houses. This is facilitated by a number of reasons, ranging from lightness and efficiency to the environmental friendliness of the final product.

Wood is a natural anti-allergenic material. Thanks to the latest innovations, 100% natural substances are used in the construction of such buildings. Wood has its drawbacks, but the main thing is considered to be the increased level fire danger. Therefore, wiring in a wooden house must comply with all recommendations, installation and operation rules. And it doesn’t matter whether you lay it yourself or turn to professional specialists for help.

What kind of electrical wiring is suitable for a wooden house?

Not a single modern residential building, whether it is made of wood, concrete or adobe blocks, can do without electricity. Depending on what building materials were used to construct the building, the organization of electrical wiring will have different features. The main nuance of wiring in a wooden house is the increased risk of fire and higher requirements for the quality of wiring.

Open or closed

There are two main types of electrical wiring: open and closed. In the first case, the cable is located in an open place: attached to the walls, laid on external shelves, and so on.

The process of laying cables using the open method in a wooden house can be done in one of two main ways:

1. Using boxes, corrugated pipes or cable channels. This option is appropriate for houses with flat walls, which, for example, are finished with clapboard. The key advantage of this approach is the availability of the cable, the possibility of prompt repair or replacement, and the installation of an additional branch. Since the wires are open, they are perfectly cooled, which eliminates the possibility of overheating or fire. For better ventilation, the cable channel cavity should be filled with wires 60% or less.
2. For a wooden house made of rounded logs, cable installation using insulators is suitable. First, ceramic rollers, which are excellent dielectrics, are fixed, then cables are attached to them. This technology is outdated and rarely used even today. Ideally, multi-colored twisted pair cables should be used.

1. Installation on brackets. Alternative method, which is suitable if it is impossible to lay the cable in boxes or fix it on insulators.
2. Retro wiring that allows you to most effectively and unusually disguise the cable fixed on the walls and under the ceiling.

Concealed installation of electrical wiring is appropriate and desirable in all situations where the external walls, floor and ceiling of the house have not yet been covered finishing materials. For wooden houses, cables should be hidden in metal or corrugated pipes. The use of plastic cable ducts is strictly prohibited. The method requires large investments, but allows for high-quality and safe installation, hiding the cable from view.

It is impossible to say for sure whether hidden or open electrical wiring is better or worse for a wooden house. It all depends on individual preferences, operating conditions, presence or absence suitable tool and other factors. For example, the walls in the house have already been finished, so you don’t want to tear down the lining to perform hidden installation. In such a case, choose the method open mounting.

Basic requirements for electrical wiring in a wooden house

Above, we determined that wood is the most dangerous and flammable building material used as a basis for the construction of residential buildings.

We list the basic requirements that must be followed when organizing electrical wiring in a wooden house:

1. Increased level of electrical and fire safety. Make sure that cables and wires are laid in such a way that will minimize the likelihood of overheating of the insulation and subsequent ignition, will prevent the spread of open flame to the remaining parts of the wooden structure. During the design process, full compliance must be achieved technical parameters and performance characteristics of the wires and products used at peak load for a specific section of the circuit. To reduce the likelihood of overheating, empty cavities are left in cable channels and metal corrugations, and the wire cross-section is taken with a margin of 20-30%. To increase safety, it is advisable to choose an open installation method, which allows you to monitor the condition of the wires throughout their entire service life, perform timely diagnostics, identifying and promptly eliminating damage.

1. High quality insulation. The electrical panel must be reliably isolated from any wooden products. Ideally, you need to choose rooms with a partition made of non-combustible materials.
2. Reliable guide. It is best to use three-core copper wires with high quality non-combustible insulation. Avoid laying cables through PVC corrugation.
3. Efficient automation. Each group of working devices in the electrical circuit must be supplemented with a circuit breaker. The operating threshold of this product depends on the permissible current load. Try not to overestimate these values, otherwise the conductor will overheat.

Regulations

All requirements and rules for installing electrical wiring in a wooden house are clearly stated in three documents:

1. PUE, edition 7. The main document that guides the design of electrical networks of residential buildings. Here you will find basic recommendations for selecting cables, distribution equipment, automatic protection devices and lighting devices.
2. SNiP 3.05.06-85. Describes the organization of electrical wiring in old and new buildings. From the document you will learn the basic methods of connecting and inserting wires into living rooms.
3. SNiP 31-02. Additional rules and recommendations that are important to consider when laying cables in a residential building.

These SNiPs contain many technical terms and parameters, so this language will be incomprehensible to an inexperienced person. Thus, it is enough to study the corresponding edition of the PUE.

Drawing up a diagram

Building an electrical wiring diagram – preparatory stage, prior to any cable installation or replacement work. Only a competent and technically correct project guarantees high-quality installation of a reliable and safe electrical circuit that complies with the rules and regulations.

When drawing up a diagram of future electrical wiring, follow a number of recommendations:

1. Important electrical components, including panels, meters and sockets, should be placed in accessible places. You must be able to get to such a node at any time in order to conduct operational repair or replacement, eliminating the possibility of fire or short circuit.
2. Place the switches on open places so that they are not cluttered with furniture. This error has often occurred in Soviet time and today it is not uncommon to find hidden switches in the homes of parents and grandparents. The ideal height for any switch is at least 50 cm from the floor.
3. When choosing the location of future outlets, think in advance where all household appliances should be located. Try to install a number of outlets that will be sufficient to operate devices without extension cords. The height from the floor for sockets should be 25-50 cm. In theory, it is enough to have one socket for every 6 square meters. m. However, if the situation requires it, then their number can be increased.

1. Twists and frequent bends are excluded electric cable. It is desirable that all the lines in the diagram be at right angles to the floor, ceiling and walls - horizontally or vertically. Bottom or top electrical wiring is used: the cable is placed at a distance of 15 cm from the floor or ceiling, respectively.
2. It is important to use metal junction boxes for connecting wires. The use of plastic or wooden products is prohibited.

Preparing a home power supply project

Before you start designing wiring for a wooden house, you need to contact your electricity supplier to obtain technical specifications. It is from them that you need to start when doing this work. First, you should calculate the total power consumed by all electrical appliances in the house, including lighting sources.

Further development of the project is as follows:

1. Construct a technical diagram of a residential building. Indicate on the plan all the places where sockets, switches and lighting sources will be located. Add electrical devices that require separate connections to the circuit.
2. The type of cable is selected depending on the characteristics of the electrical point. For example, two-gang switches and grounded outlets require a three-wire wire.

1. Indicate the location of all junction boxes. In a pair of adjacent rooms, you can use one common one.
2. Add the power of all individual appliances to the plan. If the device is equipped with an electric motor, then the starting power of the unit should be indicated.
3. Devices are divided into different groups: one includes lighting products, the other - powerful boilers, boilers and electric stoves. Switching must be carried out through differential automatic machines, which should be indicated in the diagram.
4. Mark the distance between the cable and door/window openings, electrical points and floor/ceiling.

Important! Any rotation of the cable must be done at a right angle (90 degrees).

At the end of the work a calculation is made maximum power, which will be required when all electrical devices in the house. This allows you to determine the load level on the input machine.

Selecting cables and electrical devices

To select a cable, any table that indicates the ratio of wire cross-section to a specific load is suitable. You can use a special electrical reference book. The cable cross-section is selected depending on the power electrical appliances and their number in a separate group. You can find out the level of consumed load from the equipment data sheet or by studying the label on the product (packaging). To determine the cross-section of the input cable, the powers of all electrical appliances are summed up, and a small margin of 20-30% is taken.

NYM brand copper wires are popular for wooden houses. This product has an additional insulating shell and is characterized by durability and ease of use. If you use an aluminum cable, try to avoid frequent kinks. In addition, it often breaks during the cutting process.

For sockets and lighting fixtures Three-core cables are used to increase the safety of the equipment. Grounding is required when operating any powerful equipment, including street floodlights.

The choice of sockets and switches is based on the current load, the type of electrical wiring (open or hidden), the ability to switch the entire unit and the switch in one frame.

Selection of input cable and circuit breaker at the input

After calculating the rated load of the devices, select a suitable cross-section for the input cable. In the event of an upgrade of electrical wiring and the need to replace internal cables and circuit breakers to increase power, it is necessary to replace the input wire.

Having changed the wiring in the house, installing strong circuit breakers, you may encounter another problem: a lack of cross-sectional area for the input cable, which will subsequently cause a fire. It is prohibited to change the input cable yourself, so the only way out is to contact your electricity supplier with a corresponding request.

Three-phase electrical networks require the connection of a three-pole circuit breaker. Single-phase networks are more common and for them one- and two-pole differential circuit breakers are used to break the phase with the neutral.

Advice! When choosing a differential circuit breaker, consider a rated power that will be sufficient to break the circuit and prevent a short circuit, rather than a complete power outage in the house when the maximum load is reached.

Rating and type of machine for single-phase power supply

When choosing a circuit breaker, use the following formulas:

1. The total power of all electrical appliances and the maximum permissible current load: I (max) = P/U*cosA, where cosФ is equal to 0.8. The resulting current value is corrected using a correction factor equal to 1.1. As a result, a current will be obtained, upon reaching which the device will operate. A 25 A circuit breaker is usually sufficient for the cable entry at home.
2. To determine the type of machine, you must calculate the minimum value of the short circuit current. For a single-phase 220 V network, a simple formula is used: I (short circuit) = 3260 * S/L, where S is the cross-section of the wire in square millimeters, and L is its length in meters. This formula relevant for an extended section with small cross-section wires.
3. The ratio of short circuit current to maximum current is the most important parameter of a circuit breaker. For wooden houses, type C differential circuit breakers are more often chosen, suitable for mixed-load electrical networks.

Introductory circuit breaker for a private house they are placed after the electric meter. This device, together with the metering device and the RCD, is fixed in a special panel mounted on a metal profile.

Installing electrical wiring in a wooden house with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

The process of installing electrical wiring in a wooden house is divided into several stages:

• placement of power input cable;
• installation of a distribution panel;
• installation of cable lines;
• fastening switches and sockets;
• contact switching;
• checking network functionality.

These works will require availability different instruments, including an electric drill with a hole saw, a screwdriver with various attachments, an indicator and rubber gloves for protection against electric shock.

Installation of distribution panel

The input cable from the nearest electrical pole is laid into the house. Any branches are excluded before it ends up in the main distribution panel.

The shield includes several important components:

1. Plastic or metal body. For wooden houses, the second option is preferable. There are no strict regulations regarding the size of the box, so proceed from individual devices and make a reserve. Keep in mind that the electrical network may need to be upgraded in the future.
2. Electricity meter with seal.
3. Automatic switch at the input. A device with two or three poles is selected. The electricity supplier places a seal on this equipment.

1. Additional single-pole circuit breakers mounted on DIN rails. The number of such devices is not regulated in any way. The home electrical network is divided into several sections, so a separate circuit breaker is installed for each. One zone can be allocated to illuminate the courtyard and buildings near a residential building, another - rooms, and so on. The power of the machine will be calculated individually for the working area. The main condition for calculations is timely operation due to overload in weak areas. For example, if the permissible current load for an outlet is 15 A, then the machine should trip at the slightest excess of this value.
2. The residual current device is expensive, and most homeowners ignore installing it. The device turns off the power supply when a leak is detected. This will prevent electric shock. Only qualified specialist will be able to select a device with suitable technical and operational parameters.

Cabling

The wiring is hidden in cable ducts or under baseboards. The work consists of several stages. At the first stage, the wire is cut into segments, the number of which depends on the number of sockets and switches. The length of a separate wire is equal to the distance between the socket and switches with a margin of 15-20 cm.

Next, the installation of cable channels is carried out, which are attached strictly vertically or horizontally. To ensure the boxes are level, use a building level. At the end of the work electrical wire fits inside the cable channels, but do not rush to close them.

Electrical installation of distribution boxes

A junction box should be installed wherever the main cable branches to connect outlets or switches. The device is used to divide power lines and further distribute them to other parts of the room.

The cable is secured in the box using one of the following methods:

1. Using PPE caps, which differ in size and color. To install, the end of the wire is stripped 30 mm, twisted, then threaded through the cap and twisted. The twisted ends of the two sections are hidden in the distribution box so as to prevent contact with other twists.
2. Special vags. This product is selected depending on specific sizes. The devices differ in the number of holes for wiring and cross-section. For switching, the ends of the wires are stripped to 10-15 mm, after which they are placed in the holes until they click. The ends of the cables are run in different directions, excluding contact and short circuit.
3. Twisted with electrical tape. After stripping the ends, the two wires are twisted together and then covered with electrical tape. The insulated twist is located inside the distribution box.

Installation of switches and sockets

Sockets and switches are attached directly to the wall. Before installation, aluminum or asbestos insulation is laid. The sockets are screwed as tightly and firmly as possible to prevent loosening. When connecting a three-core cable, the yellow-green wire is used for grounding.

Installation of lighting fixtures

Lighting fixtures in a private residential building are divided into three main categories:

• built-in;
• invoices;
• street

It is important to use metal platforms for mounting wall lamps, sconces and similar ceiling products, which will increase fire safety. Switching the lamp to the network is carried out according to a simple scheme using yellow-green wires. Each product is equipped with contacts for connecting to a three-phase network.

How difficult is the job of replacing wiring?

Replacing wiring in a wooden house does not present any difficulties for experienced craftsmen. The process will be especially easy if you use outer gasket. After turning off the power supply at the input machine, all old cable lines are removed and a new wire of a suitable cross-section is laid in their place.

If there is hidden wiring in the house, it is absolutely not necessary to destroy all the walls. You can disconnect the old wiring from the input machine, attach a new cable to it and install it using the open method.

Grounding device and installation of RCD

For grounding, a PE bus is used, which is connected to a grounding device. It is installed in the ground near the wall of a residential building. Externally, such equipment consists of several metal sticks with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm and a length of up to 3 m, they are connected by a common metal strip.

To connect the grounding device and the bus, a single-core wire of the same cross-section as the input cable is suitable. After the installation is completed, the resistance of the grounding device is measured. In single-phase networks it should be equal to 8, three-phase - 4 Ohms.

Installation errors

The occurrence of fires in wooden houses is often associated with violations of safety rules during the installation or operation of electrical wiring.

We list the main mistakes that are made in both cases:

1. Installation of hidden wiring under the ceiling. Often the electrical wire is placed in the interfloor ceilings, forgetting about additional insulation measures. In this case, the cable ends up in close proximity to wooden surfaces. If the cross-section is incorrectly selected, the cable line will begin to overheat, which will gradually lead to a fire.
2. Cable laying under the baseboard. There is little space underneath, which is not enough to create a “safe air barrier.” Because of this, the wire is constantly in contact with the wooden or plastic baseboard, which leads to overheating and fire. Gaps in the plinth should be at least 10-15 mm.

1. The use of corrugated polyvinyl chloride pipes is strictly unacceptable when installing electrical wiring in wooden houses. Replace the products with standard metal or corrugated cable ducts.
2. Cable placement in a groove without insulation. When choosing a hidden installation method, it is permissible to use prepared recesses - grooves. However, even in this case, it is not a bare cable that needs to be placed in the groove, but a metal corrugation or a steel tube.
3. Installation boxes for sockets and switches must be made of metal. The use of plastic structures is unacceptable.

Fire protection measures

To provide high level Fire protection requires taking into account a number of key factors:

1. Select and install an RCD with suitable parameters.
2. Install a modular-pin type grounding circuit and corresponding resistance depending on the number of phases in the network.
3. Ensure the functionality of the system that equalizes potentials.
4. Ensure continuity of grounding at each section of the circuit.
5. Install only overhead sockets.
6. Carry out hidden installation using metal cable ducts and pipes.

By following the listed rules, recommendations and standards, you can organize safe electrical wiring in a wooden house with your own hands or make sure of the competence of the specialists called. And this is very important, since the risk of fire in these residential buildings is much higher.

When planning to install wiring in your home, install additional lighting, or add a couple of outlets without resorting to the services of professionals, you have to face many questions.

The essence of these questions comes down to one thing - how to choose from the variety offered the only option that will serve faithfully for many years.

In this article we will tell you how and which wire is best to choose for wiring in the house.

The first thing you need to decide is which wire to use for wiring in a wooden house - copper or aluminum. Although you can use both, experts still prefer copper:

Aluminum has only two advantages over copper:

• he's more flexible, which makes installation easier,
• he is much cheaper.

In all other parameters, aluminum is inferior to copper:

• oxidizes quickly(and the oxide conducts current less well and this place will heat up quickly),
• after a few bends may break, therefore, aluminum wires must be laid with greater care than copper wires, you will have to avoid bending them multiple times in the same place,
• screw terminals aluminum slips out over time, loosening the contact, and all places where there are clamps require periodic inspection.

The core can be made of aluminum copper - inexpensive composite material , which on the one hand combines good properties both materials, and on the other hand, it is inferior to each of them in terms of performance.

Wires differ in the number of cores (single- and multi-core, each core can be single- or multi-wire), cross-section and rated operating voltage; they are manufactured with insulation for 380, 600 and 3000 V alternating current. The conductors can be enclosed in a sheath made of vinyl plastic, PVC or rubber.

To protect the wire from mechanical damage, it can be covered with a cotton braid. If it is intended for installation in places where there is a possibility of mechanical damage, it is additionally protected with a braid of galvanized steel wire.

Despite the fact that aluminum wires are cheaper, recently copper is increasingly replacing them because many homeowners prioritize reliability.

Would you like to know how to make grounding in a private house? In the next review we will talk in detail about all the nuances, as well as what it should look like.

Read about the rules for installing hidden wiring in a wooden house here.

Retro wiring is not only functional, but also a decorative solution for those who want to decorate their home and make their wiring attractive. Detailed and useful information.

Marking

The marking contains information about the material from which the conductors are made, the degree of flexibility, insulation and design of the protective sheath:

For example, 4x2.5-380 means a 4-core wire with a core cross-section of 2.5 square meters. mm.

Let's figure out what kind of wire is needed for wiring in the house. It is necessary to choose, taking into account the maximum amount of current consumed during the load, which determined by the formula P/220, where P is the rated power of the connected devices. So, for a 100-watt light bulb, the current will be 0.5A. Knowing the total power of all connected devices, you can calculate whether the selected wire is suitable or whether you need to select another one.

The choice for a home is made on the basis that For every kilowatt of load you need 1.57 sq. mm. You should adhere to the power characteristics:

• for copper 8 A per 1 sq. mm;
• for aluminum 5 A per 1 sq. mm.

For example, if a 5 kW unit is installed in a house, then the wire for connecting it must be rated at 25 A, that is, the cross-section copper wire should be 3.2 sq. mm or more. Taking into account that the conductivity of aluminum is about 2/3 (62%) of the conductivity of copper, its cross-section should be larger.

Diameter of current-carrying core measured with a micrometer or caliper and calculated using the formula S = 3.14D2/4, where D is the diameter in millimeters. If the core is multi-wire, then the result is determined by adding the cross-sections of all the wires.

When installing wiring, you can focus on the following cross-section indicators:

• 2.5 sq. mm- sockets, air conditioning, washing machine, storage water heater;
• 6 sq. mm- electric stove;
• 1.5 sq. mm- lighting.

The load must also correspond to the installation method. : open wiring cools better, rubber insulation allows heating no higher than 65 degrees, plastic insulation - 70 degrees. Here's how the type of wire depends on the way the wiring is laid:

Practicing electricians It is recommended not to save money, but to use stranded copper wires even where you can get by with single-core, because multi-core, with the same cross-section as monolithic, withstand overloads 5–10% better.

In addition, it is technically impractical to counterfeit a stranded wire, and in a “monolith” there is a danger of running into a counterfeit - an alloy with the addition of copper. But any advice from a specialist has some bias, so it is still better for the home owner to decide for himself what is more important - the economy of aluminum or the quality of copper.

If to this approach the critical stage of repair accordingly, you may never know what melted insulation, fire or short circuit is. You need to take a particularly responsible approach to the arrangement of baths and saunas - there are elevated temperatures and humidity, which leads to rapid wear of the insulation.

By following safety rules and GOST recommendations, you can protect not only your own home, but also your life from fire.

You can learn how to choose a wire for electrical wiring in a private house or apartment from the video review:

When developing an electrical wiring diagram for a log or timber cottage, one has to face many limitations and difficulties. To do it correctly, it is necessary to comply with a lot of SNiPs and PUE standards. Wiring in a wooden house must be absolutely safe from both an electrical and fire point of view. No matter what you treat wood with, it still remains a flammable material. Therefore, the installation of electrical wires in a building made from it should be done with the utmost care and in compliance with the relevant rules.

Basic requirements for wiring in a wooden house

All wooden private houses are characterized by an increased fire hazard. The requirements for installing electrical wiring in them differ from those that apply to buildings made of brick or concrete. It is not for nothing that problems in the home electrical network are one of the main causes of fires in wooden cottages.

When designing electrical wiring in a wooden house, it is better to relegate issues of interior aesthetics to the background, or even the third plan. The top priority here should be safety and once again safety. It is necessary, on the one hand, to minimize the likelihood of short circuits and heating of the wires, and on the other hand, to create a non-flammable barrier between the tree and potential sparks.

If you approach the design creatively, you can interestingly integrate external electrical wiring into the interior

There are a lot of SNiPs and GOSTs that regulate the creation of an internal electrical network in wooden building. But the main document is the PUE (Electrical Installation Rules). In the latest reaction, it was seriously tightened in the issue of organizing electrical wiring in rooms whose walls were built from wood. Therefore, if, when studying the norms, a conflict is revealed between different documents, then it is necessary to focus on the PUE.

Options for laying electrical wiring in a wooden house

You can install electrical wires in a wooden house:

• open method;
• using hidden technology (inside the walls);
• with laying in special cable channels.

You can use VVG or PVS cables with the prefix “ng”. Only they have insulation that is not prone to the spread of fire. In this case, other cable products should be avoided.

In cable channels

Not all professional electricians now recommend using cable ducts in wooden houses. The wiring in them is not visible and does not spoil the interior with its appearance.

However, for electricity supply lines, ordinary plastic boxes and baseboards cannot be installed along wooden walls. They are too flammable and everything is heading towards the fact that this method will be completely prohibited by regulations. If you choose cable channels, then only special non-flammable ones.

It is easiest to lay electrical wiring in cable ducts; you just need to select the right elements

Outdoor

The external option involves laying wiring in a wooden house along the walls on ceramic insulators. Typically, a double-braided twisted cable is used for this. And everything in the end looks quite beautiful both in the photo and in reality.

However, there must be a distance of at least 10 mm between the wire and the wall of the house. Otherwise, an asbestos or iron gasket should be placed between them. But this will definitely not look elegant. This type of installation should only be used in utility rooms, for living rooms he doesn't fit.

External electrical wiring looks beautiful, but in residential areas, especially if there are small children, it is better not to use

Hidden

Hidden electrical wiring in a wooden house is allowed only in metal pipes (copper or steel). The use of corrugations and any plastic channels is prohibited here. They are not able to completely stop the spread of fire. And in logs or timber walls even the slightest spark inside can cause them to catch fire.

This option is difficult to do with your own hands and expensive. But the wires will definitely not be visible; they will all be laid inside the partitions and ceilings.

It is better to entrust the installation of hidden electrical wiring to specialists. A mistake can be very costly

Wiring installation

Installation of internal electrical wiring in a wooden house is carried out in seven stages:

• Marking on the walls of wiring lines and installation locations for sockets, switches, junction boxes, etc.
• Drilling holes for electrical installations and cable channels.
• Assembling an input panel with protection and an electric meter.
• Laying and connecting electrical wires using terminals or soldering (welding).
• Connecting switches and sockets.
• Checking the insulation resistance.
• General check of the system for short circuits.

The step-by-step instructions provided are standard and do not depend on the wall material and individual characteristics the electrical wiring diagram being created in a private house. However, wooden cottages have their own nuances:

The first is that all passages of electrical cables through external walls made of wood, partitions and ceilings are made only using metal sleeves (tubes). Even if cable ducts and ceramic insulators are used for open installation, electrical wiring must pass through wood only with additional metal protection.

Sleeves for laying electrical wiring in different rooms

Second, it is recommended to avoid twisting the cores during connection. Such places are the most problematic in terms of safety and most often heat up. In a house made of logs or timber, the best and most reliable option for connecting wires will be a terminal one. You can also solder or weld them, but this is more difficult and takes longer.

Terminal connection of wires in the junction box

Third, if the electrical wiring is installed under decor or a suspended ceiling, then it must be installed in metal pipes. Open laying is allowed only in uncovered places where the wires remain visible.

Wiring under suspended ceiling better to hide in cable channels

There is nothing particularly complicated. The main thing is to have skills in handling a screwdriver, drill and pliers. And then, in terms of complexity, independent electrical installation in your home is approximately the same as cleaning a chimney or building a heated greenhouse yourself without the involvement of hired workers.

Network connection and commissioning

After connecting the wiring, panel and sockets into a single network, it must be checked. For each line, an insulation resistance test must be carried out to ensure that the insulation resistance complies with the standards. Even a seemingly normal cable may have damage to the insulating braid that is invisible to the eye.

Without resistance testing, it is impossible to identify problem areas in the electrical network at home. This work should be delegated to a professional electrician. It is worth doing it yourself only if you have the appropriate electrical knowledge and equipment.

A specialist should also be entrusted with the calculations of the cross-section of the cores and the RCD, and then invite a professional to perform a general check of the assembled electrical network before putting it into operation. There is no point in taking risks and experimenting with electricity.

Inputting electricity into the house

The wiring itself in a wooden house can be installed independently. However, the preparation of a proper electrical design and final inspection should be left to a competent electrician.

Connection to the general village network is made by electricians of the sales organization. They will once again check whether everything complies with the standards and technical conditions, and only then connect the cottage to the power supply. And here there is one point - if they discover that the in-house electrical network was assembled in violation of the rules, they will simply refuse the connection. Everything should be ready from the beginning for their arrival.

Options for connecting SIP to the intra-house network

Safety measures for a wooden house

Among the main errors of the device home wiring in the wooden cottage there are:

• poor-quality connection of the cores (such contacts then begin to heat up);
• using copper and aluminum wires simultaneously (connecting them directly is strictly prohibited);
• non-use of metal sleeves and junction boxes;
• use of cables that do not meet the requirements;
• incorrect selection of core cross-sections and parameters of protective devices;
• using plastic corrugation when laying wires in wooden walls and behind decorations.

Any of these mistakes leads to an increased risk of a fire in the cottage.

The use of plastic sleeves is prohibited

If there is even the slightest doubt about your own skills and knowledge, then electrical installation should be entrusted to a professional. WITH general construction everything is a little simpler.

For example, there are step-by-step instructions for arranging a pile foundation with your own hands in the form of bored piles. It is enough to follow it and the foundation will be reliable. With electrical wiring, everything is somewhat more complicated.

At electrical installation work Also, do not forget about basic safety measures for their implementation. All tools used must have rubber-insulated handles, and the electrical network must be de-energized.

Conclusion

The owner himself can easily install the electrical network in the cottage. You just need to clearly understand that electrical wiring in a wooden house is not some nonsense. To properly design and assemble it, you must have the proper qualifications and certain experience. The slightest omissions will later lead to serious problems. It is important to approach the arrangement of this in-house engineering system with all seriousness.

See also a video about errors when laying electrical wiring in a wooden house

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