What cable should I use to enter the apartment?
The apartments use input cables of the following sections:
- For a single-phase network: Copper cable (for example, VVGng-lS) 3 x 10 mm.sq. [...
- For a three-phase network: Copper cable (for example, VVGng-lS) 5 x 4 mm2. [...
- For single-phase connection – 3 x 6 mm.sq.
- For three-phase connection – 5 x 2.5 mm.sq.
Interesting materials:
How to remove hair dye from a table? How to remove paint from a bolognese jacket? How to remove paint from trousers at home? How to remove paint from trousers? How to remove dye from eyebrows? How to remove paint from a wooden door? How to remove paint from a wooden surface? How to remove dye from jeans at home? How to remove dye from jeans? How to remove dye from jeans at home?
Refrigerator cable - review of brands
A home refrigerator consumes less than 1 kW of electricity. Compared to such consumers as a kettle, stove or oven, this is not much. Therefore, there are no special requirements for its cable.
But it is still advisable to observe one condition - do not use extension cords to supply power supply. This is due to the fact that an additional mechanical contact (plug - socket) appears in the circuit, which impairs reliability, which is especially important for a unit that operates around the clock, as well as in the absence of people.
Below are the cables that you can use to connect your refrigerator to a power source.
VVG cable
Today, this type of cable, which has several cores isolated from each other (single-wire (cross-section up to 50 mm2) or multi-wire), is most often used when installing internal wiring. It can be installed in both dry and damp rooms, as well as outdoors.
It is not recommended to place this brand under plaster or in the ground without additional protection.
Explanation of markings:
- copper (no letter A at the beginning);
- first B – the cable sheath is made of PVC
- second B – insulation of each core from PVC
- G – no armor.
- No screen - no letter E at the end.
- Hyphen T – tropical version (VVG-T) – resistant to mold formation
- Hyphen P – flat cable (VVG-P)
Additional markings:
- ng – if overheated, the insulation is not capable of ignition;
- ng-ls – when insulation smolderes, a low amount of smoke is released;
- ng-hf – absence of halogens in the insulation, that is, the smoke contains a minimum content of harmful gases and tars
NYM cable
It is the next most popular. The cable was developed in Germany, but has long been mastered by domestic manufacturers. It can be installed indoors in dry and damp rooms, as well as outdoors, provided it is protected from UV radiation. Laying under plaster is allowed. Conductors with a cross section of up to 10 mm2 are single-wire, from 16 - multi-wire. The insulation of both the conductors and the general one is made of PVC, between them there is a thick rubber sheath.
Marking:
- N – compliance with European standards (Normenleitung)
- Y – PVC insulation
- M – ability to deform – average
Wire PUVV
It is used to supply direct and alternating voltage power to power plants and lighting networks. Installation is possible under plaster, in concrete, brickwork, and also openly. Explanation:
- P – wire;
- U – installation;
- B – PVC wire insulation;
- B – PVC sheath.
The conductors are made of annealed copper wire (with a cross-section of up to 10 mm2 - single-wire) and laid in the same plane.
Table 1. Cable specifications
Brand | VVG | NYM | PUVV |
Operating temperature range | -50 °С… +50 °С | -50 °С… +50 °С | -50 °С… +65 °С |
Section, mm2 | 1,5 – 240 | 1,5 – 35 | 0,5 – 400 |
Number of cores | 1 – 6 | 2 – 5 | 1 – 5 |
Operating voltage (variable), kV | 0,66; 1 | 0,66 | 0,450; 0,750; 1 |
Minimum bending radius, DN (outer diameter) | 10 | 4 | 10 |
Life time | 30 | 30 | 20 |
Core resistance 1.5 mm2 | 12.1 Ohm/km | 12,1 | 12,1 |
It is better not to use wires with multi-wire conductors, for example, SHVVP or PVS, for stationary installation due to the fact that they have a shorter service life and are more difficult to fix in sockets and plugs.
Need a cable for your refrigerator? Send a request and we will offer the best options and prices!
Send a request
Cable brands
Good cables are brands VVGng-LS or NYM. VVGng-LS is a cable with copper conductors, with insulation, filling and sheath made of polyvinyl chloride with reduced smoke and gas emissions during combustion. The sheath does not propagate combustion when laying a group of cables. Safety is especially important when laying electrical networks in a house or apartment. NYM is a cable with similar properties, manufactured at Russian factories under a German license.
Cable laying requirements
To connect a powerful electrical appliance with a power of 3.4-4 kW, one cable is laid from the electrical panel. In principle, you cannot connect additional sockets, etc. to it. It is better to install an electrical distribution panel in the apartment and, of course, in the house. Then you can install a separate automatic circuit breaker and RCD for the hob, oven, and electric heating boiler.
Features of connecting an electric stove, air conditioner, hob, oven, boiler
Powerful household appliances designed for long-term operation must be connected with a separate cable from the panel, and each switched off with a separate circuit breaker. For safety, an RCD is installed in the connection circuit - it turns off the equipment when a person comes under voltage. Be sure to connect equipment to grounding. If the house is old and there is no grounding, you will have to rely on the reliability of the RCD. You can’t skimp on cables and automation! Your safety depends on it.
Cooking surfaces, electric stoves with a power of over 8 kW and boilers with a power of over 3.5 kW are connected to a three-phase network. The remaining electrical appliances are connected to a single-phase network. The phase connection must be taken into account when choosing a cable.
How to choose a cable for an electric stove and hob?
For a hob and electric stove with a power of up to 8 kW, a three-core cable with a core cross-section of 6-10 mm2 and a powerful 40 A socket is sufficient. For a hob and an electric stove, a 5x6 copper cable with a 50 A socket is sufficient. If the power of the stove is more than 12 kW, The outlet must be able to handle even more current. The socket is used three-phase with grounding.
What is the best extension cord to buy for the refrigerator?
The cross-section depends on the diameter of the copper rod, which is located under the insulation, as well as on the number of cores. Electricians advise using extension cords in which the diameter of the current-carrying core is at least 2.5 mm. To connect the refrigerator, an extension cord with a power of 2200 W or higher is suitable.
- install the refrigerator close to the power outlet so that the wire length is short;
- the socket for connection must be plug-in;
- you need to allocate a separate outlet;
- exclude the use of various adapters, extensions and tees - the type of socket must fully match the type of plug;
Expert opinion
It-Technology, Electrical power and electronics specialist
Ask questions to the “Specialist for modernization of energy generation systems”
Cable cross-section by power, selection according to the table. Calculation of cable cross-section by power. With a small cable cross-section and high power equipment, the cable can heat up, which leads to loss of its properties and destruction of the insulation. Ask, I'm in touch!
Electrical wiring in the kitchen: location of sockets in the kitchen
Electrical wiring in the kitchen in a series of old houses has characteristic features. First of all, all wiring is made not by cable, but by wires with aluminum conductors. The cross-section of the wires, excluding the socket for the electric stove, does not exceed 2.5 mm; a minimum number of group circuits is provided. Such wiring is not suitable for a modern kitchen filled with a large number of household appliances. There is only one way out: make new electrical wiring for the kitchen.
Electrical wiring in the kitchen - general tips
Whatever specialists you plan to invite for electrical installation work in the kitchen, you need to have a basic understanding of how the kitchen load is calculated, and as a result, how the wire cross-sections and ratings of circuit breakers are calculated.
The total power consumption of the kitchen consists of the power of each household appliance that you plan to install in the kitchen.
The most energy-intensive household appliance is the stove.
An oven consumes 2000-3000 W, an electric stove with glass ceramics will consume 6000-8000 W. If we sum up this set and add a reserve of 3000 W, we find that the total power consumption of the kitchen will be: 10,000 W for a gas stove and 18,000 W for an electric stove.
Table of cable core cross-sections
Based on the calculated power consumption, you can determine the cross-section of the cable cores that will be used for new electrical wiring.
Note: Cables with aluminum conductors and aluminum wires have not been used for a long time in electrical wiring of apartments and houses. The conductors must be copper.
Using the table, you can determine the cross-section of the electrical cable cores depending on the circuit load.
Related article: Coordination of repair work: what repairs are allowed in apartments
Apartment group circuits
I repeat, the kitchen is an energy-intensive room and for ease of installation and increased safety, the kitchen electrical wiring is divided into group circuits. The groups are divided so that the power of each group of outlets does not exceed 4600 W, and the lighting power does not exceed 2300 W. For a group circuit of 4600 W, use a copper cable with a cross section of 2.5 mm 2, for lighting a cable of 1.5 mm 2. Separate groups of 4600 W, that is, a separate socket with its own circuit breaker, are made for a washing machine, dishwasher, group of sockets for portable appliances (kettle, mixer, etc.), water heater. A separate group is allocated for the 7300 W stove socket, cable with a cross section of 6 mm 2.
Related article: Electrical wiring in the kitchen in boxes, installing a socket on an electrical box
Accordingly, each group is protected by the following circuit breakers (or fuses):
- 4600 W - 25A/20A;
- 2300 W - 16A/10A;
- 7300 W - 40A/32A.
Location of sockets in the kitchen
Increasingly, a plan for placing sockets can be obtained or ordered when purchasing kitchen furniture. And that’s right, sockets should be tied to the location and size of kitchen cabinets, their height, width and purpose.
Typically, the height of sockets behind cabinets is 10-12 cm from the floor. Sockets on the kitchen apron rise from the finished floor by 80-90 cm, with high cabinets by 115 cm.
How to choose a cable for connecting an air conditioner and a boiler?
To connect the air conditioner, a regular 16 A grounded socket and a 3x2.5 cable are suitable. In principle, the air conditioner can be plugged into any outlet. But manufacturers recommend laying a separate cable for the air conditioner from the panel.
A boiler for heating water most often has a power of 1.5-2 kW. The same socket and cable are suitable for it as for the air conditioner. But the outlet must be waterproof. It is even better to use a circuit breaker with moisture protection instead of an outlet. Protection from moisture is done for safety - the bathroom is humid. And also because people often turn off electrical appliances with wet hands.
Selection of wire (cable) cross-section - by current, power and length: table
You are faced with the question of choosing a wire (cable).
It doesn’t matter what you choose it for, for an apartment, house, garage, cottage, or for connecting an electric motor, heating device, compressor, electric lamp or any other electrical device, you still need to calculate the cross-section of the conductor that will be used for connection. Why is the calculation needed? To put it in simple words, any electrical device (equipment) or room has a current consumption, a load. In order for this wire (cable) to withstand the load consumed by the electricity consumer, a calculation is needed.
Naturally, the calculation is carried out after collecting data about the consumer, that is, it is necessary to calculate the load for each electricity consumer separately and the total load, if required.
But first you need to know how the wire cross-section is determined. The calculation is carried out according to the formula:
S = πD² ⁄ 4 = 0.785 D²
where: S – wire cross-section; π – 3.14; D – wire diameter.
The diameter of the wire can be easily measured using a caliper or micrometer. If the wire core is multi-wire, then you need to measure one wire, make a calculation and multiply by their number. The cross section of the conductor will be obtained.
Related article: How to store cut pumpkin in the refrigerator
Calculation of cable cross-section for a refrigerator
The cable cross-section for a refrigerator is of little importance.
If the size is insufficient, the conductors may become so hot that there is a risk of fire. Also, excess voltage drop reduces the efficiency of any device, since energy is wasted on unnecessary heating of the cable. On the other hand, a large cross-section cable is more expensive. Yes, and it is more difficult to install due to the fact that its weight and rigidity are greater than that of a thin one.
To select a cross-section, you must proceed from the power consumed by the device, which, as a rule, is indicated in its passport.
The current consumed by the device is determined by the formula:
I = P/U,
Where:
P
– device power;
U
- supply voltage.
The refrigerator, depending on the model, the number of compressors and the set of additional functions, consumes from 100 to 600 W. At a voltage of 220 V, using the above formula, it can be obtained that the current in the power circuit will be from 0.5 to 3 A.
It is also known that for copper cables with a cross-section of several mm, a current of 10 A/mm2 is acceptable. That is, for a refrigerator, a cable cross-section of 1 - 1.5 mm2 is quite sufficient.
Standard refrigerator connection diagram