Quite often, homeowners who are not professional electricians have questions regarding the use of such an energy resource as electricity. So they are forced to look for answers to electrical questions in a wide variety of sources that successfully operate on the Internet. But, despite the wide variety of construction information resources and resources dedicated specifically to electrical engineering, very often the search for answers ends in failure. I decided to fill this gap to the best of my ability and prepare a material in which to collect all the most frequently asked questions about electrical engineering and give them the most comprehensive answers. So, let's get straight to the electrical questions and answers.
Questions about electrical wiring, connection and laying of electrical wires
Which is better internal or external wiring?
There is no clear answer to this question. The thing is that both variants of electrical wiring are quite acceptable and have their own distinctive features and advantages. Thus, the advantages of external (open) electrical wiring include higher installation speed, as well as higher efficiency - in other words, the costs of installing external wiring are somewhat lower than when installing internal wiring. If we talk about the advantages of internal electrical wiring, then we should mention higher reliability and a more attractive appearance.
Today, external electrical wiring is used mostly in wooden houses or small country houses, that is, where there is no or no wall plaster in which the electrical cable could be “hidden.” Note that in the case of external wiring, the electrical cable must be hidden in a corrugated pipe to increase the electrical and fire safety of all electrical wiring. You can read more about external and internal wiring in the material “Installation of electrical wiring.”
Which wire is better, copper or aluminum?
As in the above question, there is no definite answer here and cannot be. Although, of course, by modern standards, copper wire is preferable, because it can withstand higher current loads and, accordingly, can withstand greater power. On the other hand, aluminum wire is cheaper, which makes it the best option for organizing power supply in domestic premises or country houses.
Is it possible to combine copper with aluminum?
Absolutely forbidden. The fact is that copper, in interaction with aluminum, begins to quickly oxidize, as a result of which reliable contact is lost, and the wire core begins to gradually deteriorate. Of course, temporarily connecting a copper and aluminum conductor by simple twisting is quite acceptable, but connecting such wires, for example, in a groove when organizing internal wiring is prohibited. In such cases, special connecting blocks or some other methods of connecting wires are used.
Fastening the wire in the groove - how is the wire secured and is it necessary at all?
As you might guess, we are talking about internal wiring, which involves hiding electrical wires in grooves and then plastering them. Do I need to secure the wire in the groove? In principle, you can do without fastening, because the wire will already be securely fixed in the wall due to the plaster mixture, although in some cases the wire is still fixed in the groove for greater convenience of subsequent plastering (in other words, so that the wire does not come out and interfere with sealing the grooves). As for fastening, this process is carried out using special clamps or so-called “clips”.
The depth of cable laying in the ground - what should it be?
Quite often, especially when arranging country houses, there is a need to lay an electrical wire underground - in a previously prepared trench. This method of supplying electricity is much more rational compared to organizing an overhead power line.
But let's return to the question asked. So, what should be the depth of the trench? In this case, everything depends on the characteristics of the soil and the entire area as a whole. As a rule, the depth of laying the cable in the ground is within 30 cm - 1 meter. At the same time, regardless of the depth to which the wire is hidden, it must be enclosed in a corrugated pipe in order to additionally protect its external insulation.
Is it necessary to install an RCD to protect electrical wiring?
For those who are not in the know: RCD is a residual current device. The main purpose of installing this device is to protect a person from possible electric shock in the event of a leak caused by damage to the insulation of electrical conductors. Is it necessary to install an RCD? Of course, installing such protection won’t hurt – this is probably clear to everyone. But nevertheless, this is not a mandatory measure - if you have reliable wiring and circuit breakers installed, you can completely do without an RCD.
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GOST 10348-80 Multi-core installation cables with plastic insulation. Technical specifications GOST 12176-89 Cables, wires and cords. Test methods for flame retardation GOST 12177-79 Cables, wires and cords. Methods for checking the design GOST 12179-76 Cables and wires. Method for determining the dielectric loss tangent GOST 12182.0-80 Cables, wires and cords. Methods for testing resistance to mechanical stress. General requirements GOST 12182.1-80 Cables, wires and cords. Methods for testing resistance to repeated bending through a roller system GOST 12182.2-80 Cables, wires and cords. Method for testing resistance to winding GOST 12182.3-80 Cables, wires and cords. Methods for testing resistance to bending with axial torsion GOST 12182.4-80 Cables, wires and cords. Method for testing resistance to rewinding GOST 12182.5-80 Cables, wires and cords. Method for testing tensile strength GOST 12182.6-80 Cables, wires and cords. Method for testing crush resistance GOST 12182.7-80 Cables, wires and cords. Method for testing resistance to axial torsion GOST 12182.8-80 Cables, wires and cords. Method for testing bending resistance GOST 15845-80 Cable products. Terms and definitions GOST 22220-76 Cables, wires and cords. Methods for determining the resistance of insulation and sheaths made of polyvinyl chloride plastic to cracking and deformation at elevated temperatures GOST 23286-78 Cables, wires and cords. Standards for insulation thicknesses, sheaths and voltage tests GOST 25018-81 Cables, wires and cords. Methods for determining the mechanical properties of insulation and sheath GOST 2990-78 Cables, wires and cords. Voltage test methods GOST 3345-76 Cables, wires and cords. Method for determining electrical insulation resistance GOST 6323-79 Wires with polyvinyl chloride insulation for electrical installations. Technical specifications GOST 7006-72 Protective cable covers. Design and types, technical requirements and test methods GOST 7229-76 Cables, wires and cords. Method for determining the electrical resistance of current-carrying cores and conductors GOST R 51651-2000 Cable products. Quality system. Materials of construction GOST R IEC 332-1-96 Testing of cables for flame retardation. Testing of a single vertically located insulated wire or cable GOST R IEC 332-2-96 Testing of cables for flame retardation. Testing of a single vertically located insulated wire or cable of small diameter with copper cores GOST R IEC 60173-99 Coloring of cores of flexible cables and cords GOST R IEC 60227-1-99 Cable with polyvinyl chloride insulation for rated voltage up to 450/750 V inclusive. General requirements GOST R IEC 60227-2-99 Cables with polyvinyl chloride insulation for rated voltages up to 450/750 V inclusive. Test methods GOST R IEC 60227-3-2002 Cables with polyvinyl chloride insulation for rated voltages up to 450/750 V inclusive. Cables without sheath for fixed installation R IEC 60227-4-2002 Cables with polyvinyl chloride insulation for rated voltages up to 450/750 V inclusive. Sheathed cables for stationary installation GOST R IEC 60227-5-2002 Cables with polyvinyl chloride insulation for rated voltages up to 450/750 V inclusive. Flexible cables (cords) GOST R IEC 60754-1-99 Testing of cable construction materials during combustion. Determination of the amount of halogen acid gases released GOST R IEC 60754-2-99 Testing of cable construction materials during combustion. Determination of the degree of acidity of emitted gases by measuring pH and specific conductivity ...
Various questions regarding electrics and everything connected with it
Height of sockets and height of switches
There is a lot of controversy about how high from the floor sockets and switches should be located. According to the current trend, switches are placed at hand level, that is, in such a way that, if necessary, the user does not have to reach for the switch when turning on the light. As for the sockets, they are placed a little lower (usually at a distance of 50 cm from the floor).
Be that as it may, there are no technical restrictions. That is, everyone chooses individually at what distance to place the socket or switch.
Which socket is better, ceramic or plastic?
As practice shows, “core” sockets, which are made of ceramic, are more durable and reliable. In addition, such sockets can withstand heavy loads - you can be sure that the ceramic socket will not melt when connected to it and operated for a long time, for example, by a powerful electric heater.
Is it possible to install an outlet in the bathroom?
Someone will say that there is water there, which means that any electrical appliances are simply not allowed there. A counter question - what about the lighting and its switch, which are located in the bathroom? After all, they are also exposed to moisture and, accordingly, are also under voltage all the time. What's all this for? And besides, it is quite possible to install sockets in the bathroom, and it will be completely safe. The only thing: you can’t place sockets in close proximity to water sources - faucets and other plumbing equipment.
Note that for those who still doubt safety, we can recommend purchasing and installing special sockets for the bathroom. Such sockets are protected from moisture and are absolutely safe (at least that’s what the manufacturers say).
The color of the wires is phase zero earth, what markings exist?
The modern market offers a large assortment of a wide variety of electrical cables, the cores of which have a wide variety of color markings. However, it must be remembered that, as a rule, a conductor with yellow-green insulation is intended for grounding, a conductor with blue insulation for the neutral conductor, and a conductor with red insulation for the phase conductor.
How to properly connect a telephone wire?
Of course, the question of connecting a telephone wire has an indirect rather than a direct relation to electrical issues. However, since it is asked quite often, it would be unfair to ignore it. So how do you connect a telephone cable? The best option here would be to use a special mounting box in which the conductors are connected to each other using terminals pressed with screws. If there is no such “device” or the connection needs to be made quickly, then it is quite possible to connect the wires in the most common way - the twisting method. In this case, special attention should be paid to the insulation of the conductors among themselves and the general insulation of the connection made.
What can be used instead of electrical tape?
Quite often there is a need to perform one or another electrical work, which involves the need to ensure reliable insulation. It also often happens that there is no insulating tape at hand and you have to work hard to figure out what to replace it with. What can replace electrical tape? The best option in this case would be to use PVC pipes or special heat-shrinkable pipes. If you don’t have them either, you can use almost any adhesive dielectric - tape or medical plaster - as insulation.
That's all, I hope. Our electrical questions and answers will help you solve any electrical problem.
We recommend that you read:
- PROTECTIVE NULLING
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- LED LIGHTS
- CALCULATION OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
Author – Anton Pisarev
