Laying the cable in the cable channel: installation instructions with photos

For what purposes is it necessary to lay a cable channel?

Electrical networks created using a mounting box are different:

• mobility;
• installation flexibility;
• low cost of installation;
• increased electrical and fire safety;
• aesthetic appearance.

Using an electrical box is especially beneficial in rooms where renovations have already been done. To attach the base of the plastic channel, there is no need to disturb the external finish of the walls.

The mounting box is used to protect and insulate external wires in apartment buildings, private homes, and various industrial facilities.

Most often, wall and floor plastic boxes are used to connect electricity, the Internet, cable television, and when installing intercoms. It is suitable for insulating external electrical wiring in rooms with high humidity. It can be installed in the bathroom if the owners want to keep the ceramic tiles on the walls intact.

Installation nuances

Creating convenient and high-quality wiring in an apartment or private house ensures reliable and safe connection of all electrical appliances. Before deciding how to attach the cable channel to the wall, and which screws are best to install the boxes on, it’s worth planning.

Important! You can plan the route for laying wires in any direction and with a different number of turns, but you need to make sure that there are no places where the wires could be damaged.

General recommendations include:

• place the switches on the side of the door handle at a height of 90–160 cm from the floor;
• a minimum distance of 15 cm is required from the ceiling, and 10 cm from the window;
• horizontal wiring lines should be located at a distance of at least 30 cm from the floor.

Beginners installing cable ducts for electrical wiring of any kind should stock up on material 10–15% more than calculated in the drawings.

Advice: do not cut the entire box into pieces at once: during the fastening process, shifts may occur upward or downward and parts of a different length will be required.

Installation technology

The main advantage is ease of installation. At the same time, the structure can be fixed on any surface: wall, floor or ceiling. The surface material is of greater importance: the method of best fastening depends on this. Let's consider the main installation options, as well as the types of surfaces to which the channel cable is attached.

Surface marking

Before you begin to attach the cable channel, you need to make markings on the surface: the location of the electrical wiring boxes is marked on the wall. This can be done using a pencil or chalk and a building level

It is important to maintain horizontal and vertical lines, since after installation the unevenness of the gasket will be evident

Self-tapping installation

To secure the box to a wooden wall, use ordinary self-tapping screws. The recommended length is 2–3 cm. This method is suitable for wooden houses, bathhouses and other buildings. Self-tapping screws are also suitable for walls covered with wooden clapboard.

When performing installation, holes are pre-drilled in the bottom of the box, into which self-tapping screws are then screwed. In plastic structures, holes can be made directly with a self-tapping screw during fastening. The optimal distance between installation points is 30–50 cm, depending on the expected load on the cable channel (the number of electrical wires placed in the box).

Fastening with dowels

Installing cable ducts on a concrete surface requires a more serious approach and additional tools. This will require plastic anchors and a hammer drill or impact drill to make holes in the concrete wall. This method is suitable for installing any profile: both metal and plastic, indoors or outside the building. The order of work is as follows:

• Holes for fastening are drilled at the bottom of the box. The distance between them, as in the previous version, is 30–50 cm;
• Then the cable channel is applied to the wall along the previously marked line;
• Using an awl or nail, the location of the fasteners is marked on the wall surface;
• Then, using a puncher, holes of the required diameter are drilled along the marks in the wall, into which plastic dowels are driven;
• After this, all that remains is to secure the profile using self-tapping screws.

Glue method

Another option for securing the cable channel is to use mounting adhesive for fixation. Most often, the adhesive composition “liquid nails”, produced under the Moment brand, is used for these purposes. This glue is available in tubes for a mounting gun or in ordinary tubes for manual application.

The adhesive installation method is used for attaching cable channels to plasterboard, PVC wall cladding (plastic lining or panels), as well as in bathrooms on ceramic tiles. It is worth noting that only plastic wiring boxes are suitable for this method, since their weight is minimal. It is also desirable that the number of wires laid in the cable channel be minimal and do not create significant loads on the structure.

The technology of the adhesive fixation method is as follows:

• An adhesive is applied to the back of the profile. To ensure maximum adhesion area, the glue is distributed in waves;
• Then the cable channel is carefully applied to the wall along the marking line and immediately removed;
• After 2–3 minutes, when the glue has begun to dry, the strip is reapplied and pressed firmly for several minutes.

After the adhesive has completely set, additional fixation is performed in problem areas. For fastening, use small screws or hammer nails.

In conclusion, here are a few recommendations that will come in handy when...

To facilitate profile connection, use additional elements offered by the manufacturer: T-shaped and corner structures, strip connectors, various bends and other accessories.

To install sockets and switches, it is best to use overhead versions of these products or use box models with built-in structures.

Separately, we note that the installation of external electrical wiring is carried out last, after all finishing work has been completed.

Classification of cable channels

Cable channels are classified according to the following main characteristics:

1. According to the material of manufacture, they are distinguished:

• metal;
• plastic.

1. Based on location, cable boxes are divided into the following types:

• floor products;
• wall, parapet or main (the same wall, only with dimensions over 80 mm in width and 40 mm in height);
• ceiling;
• baseboards.

Types of cable channels

1. According to the degree of hardness they are divided into:

• rigid cabinet products, represented by rigid straight plastic or metal boxes;
• flexible cable channels that can bend in different directions.

Main varieties

Depending on the modification, the dimensions of the cable channels, their shape, material of manufacture and technical parameters vary. In everyday life or for registration of wiring in offices, the following are most often found:

The types of cable channels listed can be divided according to the degree of rigidity, the presence of a cover or the type of locks at the joints. However, installation of wiring boxes in an apartment is carried out according to the same principle and with general rules.

How to choose a cable channel

The cable channel is a rectangular, usually U-shaped profile, closed with a flat snap-on cover made of the same material. Sometimes they are called boxes. Installation of cable channels is carried out around the perimeter of the rooms under the ceiling at a distance of 15 cm with vertical outlets to sockets and switches. To lay wires through the walls, holes are drilled in the opposite channels and the wall .

Related article: How to decorate TV wires on the wall

To lay power and low-current wires in one box, profiles with one or two partitions are produced. The standard length of the box for walls and ceilings is 2 meters, the minimum profile section is 8x8 mm, the maximum is 100x60 mm. For laying a small number of wires, usually low-current, in the corners between the floor and walls, there are specially designed skirting boards. If you need to connect the wire to a device far from the walls, there are floor-mounted options with a rounded surface.

Boxes vary in cost and performance characteristics depending on the material. Products are produced by:

• made of plastic. The most common option and the cheapest. For rooms with high humidity and on the external walls of a building, IP 55 plastic with a high degree of protection can be used. The color palette of plastic boxes allows you to choose the desired tone;
• aluminum with polyethylene coating. More expensive, but stronger and more durable than plastic ones. The number of cycles of opening and closing the lid is small due to the extension of the locks. The polyethylene coating is easily destroyed by mechanical stress. The color is given to the channels by a polyethylene coating and is quite varied;
• galvanized steel. Such structures are the most durable and expensive. Mainly used under high load conditions. For example, with floor wiring and in the external environment. The color of the products is varied.

The choice of the type and size of boxes begins with determining the wiring throughout the house from the electrical panel and entry points for television, computer network, telephone and security alarm cables to sockets, switches and lamps, drawing the wire lines on the drawing of the apartment or house. Depending on the power of the connected equipment, the wires will be of different thicknesses; this should be noted on the drawing.

The cost of the structure greatly depends on the cross-section of the main duct. However, if boxes of different sections are installed along the ceiling in a room, this will ruin the interior. Using the drawn diagram, we determine the cross-section of the main cable channel for each room and the total length of each standard size, taking into account the vertical supply to sockets and switches.

You should immediately calculate for each section of the box the number of internal and external corners along the wiring line, the number of end transitions of the plugs, the number of T-shaped transitions to the branches and their cross-section. Of course, you can do without them, but the gaps at the joints and the difference in cross-sections will be noticeable. Using sealant to seal cracks will lead to difficulties when necessary, for example, adding or replacing a wire in the main.

The wiring will take on an aesthetically finished look if sockets and switches are installed from the same manufacturer. They are ideal in both size and design.

We advise you to pay attention to the walls . The unevenness of the walls will be especially visible when installing the boxes. If the appearance of the room is important, in this case it is worth considering installing the structure along the wall along the floor.

Features of open wiring in a box

Open wiring using electrical boxes is attractive due to the ease of installation, repair and simplicity of carrying out an ongoing inspection of the condition of cable lines inside the box.

Note! Installation of hidden wiring is inherently comparable to the overhaul of the entire room. During the replacement of hidden wiring elements, the room is virtually unsuitable for work or even staying in it due to clouds of dust formed when previously sealed grooves are opened.

The industry produces sets of accessories for cable channels, with the help of which an external type cable route is mounted, duplicating the outlines of the walls, floor and ceiling of the room.

During the operation of cable lines, if it is necessary to repair or replace the electrical wiring laid in the box, it is enough to remove the cover and perform the required work. An important advantage of open wiring in cable channels is the ability to lay additional wires and cables in already laid boxes without finishing work.

Features and varieties

Cable channels are boxes for laying wires made of metal or plastic. The scope of their application is quite wide: interior decoration of offices and apartments, external wiring and ensuring the safety of cables in enterprises.

The functional purpose of such structures is to protect wiring from mechanical damage and open interaction with the environment. Elegant design and ease of use are additional advantages.

All cable channels according to types and sizes are divided into two large subgroups:

• rigid for electrical wiring;
• flexible from corrugated pipes or sections.

In construction, a metal modification of the cable channel is common, where the box body is cast or perforated.

Important! Boxes with a perforated metal body are used only when it is necessary to create a sufficient amount of ventilation in the wiring.

In everyday life, plastic structures are used that are sufficiently rigid to perform their direct functions and have an attractive appearance.

Calculation of the size of a plastic box for electrical wiring

Before you purchase cable channels for installing electrical wiring, you must first draw a layout diagram of the structure in the room, indicating the type of cable channels and the length of each section. After this, determine the required size of each type of tray. To calculate the size of the box, you need to know the cross-section of the wires and their number.

Attention! It is recommended to take a cable channel with a small margin in length (10%) and width.

The length reserve takes into account the additional costs that arise during installation in places with corners, as well as in the event of material damage. It is also advisable to have free space inside the box, which may be needed when laying additional electrical cables.

There is no need to purchase a wide tray if you initially plan to lay only one cable, since its price also depends on the width of the product. Usually the calculation is carried out taking into account an increase in the number of wires by 2-3 pieces.

Also, taking into account the “Rules for Electrical Installations”, in the case of multi-layer filling of plastic cable channels, the sum of the cross-sections of all conductors located in them should not exceed 40% of the cross-section of the product itself in the case of using a box with a lid or 30% in the case of a blind box.

Table for calculating the minimum dimensions of cable channels

Wire cross-section, mm2 Design and dimensions (height and width, mm) of the box

Cable channels are delivered to hardware stores in packages. Depending on the size of the trays, the packaging differs in the number of products and, accordingly, in the total footage. To calculate the total length of cable channels in a package, the number of products is multiplied by the standard length of one tray (2 m).

A table of parameters for one package, depending on the size of one box, is shown in the figure. Parameters of one package of electrical boxes, depending on their size

On a note. When purchasing boxes, it is advisable to purchase fittings for them (plugs, corners, branches, etc.).

Also, for household purposes, it is better to purchase single-lock products, as they will last longer than double-lock ones. This is due to the fact that the wall thickness of single-lock structures is greater, and, consequently, the products themselves are more durable.

Correctly sized cable channels will allow you to quickly install the system, and the additional space inside the box will make it possible to easily add wires to the system without the use of additional trays.

Drawing of cable channel passage

The next step will be to make a drawing of the cable trays, taking into account the location of all junction boxes, switches and sockets. To do this, it is better to use a program with the ability to display three-dimensional images.

Wiring diagram for cable channels

Preparation for installation, surface marking

Open installation imposes increased aesthetic requirements: everything must be “smooth and parallel.” In this case, the box is fixed along the preliminary marking lines. It is carried out using a level (laser or water, construction), a square, a tape measure, a marker, a ruler, a pencil (marker).

Installation instructions Install the box according to the marked markings

Here's how to properly divide the process into stages:

• Initially, a diagram of the optimal electrical wiring is drawn up;
• lines on the wall are drawn by tapping according to the level, all branches are strictly at right angles;
• on them, with a pencil, according to the existing plan, the location of distribution boxes, sockets, switches is marked;
• necessary adjustments are made as work progresses.

You can make turns and angles yourself

At the end, you should calculate the length of the marking stripes, the number of installation points, turns, and corners. This will allow you to order the exact amount of working material.

Turns and corners can be purchased either ready-made or made from cable duct yourself. Using the former leads to increased costs. But work on difficult sections is faster, and the appearance of the route is better than when using homemade ones.

Self-production will require the additional use of sealants to seal seams.

If you have a laser, you don’t have to make markings

Boxes for installation can be cut in advance (for a large area) or during the process. The first case begins with precise measurements using a tape measure along the marking lines.

Then they cut the working material into the required lengths in order to install it later. Accuracy of measurements is important here.

It is easier to carry out the work according to the scheme: try it on - cut it - fasten it.

Drawing straight marking lines and using ready-made components will allow you to attach the cable channel without spoiling the beauty of the room.

Installation procedure and features

According to the rules, wiring is laid horizontally and vertically; inclined installation is permissible only on stairs. In other cases, the rules are not deviated from when wiring is open. To obtain an even cut when installing plastic cable channels with thin stacks, use metal scissors or others, but the cutting edge must be sharp. Aluminum and metal trays are cut with a hacksaw. Thick plastic can also be cut with the same tool - there will be a smooth edge and the profile will not wrinkle.

If you need a piece of a certain length - for a outlet, for example, you need to cut it in this order: snap the lid, align the edge, apply marks on the lid and body at the same time. Then you can cut it separately. With this order, the length of both products will be the same.

Please note that when passing the corner, the lid is not cut into two parts, but only the side walls are cut so that it can be bent. Do not forget that when going around the outer corner, the cover should be longer than the tray; in this case, it is better to mark the places of cuts on it after the cable channel body is secured.

Rules for installing plastic cable trays

The cable channel is attached to a non-wooden surface using nails with a wide head (screws can be used), or to plaster or plasterboard walls using self-tapping screws. For installation on brick or concrete walls, installation with dowels is required. The fastening step of the fasteners is about 60-70 cm; at the ends of the profile and at the joints, the fasteners are installed at a distance of 3-5 cm from the edge.

If two pieces of cable channels are joined, the cover must be positioned so that the joints of the housing and the cover do not coincide. Otherwise, the joint will be too noticeable and an unevenness may form, which will further emphasize the joint.

Order of laying wires

We lay conductors in the mounted housings. To prevent the walls of the cable channels from sagging, we install supporting jumpers with some steps, and then snap the covers. At this point, the installation of wiring in the cable channels can be considered complete.

Method No. 2 – Dowel-nails

If you need to attach a cable channel to a concrete or brick wall, which is a typical situation for an apartment or a house, you cannot do without dowel nails, also called “quick installation”. In addition, for fastening you will need a hammer drill with a 6 mm drill. So, in order to independently fix the electrical box for the cable on a wall made of concrete or brick, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Pre-drill 6 mm holes in the bottom of the cable channel every 40-50 cm.
2. Attach the box to the wall according to the markings (more on this later) and mark the drilling points that coincide with the finished holes in the cable channel.
3. Drill holes according to the marks on the wall.
4. Place the plastic box and drive the dowels into the appropriate places.
5. Hammer the nails.

Using these simple instructions, you can install the cable duct yourself in a wall made of concrete or brick

We draw your attention to one very important point - you should not drill holes with a drill while leaning the box against the wall. When drilling plastic, the impact mode can cause cracks to appear, which can have a negative impact both visually and on the durability of the finished wiring.

General markup rules

Correctly executed markings clearly indicate how to attach the cable channel to the wall, taking into account all the executive elements of the electrical wiring. To apply marking lines you need to prepare:

• ruler and pencil;
• bubble or other type building level;
• beating cord, also called coated thread, with pigment.

The sequence of marking is as follows:

1. In accordance with the architecture of the room and the electrical wiring diagram from the distribution board, the placement points for sockets, switches, and mounting boxes are determined. The optimal dimensions of their distance from the joints of the floor with the walls, corners, etc. are measured with a ruler. Appropriate marks are made on the walls with a pencil.
2. In all places where the cable route is supposed to be laid, straight lines are drawn with a tapping cord.
3. The construction level controls compliance with the vertical and horizontal lines.

Fixing the cable channel along the marked route

Fastening the electrical tray to the wall can be done with liquid nails, wood or metal screws, or dowel nails. It is recommended to screw in the fasteners in a staggered pattern. When using liquid nails, glue should be applied to the back of the box in a zigzag pattern.

Attaching the cable channel to the wall

Method No. 1 - Self-tapping screws

If you decide to install electrical wiring in a wooden house or apartment with plasterboard partitions, then the installation of the cable channel must be done with special wood screws. The fastening step depends on what load will be placed on the plastic box, or more precisely, how many wires need to be stretched inside, and what their cross-section is. As a rule, to securely fasten a cable channel to a wooden wall or drywall, it is enough to screw screws every 40-50 cm. If the walls are uneven, it is better to reduce the fastening step, this will hide all defects and gaps.

You should not choose screws that are too long to install the cable channel yourself. To securely fix the box in the wall, it will be enough to screw in fasteners about 40 mm long. For screwing, it is best to use a screwdriver with a Phillips bit. We talked about how to choose a screwdriver for home repairs in the corresponding article!

Wall mounting options

There are several ways to attach cable ducts to a ceiling or wall:

1. Glue the structure with superglue or a special solution. Not the most reliable option, since under the influence of moisture or other harmful factors, the integrity of the adhesive base may be damaged and the cable channel may come off. And there is also no way to dismantle without harming the repair.
2. Screw to the surface using galvanized self-tapping screws. Suitable for wooden or plasterboard surfaces.
3. For a concrete or brick wall, dowel-nails are used.
4. Combine the method of gluing and screwing in screws.

In specialized stores you can find a separate type of cable channels, which have one adhesive side. For their installation, no additional devices are required, only the material itself.

Important! The boxes must be cut with the lids snapped on them. And when constructing several sections into one route, ensure that the joints match.

Method No. 3 – “Screws with a press washer”

If there is a need to attach a cable channel to metal less than 2 mm thick or an aluminum profile, then we advise you to use metal screws, also called “bugs,” for fastening. By the way, the correct name for bedbugs is self-tapping screws with a press washer. They do not require pre-drilling a hole. There is nothing difficult about installing an electrical box on a metal surface; the main thing is to choose good screws and charge the screwdriver.

There is also a special gun with which you can independently attach the cable duct to concrete. The video provides a detailed description of the installation:

Specifics of gluing cable channel

Gluing is as easy as shelling pears, but you need to take into account that you need to completely forget about dismantling the glued box. You can’t just tear it off, only together with a piece of the wall or its decoration. True, installation will require a minimum of effort and time; the only consumables are glue, for example, “liquid nails.”

The algorithm is as follows:

• We apply the adhesive composition in a kind of zigzag with a step between the “tops” equal to approximately 1.5 times the width of the box;
• We apply the base treated with glue to the wall, but do not fix it on it, but remove it to the side;
• wait until the remaining adhesive trace on the wall thickens;
• install the channel in place and press firmly;
• again we wait for the glue to harden.

For your own peace of mind and increased reliability, you can supplement the adhesive fastening with nails driven along the central axis of the box in increments of 50-60 cm.

Only after hardening will it be possible to begin laying the cable, which for convenience needs to be fixed in the channel. For permanent fixation, special plastic holders are useful. Thrifty craftsmen can use available devices: pieces of the cover or the cable channel itself. Temporary fixtures will undoubtedly need to be removed before attaching the cover.

Advice. It is more convenient to lay the cable in the constructed system, alternating with snapping the cover. Installed part of the wiring in the channel, then clicked it, etc.

Fastening on the surface of plasterboard boards

Attaching boxes to plasterboard boards (hereinafter referred to as GCP) with standard hardware is very problematic, since GCP are a layer of gypsum located between layers of paper. The compressive strength of such drywall is critical. If you are slightly “overzealous” when tightening the self-tapping screw while screwing the base of the box to the GKP, then the threaded part of the fastener in the plaster will begin to turn idle, reducing the strength of the fastening to zero.

To fix the boxes on the fragile surface of the GCP, reliable fastening can only be ensured by using special dowels, commonly called “butterflies”, or by using mounting adhesive, called “liquid nails”.

Instructions on making corner joints

The main requirement of this work is the absence of visible “gaps” between the elements after snapping the covers. To avoid any cracks, you need to carefully measure and cut carefully, using a metal blade and a miter box or trimmer. Therefore, those who want to build a cable channel system on their own are strongly recommended to use accessories that hide all the flaws.

Minor errors can be masked with a color-matched sealant, but there is also a way to form a corner transition. Instead of cutting two pieces at the traditional 45º angle, you can simply cut the walls of the bases to their full width. In such cases, the boxes are installed with an overlap. Cuts and cutouts on the walls of the cable channel are made with metal scissors.

We are convinced that there are no special tricks in fastening electrical boxes. Connecting sockets and switches to the mains laid in them is done in a standard way. If the performer is patient, you can rightfully be proud of the result.

How to calculate components for electrical wiring

Boxes vary in width and height; each box can contain from one to several wires at a time. In order to correctly calculate the footage of electrical boxes and the required number of additions, you need to create an electrical wiring project. It can be drawn first on paper. This will help calculate the number of components: sockets, switches, boxes and fittings. Then, with a marker or pencil, draw the installation locations for sockets and switches, installation of lamps and other devices, and connect them with lines. These lines will serve as a guide for installing cable channels. Measure all resulting lines with a tape measure. Indicate these dimensions on a paper drawing. Make such projects for all rooms. Sum up the result.

Additional electrical wiring in cable duct

There are situations when, after repairs, you need to add an additional outlet or other elements. It is very simple to solve this problem if there is electrical wiring laid in the cable route. It is enough to purchase a wire, box and accessories from one manufacturer and add the required point.

If necessary, it is easy to lay additional wire in a plastic box

It is not recommended to use material from another company. This will lead to a violation of the aesthetic appearance of the room.

Tips for installing corners and joints of cable channels

When using special accessories, the places where plastic cable channels pass through the external and internal corners of the walls or floor are closed, respectively, with external and internal corners, aesthetically fitting into the interior of the room. The joints of the boxes can be trimmed with slight deviations from right angles and straightness of the cut, if you use connectors that hide the junctions of the sections.

In the absence of factory-made elements, corner transitions can be made as follows:

1. To pass the internal corner you need:

• in the place where the route bends, make cuts along the sides of the box with a cutting depth to the level of the plastic base;
• bend the box at the desired internal angle;
• install the box at the transition site and attach it to the wall using one of the previously described methods (depending on the wall material);
• close the box with pieces of lids.

1. For installation along the outer corner, the box is cut and fixed in the same way as for the inner corner. However, cuts are made on the lid at an angle of 450 with the center of the angle on the bend line.

The use of cable channels when arranging home and workshop electrical wiring greatly simplifies the design and installation of cable networks, speeds up installation work and allows the full reuse of wires and cables after dismantling the wiring.

Tips and tricks

Before purchasing and installing cable channels, determine the position and number of power and low-current outlets in each location. If you know where and what furniture and electrical appliances will be located, it will not be difficult to count the sockets.

Related article: Retaining walls made of monolithic reinforced concrete

It is more convenient to lay the wires in the channels in one bundle, while simultaneously closing the box. You can pull the wires one by one, securing the already laid covers with a small piece every half meter.

To attach a large number of wires to gypsum fiber sheets, you can use special nylon plugs for screws that are inserted into the wall.