The modern electrical wiring plan for a two-room apartment differs in many respects from previously used diagrams. The fact is that modern loads are simply incommensurate with the loads of the 70s and 80s, when most panel houses were built.
Back then, the main consumers were a few light bulbs, a TV and sometimes an iron. A modern apartment has a significantly larger number of electrical appliances and, accordingly, needs other power supply schemes.

Open wiring

So:

• Before developing a wiring plan for a two-room apartment, we should decide on its basic parameters. One of these is the method of laying it. At the moment, two options are used - open and hidden.
• Open wiring has certain advantages:
  1. To install it, there is no need to trench the walls. That is, you can completely replace all wires without subsequent repairs throughout the entire apartment.
  2. Open wiring is installed very quickly. And with the proper skill and availability of workers, it can be completely installed in literally a day.
  3. If you need to connect new electrical receivers or carry out repairs, you do not need to break down the walls.

• Installation of hidden wiring is carried out in special boxes. In this case, the wire in the boxes usually has additional protection in the form of a metal or self-extinguishing corrugated pipe. You can, of course, install it without using special boxes, but this option is more suitable for utility rooms and sheds, but not for apartments.
• Branches to sockets and switches are also made using a special box. And the sockets and switches themselves must be designed for an open circuit.
• An electrical wiring diagram can also be used in a two-room apartment with its installation in baseboards. But this method has significant limitations on the number of wires used and is often used only for wiring in individual rooms or for laying to individual electrical receivers.

Hidden wiring

So:

• More common is the wiring diagram in a two-room apartment using hidden electrical wiring. This method has the following advantages:
  1. Due to the fact that all elements of such wiring are hidden from prying eyes, it has a more attractive appearance
  2. Doesn’t take up free space in our already small apartments
  3. Hidden wiring has higher throughput and overload capacity due to better heat transfer.
  4. Due to the lower requirements for protection from mechanical damage, the price of the necessary materials is noticeably lower.
• Installation of hidden wiring is carried out directly in the structural elements of your apartment. To do this, small recesses are made in the wall - grooves. Wiring is laid in them, followed by plastering.
• To install sockets, switches and distribution boxes, recesses are also made in the wall. They are then installed with sockets and switches designed specifically for the hidden circuit.

Calculation and selection of power supply scheme

Posting calculation

So:

• Before we begin directly calculating our electrical wiring, we need to decide on the number of electrical receivers. To do this, it is necessary to accurately determine the number and location of each outlet and lamp. Without this clear plan, further calculations are impossible.

Note! You should not deliberately overestimate the number of outlets or lighting you require. You only need those outlets to which you know exactly what will be connected. Installing sockets and lighting circuits just in case, significantly increases the cost of your electrical system and increases your labor costs.

• Now having a clear idea of ​​the number of electrical receivers, we can proceed directly to the calculations of the required wire. But the capacity of the wires in clause 1.3 of the PUE (Electrical Installation Rules) is indicated in amperes, and the power of all our devices is usually indicated in watts.
• Using Ohm's law, which everyone should know from school, we recalculate: where P is the power of the device in Watts (W), U is the voltage of your electrical network in volts (V), for a single-phase network the voltage is 220V, and I is This is the current that will flow in the wires in amperes (A).

• Having made a simple calculation, we find that when connecting a 1000W device, a current of 4.55A will flow in our wire. Our instructions advise rounding this value to 5A to create a certain margin and simplify calculations.
• Now let's start choosing the wire. It can be made of copper or aluminum and is insulated with polyvinyl chloride or rubber. The choice should be made in accordance with clause 1.3 of the PUE. It includes a conductor depending on laying conditions, insulation, humidity and some other parameters.
• But all this is quite complicated and with small apartment loads it is not always justified. Therefore, if you are not a design office and are replacing the wiring yourself, then we advise you to use a simplified calculation. According to it, a copper wire with a cross-section of 1 mm2 in normal mode passes a current of 10A, and an aluminum wire with the same cross-section - 5A.

Selecting a wiring diagram

So:

• Having calculated all possible loads, we should divide them into groups. In this case, we will be guided by clause 6.2.2 of the PUE, which states that group lines must be protected by circuit breakers for a current of no more than 25A. At the same time, if you create a separate group for the lighting network, it is usually equipped with a 16A circuit breaker.
• When dividing the load into groups, the power of consumers should be taken into account separately. These include electrical equipment with a power of 2 kW or more. These are usually heating and heating devices. If you have any, then they should be powered by a separate circuit breaker with the appropriate rated current.

• Without taking into account powerful consumers, your wiring plan for a two-room apartment should have two to three groups. One of which is the lighting network and one or two groups are power sockets.
  If you end up with two groups feeding outlets, then it is advisable to form groups in adjacent rooms. That is, one group powers the sockets in the kitchen and hallway, and the second - in the bedroom and living room.

Note! According to clause 7.1.37 of the PUE, installation of sockets in the bathroom is permitted only when connected through an RCD. If you are installing an outlet in the bathroom, it is advisable to include it in the group that powers the kitchen outlets. After all, although sockets in the kitchen do not require the mandatory installation of an RCD, this protection device in the kitchen would be most appropriate.

• Separately, I would like to dwell on the cross-section of the wires used. For groups with a 25A circuit breaker, the copper wire must have a cross-section of at least 2.5 mm 2.
  Accordingly, for groups of 16A, at least 1.5 mm 2. But in any case, the cross-section of the wire feeding a separate group is not advisable to make more wires on the input machine.

When changing the electrical system in an apartment, you need to know exactly where and what electrical points will be installed, so you need to start this process by developing a wiring diagram, and it cannot be otherwise. It is impossible to start installation without a diagram, one is impossible without the other, any professional electrician knows this.

When developing an electrical wiring diagram, many issues arise, such as the choice of conductor cross-section, installation location of sockets and switches, the planned load depending on the power of electrical appliances, as well as the protection of the circuit itself, electrical appliances and people from emergency operating conditions. Therefore, when repairing electrical wiring or completely replacing it, maximum attention should be paid to these issues.

If for some reason the existing wiring diagram of the apartment does not suit the owner, for example, because the current loads do not correspond to the cross-section of the conductors, the location of sockets and switches, or for some other reason, you should think about repairing the wiring and seek help from specialist electricians . Unless, of course, you yourself are an expert in this field.

Many apartments still use a circuit with aluminum wiring; at the time when it was designed and these buildings were built, there were no such large electrical loads, and the requirements for the wiring diagram of apartments were different.

The absence of a grounding conductor, the use of aluminum wires when installing wiring, the lack of high-quality protection (RCD, modern automatic machines) are the main, but far from the only disadvantages of outdated circuits. Operation of such electrical wiring can be dangerous to human life.

So, as many people install in their apartments instead of bathtubs, Jacuzzis to which a voltage of 220 V is supplied, the electrical wiring diagram of the apartment must be three-wire, have three wires phase, zero, ground, and also the line must be protected by an RCD, the same requirement applies to for other electrical appliances such as a washing machine, electric oven, dishwasher, etc. Sometimes fires occur due to a short circuit in old electrical wiring.

If all this is not indifferent to you, you should determine how old your electrical wiring is, what work needs to be done to correct the current situation, repair the electrical wiring or only partially replace it, what materials should you purchase? But it’s better to entrust all this to our professionals! What will be the wiring diagram for the apartment? It all depends on how many rooms there are in the apartment, on the power consumption, on the number of electrical appliances.

Typical wiring diagrams in an apartment.

When developing a circuit, the electrician must take into account such nuances as the location of sockets and switches in the rooms so that they are not subsequently covered by furniture. If you contact us, we will take into account all the points, grounding of electrical appliances, power and selection of conductor cross-section, installation of modern protection (RCD, circuit breakers).

So, if the apartment has a standard layout, you can use a ready-made scheme developed for standard apartments by making minor adjustments. It is shown in the figure below.

Figure 1 - schematic diagram of the apartment's electrical wiring.

Figure 2 - single-line diagram of the apartment's electrical wiring.

A mandatory requirement is the installation of a potential equalization system. To do this, it is necessary to connect the grounding bus in the electrical panel with a separate wire to the pipes of cold, hot water and sewerage, as well as to the bathroom, as shown in the diagram Figure 2. The rules for implementing the potential equalization system are defined by the IEC 364-4-41 standard and paragraphs. 1.7.82, 1.7.83, 7.1.87, 7.1.88 PUE 7th edition.

This diagram shows the connection of the apartment wiring to the three-phase power supply of the house riser. From the floor board, a VVG 5*16 cable enters the apartment board, that is, the entrance to the apartment. The input is a five-core cable from which the entire apartment is powered. N is working zero. L1, L2, L3 are phase numbers. PE is protective earth.

The distribution board in the apartment is arranged as follows: the input cable is connected to the input circuit breaker, from the input circuit breaker there are jumpers by cable or bus to the group circuit breakers, lighting network, socket network and other electrical appliances.

We are drawing up a wiring diagram for the apartment.

First, you need to find out what electrical appliances will be used in the apartment and where they will be installed. Let's start with the kitchen, since the most powerful appliances are traditionally concentrated in this place. One of them is an electric stove, onto which a separate cable is laid from the VVG 3x6 electrical panel and a separate automatic machine is installed. A separate cable is also laid directly from the switchboard to other powerful electrical equipment, such as a washing machine, dishwasher, water heater, heated floors, and air conditioning.

For the remaining sockets in the apartment, you can run a common cable to the distribution box, and from there you can wire the cable to each socket or block of sockets. We will do the same with the lighting, we will throw a common wire on the box, and from the box we will make wiring to the lamps and switches.

Thus, we get a circuit in which the power supply for the entire apartment load is divided into group lines. Such as lighting group, household socket group, power socket group.

Figure 3. Simplified block diagram of the apartment's electrical wiring.

Having drawn up a schematic diagram and knowing the area, the location of the cable, the location of the sockets and switches, you can begin to calculate the amount of materials that will be required for installation. The apartment's electrical wiring diagram will help us calculate the cable footage, the number of sockets and switches, purchase the required number and type of machines, and select an electrical panel.

Here are a couple more diagrams that will be more understandable for non-professional electricians or people with a superficial understanding of electricity. The diagram clearly shows cables, circuit breakers, as well as electricity consumers.

Figure 4. Schematic diagram of the electrical wiring of a one-room apartment.

Figure 5. Block diagram of the apartment's electrical wiring.

1. Plastic shield housing
   2. Clamping elements of zero working conductors
   3. Clamping element of neutral protective conductors, as well as potential equalization conductor
   4. Clamping element of the input terminals of protective devices of group circuits
   5. Residual current switch (RCD)
   6. Slot machines
   7. Group lines

How to determine the layout of an existing electrical wiring.

Determining how the wiring is done in an apartment is not difficult if you know some of the rules by which it is laid. Installation diagrams may vary depending on the type of house and the year it was built, but it is still possible to determine the wiring diagram for the apartment.

In brick houses Wiring can be done in two ways. The first method is an overhead distribution no lower than 15 cm from the ceiling level. At the same level, distribution boxes are placed, from which descents to sockets and switches are made. All wires are laid strictly vertically and horizontally in the groove. Cables for lighting are laid in ceilings in which there are voids (channels).

The second method is bottom wiring, when the cables are laid in pipes along the floor and filled with screed; from the floor, the cables rise vertically to the distribution boxes and wiring is already done from them. Lighting is also provided in the ceiling ducts.

In panel houses, Khrushchev buildings Electrical wiring is carried out in the channels of the slabs. Channels for wiring, places for installing sockets, switches, are made at the factory during the manufacture of plates. All channels converge into distribution boxes, from which channels go to the electrical panel. In panel houses, channels are often made not vertically and horizontally, but along the shortest path, that is, along an oblique line.

In some Khrushchev buildings, the wiring for powering the outlets is routed under your floor, and the wiring for lighting is under the floor of your neighbors above.

To conclude the topic, there are some useful tips. If you are doing electrical wiring repairs.

The installation height of sockets and switches from the floor level can be any, the main thing here is that it is convenient for you to use them. In general, there is a rule according to which sockets should be at a height of 30 centimeters from the floor, and switches - 90 centimeters. In general cases, this placement is usually the most convenient. But it would obviously be more appropriate to place sockets in the kitchen above the desktop surface. The same situation applies to the desk.

It is better to immediately connect stationary household appliances, such as a range hood, heated towel rail, or water heater through the terminal block. Because you are unlikely to use the outlet often, and there is not much point in it.

Sockets for the Internet and TV can be combined into one unit. Thanks to this, you can simultaneously install a low-current network and electrical wiring. Decide on the installation location of the low-current switchboard, whether you install it in the apartment or run the wires into the floor switchboard. Choose the most convenient and profitable option.

Wire connections, twists, and terminal blocks must be located only in junction boxes, otherwise, after using the wiring, you will not be able to remove the wire to connect any devices, if such a need arises. As a rule, one box is installed in each room, but if there are many electrical points in the room, the wires may not fit into one box, so in such a situation it is better to install two boxes.

The layout of electrical wiring in an apartment depends on many parameters. First of all, this is the method of wiring installation.

It can be open or hidden. The next very important parameter is the expected load of electrical appliances in our apartment.

Well, the last significant factor is the nature and requirements of electrical appliances in your apartment. Having considered all these parameters in our article, we will be able to choose the optimal electrical wiring diagram for any apartment.

Open wiring is not considered the best option for apartments and houses. But as an exception, it may well be used.

Therefore, we will briefly discuss the basic standards for installing this type of electrical wiring, its advantages and disadvantages.

So:

• Open wiring is wiring that is laid directly on the surface of walls, ceilings and other building structures. It is performed in pipes, metal sleeves, boxes, trays or on insulators and cables. The choice of installation conditions depends on the wishes and technical characteristics of the room. In apartments, laying in boxes or trays is usually used, and individual branches can be made on rollers or insulators.
• According to the rules of the PUE (Rules for Electrical Installations) clause 2.1.61, boxes and trays must be selected in such a way that the sum of the cross-sections of all wires laid in them does not exceed the cross-section of the box by more than 40%. In addition, according to SNiP 3.05.06 -85, boxes and trays must be made in such a way as to prevent the possibility of moisture accumulation.

When installing boxes, your apartment wiring diagram should take into account the following factors:

• When laying parallel to the pipeline, the distance between it and the tray must be at least 100 mm.
• When laying parallel to the gas pipeline, the distance between it and the wiring must be at least 400 mm.
• When laying electrical wiring closer than 250 mm from the pipeline, it is necessary to provide protection for the wire from mechanical damage.
• When crossing unprotected pipeline wires, it is necessary to ensure a distance between them of at least 50 mm.
• When crossing wires with gas pipelines, the distance between them must be at least 100 mm.

Laying wires in boxes requires compliance with the following conditions:

• Wires can be mounted scattered or in bundles.
• Individual cables or bundles must be attached to the box. In this case, it is necessary to provide a dielectric flexible gasket between the fastening and the wire. Usually it's rubber.
• Where trays pass through walls, wires must also have a fireproof seal. This is necessary to prevent the development of a possible fire. In this case, it must be possible to replace the wires.

Our instructions also include laying wires in baseboards as an open type of wiring. This type of gasket has recently become increasingly popular, but has a number of limitations.

First of all, it is connected to a small number of wires that can be mounted behind the baseboard. Therefore, this type of installation can only be used as wiring around the room.

Now let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of the open wiring method.

The disadvantages include the following:

• Higher price of necessary materials. After all, in addition to the wire itself, you will need trays, metal corrugated hoses, seals and much more.
• They always try to hide utility lines. With the open method of laying the wires, they are visible, which does not improve the appearance of your apartment. In addition, boxes and trays hide free space.
• Due to the fact that the air around the wire with an open installation method does not have the best thermal conductivity parameters, the load characteristics of the wire are somewhat reduced. Therefore, you may need a larger gauge wire.

The advantages of open wiring include:

• Due to the fact that the installation of boxes and wires can be done with your own hands and this does not present any difficulties, the speed of work is significantly increased.
• Open installation can be done without subsequent renovation of the premises.
• The maintainability of electrical wiring increases due to its accessibility.
• Ease of connecting new electrical receivers.

Hidden wiring is the most common type of wire installation in apartments. It does not have as many restrictions as the open method, but is quite labor-intensive in terms of installation.

In this section we will look at the basic requirements for hidden wiring, its advantages and disadvantages.

So:

• Hidden electrical wiring is a type of installation in which the wire is laid inside building elements such as the floor, walls and ceiling. It is performed in construction voids or special grooves, followed by plastering. In addition, hidden wiring includes wiring mounted behind suspended ceilings, which is laid in flexible metal sleeves.
• The main requirement of the PUE for hidden electrical wiring is the prohibition of its installation in ventilation shafts and ducts. Only crossing these channels with single wires is allowed.
• According to SNiP 3.05.06-85, all wires laid in grooves and prepared for subsequent plastering must be attached to the wall. This should be done at least every 1.2 meters.
• The same regulatory document establishes the rules for installing distribution boxes for hidden wiring. They should not protrude from the wall. If the structure of the wall is such that it is possible for the box to move inward, then it should be left at a level of 30 - 35 mm.
• The thickness of the protective layer of plaster when installing hidden wiring must be at least 10 mm.

Now let's look at the advantages and disadvantages that a hidden wiring diagram in an apartment provides us with.

The disadvantages include:

• The high labor intensity of gating and the need for subsequent repairs of the premises.
• Difficulty in repairing and maintaining electrical wiring. After all, in the best case, we only have access to junction boxes and connections to electrical appliances.
• Difficulty in installing additional connections. In fact, without subsequent repairs, this can only be done in an open way.

The advantages of hidden wiring include:

• Attractive appearance, because the cable routing areas are completely hidden from view.
• Higher heat transfer rates of wires mounted in the wall allow the use of wires of smaller cross-section.

Calculation of the expected load of the apartment and choice of scheme

Calculation of the expected load of the apartment

Calculating the expected load of an apartment has no rules and regulations. Therefore, here we should use our imagination or look at the repair plan and, based on it, make subsequent calculations.

• To better clarify this issue, let's take one room, such as a hall, as an example. In the hall we may have a TV, air conditioning and other video and audio equipment. It is also possible to connect temporary power receivers. For example, this could be an iron. In total this turns out to be about 2 kW.
• In addition, we have a lighting network in the hall. Let's say this is a 300 W chandelier and six spotlights of 60 W each. As a result, we get the total power of the lighting network to be approximately 660W.
• The total power required for our hall is equal to 2660W. Now we make a similar calculation for other rooms and summarize the obtained values. As a result, you will get 10 kW, or even more.

Note! Such large quantities should not be alarmed. After all, you have calculated the possible load of your apartment in the case where you have all possible electrical appliances turned on. In reality, this is almost impossible, and in the future we will use this calculation to distribute loads more evenly across groups.

Choosing an apartment power plan

So:

• Now we have to distribute the loads among the groups. But for this we need to know the rated current, not the power. Ohm's law will help us with this, where P is the rated power, and U is the rated voltage of our network, that is, 220V.
• Based on this formula, we find that a 1 kW device consumes an electric current of 4.55 A. To simplify the calculation and create a safety margin, we take this value equal to 5A.
• Now we have to distribute the loads. This should be done based on clause 6.2.6 of the PUE, which states that circuit breakers with a rated current of no more than 25A should be used to power the electrical network, lighting and sockets. It should be taken into account that clause 6.2.3 of the PUE does not allow powering more than 20 lamps and sockets from one circuit breaker. Therefore, the lighting group is usually powered from a circuit breaker rated at 16A.

Please note that clause 6.2.3 of the PUE provides for multi-lamp chandeliers to be considered as one connection when calculating the number of lamps. In addition, I would like to note that the distribution into lighting groups and socket group is not necessary. Many distribute groups according to rooms or other criteria. The main thing here is an approximately uniform distribution of loads.

• Having distributed the loads into 1-2 lighting groups, powered by a 16A circuit breaker, and 2-3 groups of sockets, powered by 25A circuit breakers, we begin to see our wiring diagram in a 3-room apartment.

Now let's note some rules for group distribution:

• Since it is possible to install an outlet in the bathroom only through an RCD, it is advisable to connect this outlet to the kitchen outlet group, where such protection will be very useful. If you install RCDs on all groups, then this does not matter.
• If you have heating electrical appliances in your house with a power of 2.5 kW or more, then it is advisable to power them from a separate machine of the appropriate power.
• If you have a three-phase network, then it is advisable to power different groups from different phases. But you should only do this if you are sure that you won’t mess anything up. If you doubt your knowledge, then it is better to limit yourself to power supply from one phase.

Conclusion

The wiring diagram in a three-room apartment is not that complicated and involves the presence of up to 5 different groups.

This makes certain adjustments to the installation process, because the likelihood of confusion is quite high. Therefore, to avoid such phenomena, it is better to mount the groups one by one.

If you buy an apartment in an old house or in a new building, electricity will already be installed there and sockets with switches will be connected. And before purchasing real estate, you will not be able to influence their location in any way. But as soon as you become the owner of the property, you have the right to redo the wiring in the apartment with your own hands in a completely different way. Of course, this process is long, complex and financially expensive. Trying to save money somehow, many people ask the question: is it really possible to do all the electrical parts in a new home themselves? Realistically, if you are not lazy, you studied well at school, you are good at physics and electrical engineering. So our current topic today is do-it-yourself electrical wiring in an apartment. Step-by-step instructions from drawing up a diagram to installing wires will help you.

The beginning of all work - diagram

I would like to start this section with an analogy. What is the foundation for a good strong home? Of course, the foundation. So, a kind of foundation for a reliable and high-quality power supply is a well-designed electrical wiring diagram in the apartment. Many people completely neglect this and there are good reasons for this:

1. Firstly, it will be much easier for you to install electrical wiring in an apartment when the diagram shows almost the final result. Agree, it is quite rare when, at the first stage of renovation, people can imagine what will happen in the end. And with an electrical diagram this is possible, because all switching devices, lighting elements and stationary household electrical appliances will be displayed on it.
2. Secondly, a diagram of the electrical wiring in the apartment will help you draw up a clear plan for completing the work - where to start installing the wiring, in which direction to move, and what to leave for the final stage.
3. Thirdly, when you have a ready-made diagram of the arrangement of electrical elements in the apartment, you can easily determine the amount of materials - sockets, switches, distribution boxes, socket boxes, wires, cables.
4. And most importantly, when the installation and repair work is completely completed, you will have a diagram of the electrical wiring in the apartment. Do not throw it away under any circumstances. If you need to drill a hole somewhere in the wall for a picture or photo frame, you will take out the diagram and see what the path of the wires is so as not to run into and damage the conductor. Also, many people sometimes cover distribution boxes with wallpaper so as not to spoil the appearance of the room. Actually, you can’t do this, but if you have already sealed it, you can always look at the diagram to see where the box is located. If you need some work, cut off a piece of wallpaper, gain access to the box, and then seal it again.

We hope we have explained to you in a popular and accessible way that in the world of electrical engineering, everything should always start with a diagram. Now a little more about how to compose it correctly and what should be displayed on it.

Drawing up a diagram

Before you make a diagram, you need to get together with the whole family and think carefully about where the main consumers of electrical energy will be located in your apartment:

• air conditioners;
• electric cooktops and ovens;
• washing machine;
• refrigerator and freezer;
• dishwasher, microwave;
• forced exhaust ventilation;
• heating system boilers or water heaters.

The location of furniture, especially bulky ones, also plays an important role. To prevent this from happening later, the renovation is completed, the furniture is placed, and the socket is behind the wardrobe, which has already settled in this place for many years. And then you will have to resort to the help of carriers, only before it was possible to hide wires under carpets, but now it is not fashionable, everything is surrounded by parquet and laminate. So pay special attention to this issue.

apartment plan (click to enlarge)

Next, take paper (preferably squared), a pencil (preferably several different colors), and a ruler. Draw a plan of your apartment with door and window openings in duplicate on paper to make it easier, take the technical passport and transfer the drawing from there. Assign a serial number to each room, for example, if you have a wiring diagram in a one-room apartment, let it look like this:

1. Corridor (hallway, hall).
2. Bathroom.
3. Kitchen.
4. Hall (living room).

If there are more rooms, then you can continue the numbering further - bedroom, children's room, sports room, you also need to take into account the pantry, loggia (if you are going to install lighting wiring there too), etc.

Now schematically display stationary household appliances and furniture in one drawing (in the form of squares and rectangles). You can designate household appliances in red and furniture in gray. On the second drawing, mark the installation locations of switching devices. That is, where household appliances are indicated on the first drawing, on the second there will be sockets in these places.

In the same way, in the first drawing (where equipment and furniture are), draw crosses in yellow in the places where lamps, sconces, floor lamps, and chandeliers are installed. Here it will be convenient for you to see - where the bed is, there is a bedside lamp; where there is a sofa or armchairs, then there is a sconce under which you can read, etc. Then transfer all these light bulbs to the electrical circuit. At the same time, think over and mark the installation locations of the switches. Mentally imagine in which direction your interior doors will open, so that later the switches do not end up behind them.

Decide right away, perhaps, in some place you need to install an outlet block (most often this is done on the kitchen work panel), whether you will have group lighting or a multi-arm chandelier in the main room, then you will need a two-key switch.

Mark on the diagram the place where the incoming distribution panel for the apartment will be located.

Examples of how to correctly draw up a diagram seem to be accessible, we hope that you will not have any difficulties with this. Now let's look at the amount of materials.

Necessary materials

Based on the diagrams, calculate the required number of switches and sockets. Do not forget that under each of these switching devices you need a socket box if you plan to lay hidden electrical wiring in the apartment. Also calculate how many junction boxes you will need.

To calculate the amount of wire, it is best to transfer the switching devices and distribution boxes outlined in the diagram to real walls. Then mark the walls, that is, literally draw the paths of wires between them, use a tape measure to measure everything and calculate the total quantity. Keep in mind that electrical wiring in the apartment is carried out strictly along vertical and horizontal lines; there should be no oblique turns.

I would like to give one piece of advice. If electrical wiring is being installed completely from scratch in a three-room apartment with an area of ​​about 60-70 m2, then it is better to buy the wire in a whole factory coil, which is 100 m long. In stores, this is considered a wholesale sale and there will be a 10% discount on it, and if you buy 98 m is not wholesale, there will be no discount, but take 2 m more and save a lot.

According to the experience of professional electricians, for wiring an apartment of three rooms, purchase 100 m of three-core wire with a cross-section of 1.5 mm 2 (this will be laying lighting wiring in the apartment) and 100 m of three-core wire with a cross-section of 2.5 mm 2 for powering sockets.

Powerful electrical appliances, such as a water heater or hob, are usually powered by a separate line from the input distribution panel through a separate automatic circuit breaker. For them, it is better to lay a three-core wire with a cross section of 4-6 mm 2.

Another important nuance, do not forget to count the wire with a reserve for cutting the cores at the junctions and connections of switching devices. It is customary to leave a reserve of wire for sockets, switches, and lamps of at least 20 cm. If you plan to lower the ceilings in the future, then increase the supply of wire for lamps to 50 cm. For assembling the distribution panel, also leave a supply of wire of about 50 cm.

Distribution panel

Do-it-yourself wiring in any apartment starts from the distribution panel. What is he? This is a kind of box in which an electricity meter and all protective automatic equipment are mounted.

What types of shields are there?

This box is made of metal or plastic. Each option has its own advantages. A plastic shield is more practical because it weighs little, and besides, it looks attractive and aesthetically pleasing. The metal box is durable and reliable.

Depending on the method of fastening, shields are available in external and internal versions. The outer panel (also called an overhead panel) is hung on the wall using self-tapping screws or dowel nails. This greatly simplifies the installation work, but at the same time, this version of the shield takes up free space in the room. An internal or built-in shield requires the installation of a special wall niche, but it does not occupy the free space in the room.

What is included with the shield?

What else is needed to install the distribution panel, besides the box itself:

To determine the number of machines, you need to calculate and distribute the load in the apartment.

Modern electrics in an apartment include a huge variety of different electricity consumers. Agree that our homes are literally crammed with household appliances. Rules and regulations recommend that, before wiring in an apartment, you separate the lighting network and the line of sockets from different machines. But taking into account the current load on the residential network, it is impossible to put all household appliances on one line. It is advisable to evenly distribute everything into several chains powered by separate machines.

This division has enormous practical benefits. Imagine that the electrical wiring in your apartment is damaged. With your own hands, without calling an electrician, you decided to figure it out, find the cause and fix it. If each line has its own protection, you can easily find the cause of the emergency (identify by the switched-off position of the machine). And while you are repairing the damage on this line, all other consumers will not remain de-energized, that is, the refrigerator will continue to cool and the washing machine will continue to wash.

• for lighting load – 10 A;
• for sockets – 16 A;
• for connecting household appliances with a power of up to 4.5 kW - 20 A;
• for input to an apartment - 50 A.

How to divide the total apartment load into groups?

Firstly, it is advisable to power all powerful consumers of electricity with a separate line (washing machine, water heater, dishwasher, hob and electric oven, air conditioners).

Secondly, it would be nice to make the sockets in each room into separate groups (children's, adult's bedroom, living room, office). If this does not work out, then the kitchen sockets in any case must be powered through a separate line and automatic machine, because the kitchen has the most powerful household appliances (bread maker, microwave, coffee machine, electric kettle, food processor, blender, etc.)

It is imperative that a separate group carry out the power supply to the bathroom, since it belongs to a dangerous room in terms of electrical safety (the so-called “wet” group).

Apartment lighting is highlighted as a separate group, but it will be much more convenient if you divide the lighting of each room into groups.

The number of required automatic devices and RCDs will depend on how you group the entire load of your apartment.

Wiring installation

It remains to decide what type of wiring to choose for your apartment. Today there are two ways:

Preparatory stage

According to your project, mark the routes for the wires on the walls. To get everything perfectly straight, do it using a laser level or a stretched cord. There is a meter in the panel, and after it there are machines for load groups. From these machines, the wires should go to the first distribution box, and from there they should disperse to all other rooms and rooms. Each room must have its own junction box at the entrance.

Mark on the walls the locations of sockets, switches, and junction boxes.

There is one caveat for the open installation method - the walls must be perfectly flat so that the plastic boxes lie on the wall surface without distortion. In the case of laying over porcelain insulators, this is not necessary; slight curvature of the walls will not be so noticeable.

For the hidden option, you need to make grooves along the marked lines using a wall chaser or grinder. You can use a hammer drill, but then the grooves will not turn out so perfectly even. The hammer drill is suitable for installing holes for boxes and socket boxes; you just need a special attachment - a milling cutter (crown) for concrete. If you do not have such a tool, it will be very expensive to buy it, try to rent it.

Open wiring

1. Cut the plastic boxes according to the dimensions of the marked lines. To do this, use a construction knife or hacksaw.
2. Fix the boxes on the wall surfaces. We do not recommend using glue or double-sided tape; such fixation will not last long. It is best to secure the boxes with dowels and screws.
3. Place the conductors in boxes and close the covers. The ends of the wires remained routed to the wiring boxes and switching devices.

Hidden wiring

1. Clean the prepared grooves from dust; this can be done with a regular broom or vacuum cleaner.
2. Lay the wires in grooves; it is recommended to first place them in corrugated pipes made of non-flammable materials.
3. Secure the electrical wiring laid in the furrows using alabaster mortar. At first, secure only in a few places so that the wire does not fall out. When you complete the installation and check the operation of the entire electrical network, then you will finally wall up the wires.
4. Lead the ends of the wires into electrical outlets and distribution boxes.
5. Also, using alabaster solution, fix mounting boxes and socket boxes in the prepared holes.

Final stage

Do not forget that before performing any work related to electricity, it is necessary to secure the workplace - remove the voltage and check its absence.

All that remains is to connect everything. Install sockets, switches, lamps. Make all necessary connections in the junction boxes.

Apply voltage and check the operation of the entire system. If everything works correctly, you can seal the grooves.

As you can see, do-it-yourself electrical wiring in an apartment is quite possible. We hope that the step-by-step instructions for drawing up a diagram, calculating the load, installing the panel and wiring will help you do everything correctly. If in doubt, it is better to seek the help of specialists.

An obligatory part of renovation work in an apartment is the replacement or installation of electrical cables, junction boxes, and electrical panels. A well-chosen electrical wiring diagram will protect your home from accidents and unforeseen situations.

We will tell you what you need to consider when replacing or installing electrical wiring yourself. Here you will learn how to draw up a diagram and distribute electrical points in one-room, two- and three-room apartments. Taking into account our recommendations, you can provide yourself with a trouble-free energy network.

Modern household technologies made a significant breakthrough at the end of the 20th century. In addition to televisions, homes now have computers, security and video surveillance systems, powerful household appliances, and wireless communications. In this regard, wiring electrical cables has become much more complicated, although the principles of the device have not changed.

Difficulties begin from the very first stage - design. In order to correctly draw up a wiring diagram in an apartment, you need to know in advance the approximate power of household electrical appliances and their locations. At the same time, you need to think about the lighting system in all rooms.

If you do not take into account the laying of a computer cable and the installation of a router for your home network, you will end up with wires hanging on the wall or stretched along the floor. At best, they can be hidden in a plinth or sewn into a box

In addition to a large number of new devices, one more difference has appeared: along with the power network, there is always a low-current system, which traditionally includes telephone and television wires, as well as computer, security, acoustic equipment and an intercom.

These two systems (power and low-current) cannot be separated, since all devices are powered from 220 V power sources.

Wiring diagram of a low-current system in an apartment. Includes three networks: computer, telephone and television. Each network has its own types of cable and equipment

The number of devices and cables used simultaneously has changed. If previously it was enough to install one chandelier in the hall, now many people use a lighting system that includes, in addition to the chandelier, spotlights and lighting.

In addition to the increase in the number of equipment, it is necessary to add an increase in power - for this reason, the old cables are no longer suitable, and the size of the electrical distribution board has increased noticeably.

Why do you need a wiring diagram?

It turns out that installing modern electrical wiring in an apartment is a real art, which only a professional electrician can handle.

If you do not want to constantly change the decoration of the walls in order to mask cables that appear here and there, we recommend that before renovating an apartment or building a house, draw up a drawing indicating all significant objects related to electricity: sockets, switches, electrical panels, lighting fixtures.

Let's consider the electrical network from the point of view of its component parts:

• Automatic protection devices installed in the electrical panel. The functioning of all home equipment and the safety of users depend on their quality and proper installation.
• Cables, wires with the correct cross-section and good insulation.
• Sockets and switches with high-quality contacts, safe housings.

In private houses, a mandatory element is an input circuit breaker and a power cable from it to the switchboard. They help regulate power consumption and, if necessary, turn off all electricity at home.