Living spaces for people are constantly being improved. There are more and more electrical appliances that improve life. Electricity consumption increases, and the wires laid during construction are exhausted: the metal and insulation age, losing properties from overloads, heating, ultraviolet radiation and mechanical influences.

Aluminum wiring, in use since Soviet times, has long been in need of replacement. Increased safety requirements abolished the TN-C system, which did not provide for grounding of electrical appliance housings, the use of a potential equalization system, or protection against leakage currents.

Owners of old apartments do not always imagine how wires are placed in their premises, because there are many options for laying them.

Types of schemes

The main classification of electrical wiring is carried out according to the type of installation:

open;

closed.

The first method allows you to visually observe the passage of the routes. It is more affordable and is most often used in wooden houses.

It is more difficult to detect wires hidden in walls, floors or ceilings: they are not visible. They were laid differently in each building, but principles can be identified that take into account the construction period, wall materials, and installation technologies.

Aluminum electrical wiring of a one-room apartment

This scheme is common, has been used for a long time, is well suited for a larger number of premises, and is easy to understand and implement.

In old houses, on each floor there is an electrical panel with a meter, a packet switch to relieve voltage when working with metering devices and circuit breakers. All equipment is sectioned for each apartment separately.

Rice. 1. Option of old electrical wiring of a one-room apartment

For clarity, the picture shows two distribution boxes in each room, but, most likely, the circuits of sockets and lighting are switched through one.

There is no grounding loop provided here. The circuit uses exclusively zero and phase, and the neutral wire should never be broken anywhere by switching devices. It is supplied directly to all consumers through distribution boxes, and is taken from the meter.

To connect the wires, most likely, simple twists with or without welding are used, although screw terminal blocks may be found. The most wires go to the place where the zero is assembled.

The phase from the meter goes to the circuit breakers. In our example, one powers all the outlets, and the other powers the room lights. If the apartment is equipped with an electric stove, then the voltage is supplied to it through a separate circuit breaker, and the wires are used with increased power: up to 10 mm 2.

Variations of the scheme are possible:

used instead of machine guns;

When installing wires after the meter, electricians confused the phase directions with zero (the circuit does not lose its functionality, but is more dangerous);

a group of machines has been added and consumers are powered according to a different scheme, for example, for a corridor.

Each specific circuit should be carefully understood; it is quite possible that there will be jumpers, additional wires, even installation without junction boxes.

A simple method helps to understand the principle of circuit design:

turn on all lighting devices and plug in electrical appliances;

turn off consumers one by one using automatic switches in the distribution panel and observe the extinguished lamps and switched off devices in the sockets;

analyze changes, write down or remember information, draw conclusions.

Types of hidden wiring

In practice, highways are laid:

on or inside the ceiling;

under the floor;

combined.

Wire layout inside the ceiling

It was previously widely used in buildings made of brick and concrete panels as the main wiring option. It is also often used in modern construction.

All routes with wires from the distribution panel are directed vertically over the wall or inside it along grooves or built-in pipelines. The insides of ceiling tiles are usually made with channels for wiring, but grooved or suspended installation is allowed for suspended and suspended ceilings.

In the same way, connections are made to the lamps, all switches and electrical sockets located on the walls.

Rice. 2. Option for wiring inside the ceiling

With a competent approach to installation, all wiring is oriented in perpendicular planes: this eliminates damage to the insulation and metal during future drilling of walls to secure various objects to them. Horizontal lines from the ceiling cannot be lowered below 15 cm for the same reasons.

Distribution boxes are attached to their circuit breakers to supply voltage to the nearest point. Installation in them is carried out according to wiring diagrams.

Layout of wires under the floor

This option began to be used in new buildings with a rigid concrete base and the creation of durable pipelines from pipes under the floor covering, followed by filling with solutions. Such measures reliably protect the insulation and metal from mechanical damage.

Cables and wires in the walls for sockets and lamps are protected by pipes or.

Rice. 3. Option for laying electrical wiring under the floor

Combined wire placement methods

Both described methods are combined here, but such schemes have many individual nuances.

Factory-built panel houses

They have the insides of wall and ceiling slabs made with channels for laying electrical circuits. The routes connect all electrical consumers through distribution boxes with an input panel. Wires are pulled into these lines.

Please note that here the pipes may not be located at straight angles, but at sharp angles. Their location can only be determined.

Rice. 4. Option for old electrical wiring in the apartment

Houses built during the Khrushchev era

In old panel buildings, they used a rather simple placement of wiring, which significantly reduced the construction technology, but was far from safe.

“Aluminum noodles” are supplied to the sockets under the wooden flooring boards, and to the lamps they come down from under the floor of the upper neighbor through a hole in the ceiling slab. This is the most dangerous installation, which usually has no protection. Here, twists without welding are often found, and the insulation begins to deteriorate.

Such wiring must be completely redone, but this is a complex and expensive undertaking.

Each of the considered schemes may have various deviations from the project, even in neighboring apartments of the same building. A specialist can identify them by carrying out electrical measurements. This work is often performed under voltage, which is dangerous.

Therefore, without a solid knowledge of safety rules and practical skills in working with electrical appliances, it is better not to undertake the independent refurbishment of your apartment.

Do you want to change the wiring in your apartment yourself? - It's possible! To do this, it is not necessary to have a valid electrician's permit or an electrician's diploma. It is enough to be an electrician at heart, and have a little technical education and understanding of what you are dealing with. If you don’t have enough practical experience, but you really want to change the wiring yourself, this article is for you.

Calculations and diagram

Single-line diagram according to GOST

First you need to draw wiring diagram for your apartment. To do this, you don’t need to be an engineer, because you don’t need a complicated linear diagram according to GOST. It is enough to draw a schematic drawing by hand. An electrical wiring diagram is needed in order to correctly distribute the cable throughout the apartment, and calculate its approximate amount, as well as determine the load on each future line.

Wiring diagram

Draw where you will have sockets and switches. At the same time, take into account what household electrical appliances you will include in them, how many and what kind of lamps you will use.

It is not recommended to hang more than 8-10 sockets on one line. Since all sockets in the line are pass-through, then with each subsequent socket there is a possibility of weakening the contact. Especially do not make many sockets on one busy line, for example in the kitchen; it is better not to save money and extend two lines to the kitchen.

Determine the required number of lines and the expected load on them. It is better to divide the lines into zones, for example: kitchen sockets, corridor sockets, bathroom sockets, room 1 sockets, lighting, etc.

Cable selection

In order for electrical appliances to operate without overloading the network, the cable of each line must be of the appropriate cross-section. And if there are several consumers on the same line (for example to the kitchen) (and there will be), then it is necessary to calculate their total power and leave cable safety margin, that is, select the desired cross-section (wire thickness). The power of all household appliances is always indicated by the manufacturer. For example: an incandescent lamp is 40W, and a hob is 6000W, etc.

In order not to bother with calculations, follow one simple rule. — For outlet lines, use a copper cable with a cross-section of 2.5 sq. mm, for all lighting 1.5 sq. mm, and for a hob or instantaneous water heater 4 sq. mm - and everything will be fine!

Each device (consumer) has its own declared maximum power, measured in Watts.

Simplified power formula

The cable must be three-core (phase, neutral, ground). Zero is always blue, ground is yellow or yellow-green, phase is any other color. If you change the wiring, do not skimp on the material - always take a cable with a third core (with grounding), because all modern devices have an additional protective terminal, and automatic protective equipment only works using grounding .

To replace electrical wiring, it is best to use a VVG-ng cable. You can, of course, use NYM or PVS, but the advantages of the VVG cable over others are obvious. Firstly, VVG does not need to be crimped with sleeves (soft ones need to be crimped). And secondly, it is smaller and flat, which allows you to make smaller grooves, and it is possible to insert the cable into a thin slot (3mm for a three-core cable with a cross-section of 1.5mm)

Uncrimped wire with sleeve

Always take only cable in accordance with GOST! For example, an excellent cable is the Gostov VVG ng cable. This is a very important point in preparing to replace the wiring! You can save on automation or sockets (they can always be replaced), but don’t skimp on the cable - get a good one.

Marking

Determine at what height the sockets and switches will be located; the easiest way is to measure the lines of sockets and switches from the ceiling, because the floors in apartments are most often crooked. For example, if the height from floor to ceiling after renovation will be 250 cm, and you want to raise the sockets by 30 cm, measure 220 cm from the ceiling. If there are several sockets and switches in one group, draw a horizontal line along the level and place a mark every 7 cm (socket box size 71mm), the same applies to vertical groups.

For lovers of standards, so that it is “like everyone else” or “how they do it” - remember they don't exist! There are requirements for children's institutions, kindergartens and schools, where sockets and switches are installed at height not lower than 160 cm.. Everything else, especially in your home, you can do as you please. For example, some make sockets in window slopes or even in the floor.

Preparing for gating

Typically, wiring in apartments is carried out either on the floor or on the ceiling. There are other options, such as laying cables under baseboards or ducts.

Lighting lines, in any case, are laid behind a suspended or suspended ceiling; if these are not planned, then the ceiling needs to be chipped. And since, monolith of ceilings Ditching is strictly prohibited, you need to apply a layer of plaster to the ceiling, which will allow you to hide the cable without damaging the monolith. We strongly do not recommend ditching the ceiling yourself, since you need to know the technology for correct gating so that the whole house doesn’t collapse someday.

In cases where plastering of the ceiling is not planned, experienced craftsmen find voids in the monolith slab with the old cable, and tighten a new one in its place.

Using a 70mm or 68mm concrete crown (attachment for a hammer drill), holes for the socket boxes are drilled. Using a wall chaser or grinder, grooves are cut out for laying the cable. There should be grooves in the walls strictly vertical, not horizontal or diagonal. The lines from the sockets to the panel are laid in the floor screed or along the ceiling.

If the ceilings are not wooden, then according to the PUE (electrician's bible), cable laying without corrugation is allowed! There is also no need for a corrugated floor screed; the most important thing is a high-quality cable with good insulation in accordance with GOST! Save on corrugation; if you don’t have drywall or wood (or other flammable materials), then you don’t need corrugation!

Noisy work

When you start hammering walls, don’t forget about the law. You can make noise with a hammer drill in apartment buildings only at strictly defined times; each region of the Russian Federation has its own rules. For example, in Dagestan you need to get permission from the elder, in Moscow they simply call the police without talking, and in Taganrog they start beating in response. It's better to start work on weekdays from 9 to 19, with a break for lunch from 13 to 15.

Grilling

Before you start dabbling, it is highly advisable that the walls and ceilings be plastered with a leveling layer of plaster. Firstly, you will not have any further problems with the final installation of sockets, since everything socket boxes will be flush with the wall, and not recessed into it (which happens when they are installed before the walls are plastered). And secondly, gating will occur much faster, since in some places it will not be necessary to saw the monolith.

Check in advance the places where you will be trenching so as not to touch communications, such as old wiring and plumbing pipes. If you can't determine where the old wiring goes, call an electrician, or simply turn it off in the shield (if you are going to change it all). For ease of work, make yourself a temporary carrier (extension).

The hole for the socket boxes is drilled to the full depth of the crown. To quickly drill a hole in concrete, mark a circle with a crown, then drill the maximum possible number of holes around the circumference with any drill, no less than the depth of the crown. After which, the cutting with a crown will go noticeably faster, one might say – it will go like clockwork. If it gets on the reinforcement, it is best to use another crown; in extreme cases, you can knock it off with a spatula. It’s better to use a hammer drill for help (don’t forget about neighbors and the police).

Working with a wall chaser or grinder

Grooves for laying cables go from the socket box to the floor or ceiling. You need to lower the groove down so that the cable lies quietly in the screed and does not stick out in the corner, so you need to know the thickness of the future screed, the same with ceilings. It is best to have a wall chaser with a vacuum cleaner for these tasks, but in extreme cases you can get by with a grinder and a diamond disc for stone. In the case of an angle grinder, take care of your health, wear a respirator and goggles. Close all windows and doors to prevent dust from entering adjacent rooms.

Cabling

Laying the cable on the floor is not difficult; it is enough to hold it to the floor in any way so that it does not float up when they make the screed. Usually they lay the cable along the walls (at a distance of 10-15 cm from the wall) so that later they know exactly where the cable goes.

It is worth noting that it is better not to lay cables under doorways! To lay the cable along the floor, it is better to make through holes between the rooms. Otherwise, there is a possibility of damaging the cable when installing the interior thresholds.

Laying the cable in the groove is also not particularly difficult. You can secure the cable in the groove using dowel clamps or ordinary alabaster (construction plaster). Alabaster hardens quickly, so it is also convenient to use for installing socket boxes. But before you smear the grooves with it, you need to remove dust from them and moisten them with water.

If the cable is securely fastened in the groove and does not stick out anywhere, the grooves can be covered with ordinary plaster mixture; this will save a lot of time.

About junction boxes

Junction boxes (or distribution boxes) are necessary for switching (connecting) wires in them and branching lines, for example, for a switch.

Today, professional electricians will tell you that There is no need to install junction boxes in existing apartments! They can play a cruel joke on your wiring. In the event of a short circuit, tearing, flooded neighbors, etc., you will need access to this very junction box. It’s easy to give up junction boxes - do all the switching in the socket boxes! For this you need DEEP socket boxes, in which all switching for lighting will take place. Typically, deep socket boxes are made for light switches, but if switching is needed to branch out socket lines, then deep socket boxes are also installed under the sockets.

Electrical panel installation

The most budget option is to install all the circuit breakers on the staircase in a common panel, where your old circuit breakers and meter are already located. To do this, it is necessary to route all the cables into the access panel. If you want a shield in your apartment, then you need to choose a suitable place for it.

Built-in or overhead shield is up to you. The built-in one looks more aesthetically pleasing, but the overhead one is easier to install. All lines from the apartment go to the panel, and from it one thick cable goes to the entrance panel, the cross-section of such a cable must be at least 6 mm, that is, a three-core cable, for example VVG 3 * 6.

Installation of circuit breakers

Each individual line is equipped with its own circuit breaker, with a rating depending on the cable cross-section. According to the rules, you cannot insert more than two lines into one machine; if you are trying to power more than three lines from one machine, you must install a special branching bus.

Today there are many ways to protect electrical wiring, even at the household level. The most necessary condition is the installation of circuit breakers for protection against overloads and short-circuit currents (conventional single-pole circuit breakers). It is also recommended to install an additional residual current device - RCD (current leakage protection).

It is best to install RCDs on the lines of high-risk areas: wet rooms, children's rooms. There is no need to install one common RCD for the entire apartment! They install one common RCD only for the purpose of saving. The consequences of such savings are a complex diagnosis of a fault in the event of a leak, + the entire apartment is left without light when it is triggered. On some lines, for example, lighting or street lines, an RCD is not installed.

Installing additional types of protection is already a luxury: thermal relay (protection from cable heating), lightning protection, stabilizer or protection against voltage surges (saves from 380V), fire alarm, etc.

Shield assembly

One of the most crucial moments is assembling the shield. If you are using a soft cable, then before inserting the wire into the machine, it must be crimped (to increase the contact area). Only phase wires are inserted into single-module machines (phase marking L - can be any color except blue and yellow), all others (zero N blue, ground PEN yellow-green) are inserted into their busbars. When using RCDs or difavtomats (automatic and RCD “in one bottle”), the neutral wire is inserted into its groove (marked N - neutral, blue. The common phase connects all the machines to each other, for this, instead of jumpers made of wires, it is better and more reliable to use special combs.

For all connections in the switchboard, it is very important to use wires of the appropriate cross-section, that is, it is best to separate the phases and neutrals across the circuit breakers using a cable with a cross-section of 4 sq. mm or 6 sq. mm. Also, after tightening all the cables and combs in the machines, it is necessary to check the reliability of their clamping. Since it often happens that the wire simply does not fit into the clamp, or does not hold well in it.

Final installation. Sockets and switches

Sockets and switches are installed last, after clean finishing (painting or wallpapering). The most important rule of good installation is good contact!

Most of the outlets in your apartment are pass-through, that is, through them the cable goes in a loop to each subsequent outlet. To avoid problems with wiring in the future, firstly, do not buy cheap sockets (for example IEK), they have a very poor (to put it mildly) clamp and subsequently such sockets and switches can simply burn out. And secondly, pull all connections a second time! Check each pinched or twisted wire by tugging on it. If the wire jumps out of the clamp, it means you did not clamp it properly or the clamp was defective.

Among professionals, it is believed that the best clamps in sockets are produced by LeGrande and Schneider.

To ensure that the frames lie flat and tight, install a group of sockets or switches level, joint to joint, and screw them to the socket boxes with small self-tapping screws on two opposite sides, close to the wall. Then tighten the spacers inside the socket (if any). It is important not to touch the wires inside the socket with spacers or screws!

Monitor the position of the cable in the socket so that it does not fall on the spacers. Also, do not use screws that are too long, as they may touch the wires.

At each stage of repair, it is necessary to check the lines for operability, since after the final finishing it will be impossible to fix anything without damaging the finishing.

In most cases, the electrical wiring diagram in a one-room apartment in old houses does not meet modern requirements at all. Therefore, when renovating an apartment, you should worry about its mandatory replacement.
This will not only save you from a lot of problems in the future, but will also protect your home from possible fires. Indeed, according to statistics, it is the short circuit of old wiring that is the main cause of fires in our country.

Selecting the main parameters of the electrical network of your apartment

So:

• The choice of cross-section and material from which the electrical wiring in a one-room apartment will be made, and its layout largely depend on the type of installation and the total power of all connected devices.
  Therefore, first of all, we should draw up a plan for the location of sockets and the lighting network. In this case, you should be guided by the norms of the “Rules for the Construction of Electrical Installations” (PUE) and basic concepts of convenience.
  1. Installation of switches in the bathroom is prohibited
  2. It is prohibited to install sockets without RCD circuit breakers in the bathroom.
  3. Switches in rooms should be located near the door on the door handle side.
  4. Sockets in residential premises can be located based on their ease of use. In this case, the recommended values ​​are a height of 0.3 to 1.8 meters.
  5. Switches are usually located at a height of 0.6 - 0.8 m.

• The next important step is choosing a wiring diagram. The method of open wiring in boxes or hidden wiring in walls can be used. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. So the advantages of open wiring include:
  1. Possibility of installation without making repairs to the room. You simply install an additional box under the ceiling, into which the wiring is subsequently laid.
  2. Installation time is significantly reduced. So, with the right approach, all the wiring in a one-room apartment can be replaced literally in one day.
  3. Ease of carrying out repair work and subsequent installation of additional electrical receivers.

• But hidden wiring has several more advantages:
  1. According to the PUE, significantly lower requirements are imposed on hidden wiring. As a result, it is not always necessary to use additional protection against mechanical and thermal damage. And there is no need to buy additional boxes for it. Thanks to this, the issue price is significantly lower.
  2. Hidden wiring with the same wire cross-section has slightly higher tolerances for nominally permissible currents and overload currents. This is achieved due to better heat transfer performance.
  3. Hidden wiring does not spoil the appearance of your apartment at all and does not take up the already small space of the apartment.
• Based on all this, we can conclude that open wiring is chosen only in exceptional cases. For example, when the repair has already been completed, but they forgot to replace the wiring.
  Or when wall gating is extremely undesirable due to the dilapidation of the building. In other cases, the best option is, although more labor-intensive, the option of hidden wiring.

Calculation of the electrical network of a one-room apartment

So:

• First of all, we need to calculate the rated load of all your electrical receivers. To do this, we use a simplified formula; where P is the rated power of electrical appliances, U is the rated voltage of the electrical network (for a single-phase network it is 220V), and I is the rated current of our electrical network.

• Based on this formula, an electrical appliance with a power of 1 kW consumes a current of 4.55 A. To simplify the calculation and create a certain reserve, we take it equal to 5A.
• When calculating your electrical network, take into account only realistically possible situations of its use with maximum load. You should not rely on the fact that you will connect four 2kW heaters in one room at once.
  After all, the probability of this is quite low. And the electrical wiring diagram in a one-room apartment will become significantly more complicated and will increase in price from such a calculation.
• Now let's start choosing the wire we need. This should be done in accordance with clause 1.3 of the PUE.
  But considering that our loads are not large and we do not need ultra-precise calculations, we make an approximate calculation. To do this, we assume that a cross-section of 1 mm2 copper wire has a carrying capacity of 10A, and an aluminum wire has a carrying capacity of 5A.

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.

Just 15 - 20 years ago, the load on the electrical network was relatively small, but today the presence of a large number of household appliances has provoked an increase in loads significantly. Old wires are not always able to withstand heavy loads and over time there is a need to replace them. Laying electrical wiring in a house or apartment is a task that requires certain knowledge and skills from the master. First of all, this concerns knowledge of electrical wiring rules, the ability to read and create wiring diagrams, as well as electrical installation skills. Of course, you can do the wiring yourself, but to do this you must adhere to the rules and recommendations outlined below.

Electrical wiring rules

All construction activities and building materials are strictly regulated by a set of rules and requirements - SNiP and GOST. As for the installation of electrical wiring and everything related to electricity, you should pay attention to the Electrical Installation Rules (abbreviated PUE). This document describes what and how to do when working with electrical equipment. And if we want to lay electrical wiring, then we will need to study it, especially the part that relates to installation and selection of electrical equipment. Below are the basic rules that should be followed when installing electrical wiring in a house or apartment:

• key electrical wiring elements such as distribution boxes, meters, sockets and switches must be easily accessible;
• Switches are installed at a height of 60 - 150 cm from the floor. The switches themselves are located in places where an open door does not prevent access to them. This means that if the door opens to the right, the switch is on the left side and vice versa. The wire to the switches is laid from top to bottom;
• It is recommended to install sockets at a height of 50 - 80 cm from the floor. This approach is dictated by flood safety. Also, sockets are installed at a distance of more than 50 cm from gas and electric stoves, as well as heating radiators, pipes and other grounded objects. The wire to the sockets is laid from bottom to top;
• the number of sockets in the room must correspond to 1 pc. for 6 m2. The kitchen is an exception. It is equipped with as many sockets as necessary to connect household appliances. Installation of sockets in the toilet is prohibited. For sockets in the bathroom, a separate transformer is installed outside;
• wiring inside or outside the walls is carried out only vertically or horizontally, and the installation location is displayed on the wiring plan;
• wires are laid at a certain distance from pipes, ceilings, etc. For horizontal ones, a distance of 5 - 10 cm from the floor beams and cornices and 15 cm from the ceiling is required. The height from the floor is 15 - 20 cm. Vertical wires are placed at a distance of more than 10 cm from the edge of the door or window opening. The distance from gas pipes must be at least 40 cm;
• when laying external or hidden wiring, it is necessary to ensure that it does not come into contact with metal parts of building structures;
• when laying several parallel wires, the distance between them must be at least 3 mm or each wire must be hidden in a protective box or corrugation;
• The wiring and connection of wires is carried out inside special distribution boxes. The connection points are carefully isolated. Connecting copper and aluminum wires to each other is strictly prohibited;
• grounding and neutral wires are secured to the devices with a bolted connection.

Electrical wiring design and diagram

Electrical wiring work begins with the creation of a project and wiring diagram. This document is the basis for future wiring of the house. Creating a project and diagram is quite a serious matter and it is better to entrust it to experienced specialists. The reason is simple - the safety of those living in a house or apartment depends on it. Project creation services will cost a certain amount, but it's worth it.

Those who are accustomed to doing everything with their own hands will have to, adhering to the rules described above, and also having studied the basics of electrical engineering, independently make a drawing and calculate the load on the network. There are no particular difficulties in this, especially if there is at least some understanding of what electric current is and what the consequences of careless handling are. The first thing you need is some symbols. They are shown in the photo below:

Using them, we make a drawing of the apartment and mark lighting points, installation locations for switches and sockets. How many and where they are installed is described above in the rules. The main task of such a diagram is to indicate the location of installation of devices and routing of wires. When creating an electrical wiring diagram, it is important to think in advance where, how much and what kind of household appliances will be installed.

The next step in creating the diagram will be to route the wires to the connection points on the diagram. It is necessary to dwell on this point in more detail. The reason is the type of wiring and connection. There are several such types - parallel, sequential and mixed. The latter is the most attractive due to the economical use of materials and maximum efficiency. To facilitate wiring, all connection points are divided into several groups:

• lighting of the kitchen, corridor and living rooms;
• toilet and bathroom lighting;
• power supply for sockets in living rooms and corridors;
• power supply for kitchen outlets;
• power supply socket for electric stove.

The above example is just one of many options for lighting groups. The main thing to understand is that if you group the connection points, the amount of materials used is reduced and the circuit itself is simplified.

Important! To simplify wiring to sockets, the wires can be laid under the floor. Wires for overhead lighting are laid inside the floor slabs. These two methods are good to use if you don’t want to scratch the walls. In the diagram, such wiring is marked with a dotted line.

The electrical wiring project also indicates the calculation of the expected current in the network and the materials used. The calculation is performed using the formula:

I=P/U;

where P is the total power of all devices used (Watt), U is the network voltage (Volts).

For example, a 2 kW kettle, 10 60 W light bulbs, a 1 kW microwave, a 400 W refrigerator. Current strength is 220 Volts. As a result (2000+(10x60)+1000+400)/220=16.5 Amperes.

In practice, the current strength in the network for modern apartments rarely exceeds 25 A. Based on this, all materials are selected. First of all, this concerns the cross-section of electrical wiring. To make your choice easier, the table below shows the main parameters of the wire and cable:

The table shows extremely accurate values, and since the current strength can fluctuate quite often, a small margin will be required for the wire or cable itself. Therefore, it is recommended that all wiring in an apartment or house be made from the following materials:

• wire VVG-5*6 (five cores and cross-section 6 mm2) is used in houses with three-phase power supply to connect the lighting panel to the main panel;
• wire VVG-2*6 (two cores and cross-section 6 mm2) is used in houses with two-phase power supply to connect the lighting panel to the main panel;
• wire VVG-3*2.5 (three cores and cross-section 2.5 mm2) is used for most of the wiring from the lighting panel to the distribution boxes and from them to the sockets;
• wire VVG-3*1.5 (three cores and cross-section 1.5 mm2) is used for wiring from distribution boxes to lighting points and switches;
• wire VVG-3*4 (three cores and cross-section 4 mm2) is used for electric stoves.

To find out the exact length of the wire, you will have to run around the house a little with a tape measure, and add another 3 - 4 meters of reserve to the result obtained. All wires are connected to the lighting panel, which is installed at the entrance. Circuit breakers are installed in the panel. Typically these are 16 A and 20 A RCDs. The former are used for lighting and switches, the latter for sockets. For an electric stove, a separate 32 A RCD is installed, but if the power of the stove exceeds 7 kW, then a 63 A RCD is installed.

Now you need to calculate how many sockets and distribution boxes you need. Everything is quite simple here. Just look at the diagram and make a simple calculation. In addition to the materials described above, you will need various consumables, such as electrical tape and PPE caps for connecting wires, as well as pipes, cable ducts or boxes for electrical wiring, and socket boxes.

Electrical wiring installation

There is nothing overly complicated about electrical wiring installation work. The main thing during installation is to adhere to safety regulations and follow the instructions. All work can be done alone. Tools for installation will require a tester, a hammer drill or grinder, a drill or screwdriver, wire cutters, pliers, and a Phillips and slotted screwdriver. A laser level will not be superfluous. Since without it it is quite difficult to make vertical and horizontal markings.

Important! When carrying out repairs and replacing wiring in an old house or apartment with hidden wiring, you must first find and, if necessary, remove the old wires. For these purposes, an electrical wiring sensor is used.

Marking and preparing channels for electrical wiring

We begin installation with markings. To do this, use a marker or pencil to place a mark on the wall where the wire will be laid. At the same time, we follow the rules for placing wires. The next step will be to mark the locations for the installation of lighting fixtures, sockets and switches, and the lighting panel.

Important! In new houses, a special niche is provided for the lighting panel. In the old ones, such a shield is simply hung on the wall.

Having finished with the markings, we proceed either to install the wiring in an open way, or to groove the walls for hidden wiring. First, using a hammer drill and a special bit, holes are cut for installing sockets, switches and distribution boxes. For the wires themselves, grooves are made using a grinder or a hammer drill. In any case, there will be a lot of dust and dirt. The depth of the groove of the groove should be about 20 mm, and the width should be such that all the wires fit into the groove without obstruction.

As for the ceiling, there are several options for solving the issue of placing and securing the wiring. The first is that if the ceiling is suspended or suspended, then all the wiring is simply fixed to the ceiling. The second is to make a shallow groove for wiring. Third, the wiring is hidden in the ceiling. The first two options are extremely simple to implement. But for the third one you will have to make some explanations. In panel houses, floors with internal voids are used; it is enough to make two holes and stretch the wires inside the floor.

Having finished with the gating, we move on to the last stage of preparation for wiring installation. Wires must be pulled through the walls to bring them into the room. Therefore, you will have to use a hammer drill to punch holes. Usually such holes are made in the corner of the room. We also make a hole for running the wire from the distribution panel to the lighting panel. Having finished gating the walls, we begin installation.

Installation of open electrical wiring

We begin the installation by installing the lighting panel. If a special niche was created for it, then we place it there; if not, then we simply hang it on the wall. We install an RCD inside the shield. Their number depends on the number of lighting groups. The assembled and ready-to-connect panel looks like this: there are neutral terminals at the top, grounding terminals at the bottom, and automatic circuit breakers are installed between the terminals.

Now we insert wire VVG-5*6 or VVG-2*6 inside. On the switchboard side, the electrical wiring is connected by an electrician, so for now we will leave it unconnected. Inside the lighting panel, the input wire is connected as follows: we connect the blue wire to zero, the white wire to the top contact of the RCD, and the yellow wire with a green stripe to ground. We connect the RCD circuit breakers to each other in series at the top using a jumper from the white wire. Now we move on to open wiring.

Along the previously outlined lines we fix boxes or cable channels for electrical wiring. Often, with open wiring, they try to place the cable channels themselves near the baseboard or vice versa, almost under the ceiling. We secure the wiring box using self-tapping screws in increments of 50 cm. We make the first and last hole in the box at a distance of 5 - 10 cm from the edge. To do this, we drill holes in the wall using a hammer drill, drive a dowel inside and secure the cable channel with self-tapping screws.

Another distinctive feature of open wiring are sockets, switches and distribution boxes. All of them are hung on the wall, instead of being built inside. Therefore, the next step is to install them in place. All you have to do is place them on the wall, mark the mounting locations, drill the holes and secure them in place.

Next we proceed to wiring the wires. We start by laying the main line and from the sockets to the lighting panel. As already noted, we use wire VVG-3*2.5 for this. For convenience, we start from the connection point towards the panel. At the end of the wire we hang a label indicating what kind of wire it is and where it comes from. Next, we lay the VVG-3*1.5 wires from switches and lighting fixtures to the distribution boxes.

Inside the distribution boxes, we connect the wires using PPE or carefully insulate them. Inside the lighting panel, the main wire VVG-3*2.5 is connected as follows: brown or red wire - phase, connected to the bottom of the RCD, blue - zero, connected to the zero bus at the top, yellow with a green stripe - grounding to the bus at the bottom. Using a tester, we “ring” all the wires to eliminate possible errors. If everything is in order, we call an electrician and connect to the distribution panel.

Installation of hidden electrical wiring

Concealed electrical wiring is quite simple. The only significant difference from the open one is the way the wires are hidden from view. Otherwise the actions are almost the same. First, we install the lighting panel and RCD circuit breakers, after which we start and connect the input cable from the side of the distribution panel. We also leave it unconnected. An electrician will do this. Next, we install distribution boxes and socket boxes inside the made niches.

Now let's move on to wiring. First we lay the main line from VVG-3*2.5 wire. If it was planned, then we lay the wires to the sockets in the floor. To do this, we insert the VVG-3*2.5 wire into a pipe for electrical wiring or a special corrugation and lay it to the point where the wire exits to the sockets. There we place the wire inside the groove and insert it into the socket box. The next step will be to lay the VVG-3*1.5 wire from the switches and lighting points to the junction boxes, where they are connected to the main wire. We insulate all connections with PPE or electrical tape.

At the end, we “call” the entire network using a tester for possible errors and connect it to the lighting panel. The connection method is similar to that described for open wiring. Upon completion, we seal the grooves with gypsum putty and invite an electrician to connect it to the distribution panel.

Installing electrical wiring in a house or apartment is quite easy for an experienced technician. But for those who are not well versed in electrical engineering, they should take the help of experienced professionals from start to finish. This, of course, will cost money, but this way you can protect yourself from mistakes that could lead to a fire.