What wire to use for wiring in the apartment? Cable selection for electrical wiring

Wiring in apartments in old houses in most cases has already developed its resource and is subject to replacement. In addition, old household networks are absolutely not designed for the power of modern household appliances. Of course, when buying new cables, you should consider some important factors. About what wire to use for wiring in the apartment is best, and talk in this article.

What to consider when choosing

The first thing you need to decide on is the cross-section of the future cable. This parameter depends on such factors:

• The length of the network, and hence the resistance;
• The expected load on it;
• Material of manufacture.

When deciding which wire to use for wiring a short network in a flat with a heavy load, you should be guided by the heating conditions. The cross-section of cables for long lines depends to a large extent on the resistance value. Also in this case, mechanical strength is important.

As for the fabrication material, at present two types of cables are used: copper and aluminum. In the first case, the cross section will be smaller, in the second case - more. For this reason, the overwhelming majority of apartment owners at the moment prefer to stretch in apartments copper cables, which are characterized by better conductivity.

Consumed load

The section of the electrical wiring in the apartment should have such that the owners in the subsequent had the opportunity to connect the devices of the required capacity. The current value for this particular household appliance is determined by the formula I = P / V, where P is its power (you can see it in the technical passport), V is the voltage in the network. In household it is usually 220 V. Thus, for example, for a heater having a power of 2000 W, the current value will be 9 A.

The total current of all prospective consumers is then calculated. The cross-section of a copper wire is chosen taking into account the permissible 10 A per square millimeter. Aluminum - 8 A. In the event that the wiring is hidden, these values should be multiplied by a correction factor of 0.8. Open wiring in the apartment is almost not used. However, if for any reason you have to choose this option, you should use a wire with a cross section of at least 4 mm ² , which has sufficient mechanical strength. With a greater accuracy, the permissible current load for copper and aluminum cables can be recognized by special tables.

Wires for wiring in the apartment are better to choose with some margin in power. This will make it possible in the future to connect new electrical appliances to the network, the purchase of which is not planned at the moment.

In ordinary urban apartments for lighting, a copper wire with a cross section of 1.5 mm ^{2 is} most often chosen, for outlets - 2.5 mm ² . In the kitchen, it is better to stretch the cable 4 mm ² , since there are usually a lot of powerful household appliances - a stove, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, etc. The installation cable of the input into the apartment is chosen in such a way that its section is a step higher than necessary for the most powerful Device to be used.

Resistance

The question of which wire to use for wiring in the apartment is reduced, among other things, to the correct selection of the section in terms of possible voltage losses. Lines even in urban apartments are quite long. In this case, the voltage drop in the cables can reach an unacceptable value. The choice should be made in such a way that this value does not exceed 5%. To calculate the voltage loss, first calculate the load torque. For this, the power in kilowatts is multiplied by the cable length in meters. Further on the special tables, the percentage loss is determined. It will depend on the moment of loading, the section of the cable and its length. There are separate tables for three-phase and single-phase networks. However, one should be aware that the percentages of losses are shown in them without taking into account the heating of the cable when the current passes through it. Therefore, it is also necessary to select the wire cross section in this case with a margin. That is, look at the table value corresponding to not 5, but 4%.

Soft wires

For residential premises, flexible flexible cables are usually chosen. Each vein in this case consists of a large number of thin conductors. Such cables are easy to pull into apartment complex layout with a lot of bends. The only drawback of the soft wires is that when connecting the wiring it is necessary to compress them and press on them a special tip.

Rigid

There is another kind of cable - rigid. In this case, each vein consists of one conductor. In principle, it does not matter which wires for wiring in the apartment will be chosen - flexible or rigid. The main thing is that the cable corresponds to the loads on it from the consumers. For a city apartment, three-wire versions with a ground wire are usually chosen. The insulation of the cores in this case will have different colors. Brown or red correspond to the phase conductor, blue to ground, yellow to ground.

The most commonly used wire brands

One of the most popular options is the NYM cable, for wiring in an apartment suitable very much even not bad. It represents a flexible version of single-wire cores and has a round shape. Another advantage is the presence of two insulations. The latter circumstance makes it more fireproof.

Another type, often used in urban apartments, is a single- wire VVG cable, which can be round or flat. This option is more compact than NYM, and accordingly, and more convenient to lay. To its pluses, among other things, can be attributed not too high cost.

The third common option is a multiwire PVS. This round cable is very flexible. Most often it is used for household appliances as a network cable. However, for the installation of lines it fits very well.

What else do I need to know?

In the event that the wiring is supposed to be pulled behind the plasterboard or the ceiling, use a cable that does not support combustion. Such variants are marked with the letters "NG". It is even better to use a non-combustible cable with the "ls" index. Insulation of such wires in the event of a fire will not emit a lot of harmful smoke and gases.

It is best if the cable for the wiring in the apartment has a double insulation. In any case, you should not save on this. Otherwise, for example, when flooding in an apartment, a fire may also occur, since single insulation is often quite simply damaged during installation or during operation.

How to choose switches

So, you decided on what wire to use for wiring in the apartment. However, cables - this, of course, is not the only element of the network. In addition to them, you will need to buy more and more accessories. Switches are chosen, first of all, based on what kind of wiring is used in the apartment - open or closed. Of course, the first option in this case is extremely rare. Therefore, for a city apartment, most likely, you will need to buy switches for concealed wiring.

In addition, these elements of the network come with a screw and screwless clamp. The first option can be a good choice if the electrical wiring in the apartment is stretched using aluminum cables. The latter may fade slightly over time and begin to spark. In this case, simply tighten the screws. For copper wiring, switches with clamp-terminals are usually chosen. They are more convenient when connected.

Selection of sockets

This element is best to choose, focusing on the company-manufacturer. However, you need to beware of fakes. In the latter case, from the outlet, for example, an unpleasant odor may result. In addition, low-quality goods are often made of too thin or soft plastic. The socket should be quite heavy. Also it is worth paying attention to the condition of the grounding contact. He should not bend.

It is worth to take a fork into the store and try to plug it into the outlet. Of course, it should not hang out and fall out. For such an option as external wiring in the apartment, as in the case of switches, special design sockets are used.

Today, on sale, you can find special types of sockets, equipped, for example, with USB connectors or LED-backlight. If you want, you can choose this option.

Well, hopefully, our article will help you determine which wire to use for posting in a city apartment. There are many options at the moment. The most important thing is to use cables that are suitable for power devices and are as safe as possible.