In bookstores and in ruins, a huge number of books and brochures with titles such as “Wiring in 5 minutes”, “To Yourself an Electrician”, “100 Tips for a Home Master - Installation of Wiring” and other similar publications. Looking at this “splendor”, you might think that wiring is a very simple task that you can really learn in five minutes. But this is not so.

This will be confirmed to you by any professional for whom the installation of sockets, automatic machines, electrical panels, etc. this is not a “hobby”, as the authors of books represent reality, but a profession. Not only does wiring require a mass of specific knowledge and skills, it also requires compliance with safety regulations. For this reason, following some of the tips from the compilers of Home Master collections is simply dangerous.

Any work with electric current is classified as dangerous to human life if the voltage in the line is more than a hundred volts. Therefore, it is quite natural that only persons who have undergone special instruction and training and possess debugged skills in both electrical installation and first aid in case of electric shock are allowed to do such work. If we say the "letter of the law", then only people with a third qualification group for electrical safety meet these requirements.

And what can lie in wait for a layman? ...

In this article we will analyze in detail all the subtleties of the process of the device in the apartment of the new wiring. This work can be successfully carried out independently. But, before starting work, it is very advisable to objectively assess your real capabilities before starting, since installing electrical wiring in an apartment is a complex process and certain knowledge and skills are necessary for its successful completion.

Cable brand selection

1. Each core of the wire must be rigid (single core), because all sockets and switch are designed for installation with a hard wire.
2. The choice of brand of occasion. Three types of wire are mainly used: NYM, VVG, PUNP.
NYM cable is a cable with copper single-wire conductors with reliable triple insulation.
The first layer is PVC, the second layer is a rubber sheath, the third is each copper core in PVC. But this wire is not without flaws. It is not recommended to be placed in raw concrete and carried out outdoors, it has a large diameter and is quite expensive.
But, if you do wiring in the apartment and want something more reliable, then take, of course NYM.
VVG cable - a cable with copper single-core conductive conductors, with insulation from PVC plastic - value for money. It has double insulation: common PVC and each core in PVC. VVG can be laid anywhere: both on the street and in concrete. Isolation is slightly worse than NYM, but better than PUNP. If you do not need extra expenses, we select the simplest and most commonly used PUNP wire ...

Safe operation of the washing machine is paramount. To ensure this, it is necessary to organize the connection from the switchboard of a zero or ground bus with a cross section of at least 3 mm. In this case, the outlet should be replaced with a three-wire. The connection diagram is shown in the figure.

Often in apartments with a gas stove there is also a socket for an electric stove that is not used. It can be used to connect the washing machine, since the grounding wire is already in it. To do this, replace the socket for the electric stove with a standard socket with a grounding contact.

And we use an extension cord with a grounding contact.

I draw your attention to the fact that the ground wire must be insulated, it is strictly forbidden to connect it to heating radiators, water supply systems, gas supply systems ...

So, in front of you is a "specialist" who is ready to start work in your apartment (house). How to determine that this electrician is exactly the one you were looking for, having phoned several companies and private masters?

1. The very first, a self-respecting master will take off his shoes and ask for slippers at the entrance to the apartment. Before starting work, he will warn you about places where, in his opinion, it will be dirty and will ask you to remove / hide objects that may get dirty.

2. The foreman (or foreman) who will work here directly should go for measurement (initial inspection, budgeting). Such a condition will allow you to no longer repeat your conditions to each new representative, and the master will be able to take everything into account as correctly as possible and the "third person" error will be excluded.

3. Electrician - a specialist does not start a conversation with money, but with the amount of work, conditions, your wishes.

4. A real electrician will find out ...

Many would be happy to have a “smart home” - so that everything would turn on and off “according to pike orders”. But not everyone can afford the complete set of this miracle of technology. And not everyone needs it in full. To increase the IQ of their apartment, two or three timers will be enough for someone.

You do not need any specialists to install them - just plug the timer into a power outlet, and any connected electrical appliance with a capacity of up to 3500 kW will begin to work according to a given schedule.

The timer will turn on the kettle on time in the morning so that you can drink coffee immediately after waking up. He will also turn off the TV if the audience falls asleep in front of the screen before the film ends. And having programmed the time of your favorite programs, you will never miss them, carried away by business. The compressor in the aquarium will also turn on and off like a clock - without your participation. And as many times as necessary ...

Before installing the outlet, you must turn off the circuit breaker in the electrical panel in the apartment or on the stairwell. In this case, you must make sure that it has worked and there is no voltage in the outlet. This can be checked using a screwdriver indicator or a multimeter.

To install the sockets, we need the following tools: level, knife, pencil, screwdriver, pliers, wire cutters.

Consider installing a double socket, where in one part it will be electric, and in the other a telephone jack. For ease of installation, the wires should protrude from the box by 50 - 80 millimeters. For strict horizontal installation of the outlet, using the level, mark on the sides of the place of internal mounting of the outlet. Having pulled out the wires, carefully clean their ends from the factory insulation. The bare ends of the wires, preferably not longer than 10 millimeters.

Modern wiring has three wires and is called a three-wire, one of the three wires is grounding, the other phase and the third neutral wire. The indoor unit of the outlet is equipped with three terminals, to which these three cores are connected.

After checking that the wires are not intertwined under the outlet, we begin the installation, according to our marking ...

August 18th. Today, I finally ran the cable through the wall adjacent to the neighbor from the corridor distribution box to the outlet in the hall. To do this, removed the old wires from the channel. To one of them fastened a cable. In general, for this I advise you to purchase a cable in PVC insulation. I took a chance without. I hooked one cable core to the cable, squeezed out the rest so that they would cling and use the pull-push method, pulled the cable in the room by rushing from the corridor to the hall.

Now I just have to drill a plug from this socket to the left at the end wall (I did not have a corner apartment and sockets on this wall). After that I will put the socket outlets, and tomorrow I will proceed with the installation of the socket group in the distribution boxes.

August 27th. All! I - an unprofessional electrician, finally managed to change the wiring! No more tripping over extension wires! Further without emotions. Today I connected the wires in the junction boxes ...

It would seem that in such an area as the wiring of sockets and switches, there can be nothing new. However, this is not so. The technology of their installation and the design itself are being improved. For flush mounting, they are installed in universal mounting boxes, made mainly of plastic. On the back of the box are easily removable plugs designed to enter wires of various diameters and tubes protecting them.

Boxes designed for installation in hollow walls are equipped with special fixing screws with tabs that can fix the product on the front surface of the wall made of any material from 1 to 35 mm thick. The holes for the boxes in the hollow walls are drilled using a special nozzle, the diameter of the cutting part of which is equal to the diameter of the box. The standard diameter is 68 mm.

If the mounting boxes are installed in stone and concrete walls, they are connected to them through channels in wall panels or through flexible plastic corrugated pipes laid in strobes. The box itself is usually fixed in the wall opening with gypsum, cement-sand mortar or special glue ...