Engineering communications in old apartment buildings are increasingly failing today after 20–40 years of operation. And if it is not so difficult to change pipes, then everything is much more complicated with the intra-apartment electricity network. In such a situation, replacing electrical wiring in an apartment often turns into a problem. It is not for nothing that it is recommended to do this during a major overhaul of a home, since it will not be possible to repair something and patch it quickly here. Electrical wiring often has to be completely relocated.
Statement of a question
If the house is old and more than 30 years old, then the electrical wiring in the apartment must be changed without fail and as soon as possible. In the Soviet years, all of it was made of aluminum wires and according to the TN-C scheme (with a dead-grounded neutral). This option was the cheapest and easiest to implement, and it was used everywhere.
But over time, it turned out that aluminum conductors under a constant voltage of ~ 220 V gradually degrade and become brittle. As an inevitable consequence - short circuits and fires.
Plus, the TN-C grounding scheme itself is not very practical in terms of safety. When the PEN conductor breaks, the protection against electric shock in such a network actually ceases to exist. Therefore, at the first opportunity or during a major overhaul in the apartment, such wiring should be completely changed. Moreover, not only electrical wires are subject to replacement, but also the switchboard and switches with sockets.
Wiring options
What needs to be done to replace
To replace the electrical wiring in an apartment, you must:
- Develop a project and a wiring diagram.
- Dismantle the old network.
- Lay new electrical wires (open or closed).
- Install and connect wiring accessories and lighting devices with switches.
- Install a protected switchboard.
- Check the created power grid as a whole and each individual line for short circuits.
There is nothing fundamentally complicated here. With minimal wiring skills, everything can be done by hand. However, such a replacement must necessarily be done step by step, step by step and with strict adherence to the rules of the PUE.
Scheme development
Drawing up a wiring diagram for the apartment allows you to clearly determine the required amount of consumables and the amount of work. It indicates all consumers of electricity and the location of sockets, switches, etc.
The highlight here is total power consumption.
When a plan is being prepared for a new electrical wiring in a private house outside the city, it is necessary to obtain technical specifications from the power engineers in advance for the kilowatts supplied to the site. Usually it is about 5-15 kW.
The apartment electricity network already exists and is already connected to the common house network. And most often the value of the allowed power for it fluctuates between 1.3-5 kW. Only in modern high-rise buildings without gas stoves this parameter can reach up to 10 kW.
When replacing electrical wiring, it is impossible to go beyond the set maximum. This will lead to an accident and the operation of protection on the common network, and then ZhEK's electricians will instantly calculate the problem apartment and make a claim. The existing permitted capacity must first be found out in the housing office, and only then start from these figures and divide the intra-apartment consumers into groups.
Wiring diagram in the apartment
Harmonization
Formally, everything that is in the apartment is the property of the landlord. Therefore, in principle, the internal wiring can be changed as desired. However, if this is done with errors and after an accident occurs with the victims, then all responsibility will fall on such a home-made owner.
Strict requirements for approval by the Housing Inspection apply only to redevelopment. Normal replacement of wiring does not apply to this category of work. But with global changes in the intra-apartment network and its complete alteration with the connection of an electric boiler or an electric stove with high power, you will still have to order a plan and agree on it at the housing office (or with power engineers, depending on the region). But it is possible to simply shift the wires with the replacement of old aluminum ones to new copper ones without going through the authorities.
Laying of electrical wiring
Self-installation of electrical wiring in an apartment will be cheaper than the alternative with a call of professional electricians. However, if there are no skills for such work, and "kilowatts", "RCD", "grounding" and "amperes" are some completely incomprehensible terms, then it is better to turn to professionals. Otherwise, you can take on the replacement of the wiring in the apartment yourself.
Layout of sockets for kitchen appliances
Preparation of materials
When choosing copper wires in cross-section for intra-apartment wiring, it is recommended to focus on the following standards:
- For an electric stove and other similar powerful consumers, cores of 6 mm2 are needed (an automatic machine on the line - 32-40 A).
- For sockets and for a household air conditioner, 2.5 mm2 is required (automatic machine 16–20 A).
- For lighting groups, 1.5 mm2 is enough (automatic machine 10-16 A).
It is recommended to install sockets at the rate of one per 6 squares of living space in the room. If an RCD is also installed after the circuit breaker, then it must exceed the circuit breaker in amperes by 10–20%. It is best to take the cable VVG, PVS or NYM.
Types of cable for wiring
If you run a separate wire from the panel to each outlet, then their total footage in the created electrical network will be huge. Usually, junction boxes for electrical wiring are installed in the apartment and the wiring is done in groups. This option is cheaper and the trunking requires a smaller size.
Layout of electrical appliances in the hall
Stages of work
Self-replacement of electrical wiring in your apartment is a lot of work with a puncher and construction dirt. Usually, intra-apartment wires are laid in a hidden way into grooves in the walls, which you will have to do yourself. It will be necessary to gouge even in a panel house; it is not always possible to run new cables in the existing cavities in the panels. Often these channels are filled with concrete in some places.
How to hide cables without chipping walls
Dismantling old wiring
Before starting to dismantle the old wiring in the apartment, it must be completely de-energized by turning off the general apartment switch in the dashboard on the floor. After that, you should check the presence of voltage in the sockets using a screwdriver indicator or a voltmeter. Only after checking can you proceed to further work on replacing the cables.
Layout and preparation of walls in the apartment
To simplify the installation of wiring around the apartment, first, all wiring lines and places for mounting sockets, junction (wiring) boxes and switches should be marked on the walls. Then you can start chipping and cutting holes for socket boxes.
Wall markings for wiring
Laying of electrical wiring
It is recommended to do internal wiring in a wooden house in an open way with wires laying in cable channels. And in apartments it is customary to mount it on the contrary, hidden. It is then easier to close such a layout with decor, and the risk of its damage subsequently is minimal. Fixation of electrical wires in the grooves is done with dowel clamps or plaster mortar.
Placing electrical appliances in the corridor
Installation of protective systems
In many old high-rise buildings, in principle, it is impossible to lay a three-core wire with a grounding conductor from the shield into the apartment. This is not provided for by the project. But in some apartment wiring is two-core, but it is possible to change it without problems to a modern three-core. You just need to correctly connect everything in the dashboard on the floor.
The possibility of converting the Soviet electrical wiring TN-C to a more reliable version of TN-S or TN-C-S should be checked with the electricians of the housing office. It is strictly forbidden to change anything in the floor panel on your own. This grounding in a private house can be done by yourself, in an apartment building everything is much more complicated.
The calculation of the parameters of RCDs and difavtomats should be entrusted to a specialist in this field without fail. Mistakes here are fraught with serious problems.
The wiring replacement process can be divided into 5 main stages:
- Departure of a specialist. Our employee will arrive at the facility strictly at the time agreed in advance. On-site diagnostics of wiring points is carried out, options for modernizing the system are determined, taking into account the wishes of the client. Based on the information received, an electrical project is created with an indication of sockets, electrical connections, etc.
- Preparation of documentation. At this stage, a complete estimate is drawn up and the total cost of replacing the wiring in the apartment is determined. If necessary, our specialists will prepare a package of accompanying documentation for the approval of changes in Rostekhnadzor.
- Purchase of materials. Our specialist will make a list of materials and give recommendations on their purchase. A more convenient option for our clients is that we independently purchase everything we need.
- Dismantling of old wiring. Replacing the wiring in the house involves dismantling old wire routes, junction boxes, sockets and socket boxes, turning off electrical equipment. As a result, only the input machine remains, to which the new wiring will be connected.
- Electrical installation. We carry out wiring in all rooms, electrical panels with circuit breakers. Low-current lines are being created to connect the Internet, television cables, alarms and telephones. During the replacement of wiring in a private house, grounding is also created.
The cost of replacing electrical wiring in an apartment and house
When replacing hidden electrical wiring in rooms, in most cases, dismantling of the old one is not done, preferring to simply “bury” it in the walls.
Indeed, if the laying of new wires in place of the old ones is not planned, there is no need for this. In addition, the subsequent sealing of the grooves left over from old wires will increase the total amount of finishing work.
However, indoor wiring is not limited to wires alone. It is better to remove old distribution and installation boxes of sockets and switches.
Even if new "electric points" are located in place of the old ones, they will not work: the old "socket boxes" are poorly suited for fastening modern wiring products in them.
In addition, according to the finishing masters, the plaster in the old boxes, which have not been removed from the walls, does not hold well, which, subsequently, is fraught with, simply, its falling out of the wall.
It is possible to remove boxes from the walls using a perforator with a "lance" attachment, "chisel" or with a chisel and a hammer (boxes are most often "frozen" with a solution of alabaster or gypsum).
Before starting to dismantle the old electrical wiring, the premises being repaired must be de-energized. This is a mandatory measure of electrical safety when carrying out repair work, which, moreover, is not always limited to replacing the old electrical wiring, significantly reduces the risk of electric shock to people.
Obviously, modern apartment renovation involves the use of a wide variety of power tools: from rotary hammers to hand mixers for mixing plaster mortar. Therefore, before disconnecting the old wiring, it is necessary to provide for the option of providing this power tool with power.
Most often, this is solved quite simply: they "throw back" the outgoing supply wires from the machine (machines), completely de-energizing the whole house. And in their place, they "plant" temporary extension cords - carrying cords with sockets, necessary to continue the work.
This connection of the "temporary" will be correct if the machines are included in the circuit after the counter. Otherwise, the latter will not take into account the consumed electricity, which is fraught with problems with Energosbyt, if checked.
It is possible to avoid the use of electricity without metering when connecting the "temporary house", in the latter case (when the electricity meter is connected after protection), you can connect it directly to the terminals of the electricity meter (again, "throwing back" the old wires).
It should be added that this connection will require the removal of the terminal cover, which can be sealed. In order to avoid problems, it is imperative to warn the employees of the power supply organization in advance about removing this seal.
Wiring in a house or apartment can last for about 25 years. After which it needs full or partial replacement. Failure to do so may result in fire, electrical outlets, and electrical leakage. The modern load on the wiring associated with the huge number of electrical devices used requires replacement even earlier than the specified period.
In private, panel or brick houses, the service life of the wiring is practically the same, and depends only on the load and the quality of the materials used. Before carrying out work, you should find out how to replace the wiring, as well as what materials and tools to use.
Over time, even high-quality electrical wiring in a new private or multi-storey building begins to deteriorate. Certain areas may deteriorate earlier than others and may require partial replacement.
There are several signs that indicate the need to completely replace the wiring with a new one. These include:
- the occurrence of an unpleasant burning smell, which most often occurs when a large number of powerful electrical appliances are turned on at the same time;
- the appearance of sparks from sockets when devices are turned on;
- lack of power in some outlets;
- the occurrence of current leakage through the walls;
- the wiring breaks off easily, the wires lose their flexibility, dry out.
These signs indicate the need to urgently replace the old electrical wiring in order to prevent fire or other dangerous consequences.
Replacing the old or laying new electrical wiring - which is better
It should be noted right away that partial replacement of electrical wiring is ineffective and inefficient. This method can only be used as a temporary measure. The wiring should be completely changed so as not to return to this issue for 20-25 years. Complete replacement of electrical wiring includes replacement of the shield, sockets and switches.
In some cases, replacing the wiring with a new one is not possible. Therefore, you will have to cut off the old lines and lay the wiring on a new one. To make a decision, you need to evaluate the wiring diagram.
For example, in typical buildings of the Soviet era, the wiring was distributed along the floor in special grooves, and a wooden or parquet floor was laid on top. The wires went to sockets and switches under the plaster or in the voids of the floors. In this case, replacing the wiring is not possible without the need to remove the floor and plaster on the walls. Therefore, you will have to cut off the old wires and lay new ones in more convenient places for this.
The easiest is to replace open wiring. In this case, the replacement can be carried out even without the need for repairs.
Thus, you should first evaluate the old wiring diagram in order to understand which places can be used when replacing, and which can not, and only then make a decision. If you plan to overhaul an apartment or a private house, it is better to install new wiring in order to make switches and sockets in the most convenient places for use.
Preparatory work
Complete replacement of the old electrical wiring is a rather complicated process, which includes drawing up a plan for the passage of new wires. This plan should be coordinated with a professional electrician so that there will be no complications in the future.
Preparing for the replacement of electrical wiring is the most crucial stage of work. It includes the following works:
- Determination of the degree of damage to the wiring. This will make it possible to state the fact of the need to replace it. Experts do not recommend partial replacement. Most often, this only aggravates the problem, by which at some point you will still need to install new electrical wiring.
- Drawing up a drawing on which all electrical systems of the house should be marked.
- Purchase of the necessary materials, which include switches, boxes, sockets, wires. All elements for new wiring must be new.
- Preparation of tools for work behavior. For work, you will need a grinder, a perforator, an indicator, side cutters, screwdrivers, a level, a flashlight, an assembly knife, pliers, and a soldering iron.
The purchase of a wire should be carried out only after the length of the cable route has been precisely measured. When calculating it, allowances should be taken into account so that the wires are exactly enough. Additionally, it is necessary to stock up with rag tape. Replacing the wiring in the house with your own hands is a rather complicated process. Therefore, if the preparation stage has already caused difficulties, it is better to entrust the work to professional electricians.
Power calculation
Replacing the electrics must be carried out so that there are no further failures or overvoltage in the network. The power supply must be suitable for all appliances in the house. The power depends on the cross-section of the cable, therefore, to determine it, it is necessary to calculate it:
- add up the power of all devices included in the network;
- additionally add 100 W for each of them;
- the resulting number must be divided by 220.
If the counting turns out to be a number in the range of 12-15, then you can use wiring with a cross-section of 1.5 mm. sq. As a rule, this figure is normal for a standard apartment or small private house.
But in some cases it is required to install a wire of a larger cross-section or divide the wiring into 2-3 lines. Using a thick cable can lead to malfunctions, so the latter is preferred.
Stages of work
Replacing electrical wiring with your own hands requires the exact following of the stages of work, as well as compliance with all the recommendations of experienced electricians. Only in this case, you can not only get a decent work result, but also carry out the wiring so that it does not cause a fire.
The device of the temporary house
When replacing old electrical wiring in the house, the electrical in the house must be turned off. But it is needed for the operation of electrical appliances. In this case, you should make a repair temporary hut. It is a structure made of plastic or wooden beams, an extension cord and a socket. This design is connected to an external meter to completely de-energize an apartment or house.
Dismantling old wiring
Dismantling of electrical wiring is carried out only after the electricity in the apartment is completely turned off. It is better to use a multimeter to check. Dismantling starts from the junction boxes installed under the ceiling. It is necessary to open the box, find and remove the lead-in wire. If it cannot be removed, it is recommended that you trim it as far as possible and isolate it. The rest of the wires are also dismantled according to this principle.
Walls can be channeled horizontally and vertically. If the work is carried out inaccurately, and the grooves turn out to be curves, this can lead to the occurrence of further emergency situations.
It is best to determine the boundaries of the grooves with a hammer drill and then manually level them with a chisel. In those places where it is required to make a corner, it is necessary to perform an oblique cut and knock out a hole. This is best done with a grinder. The absence of corners will allow the cable to lie flat and avoid bends that lead to breakage and damage to the wire.
To create holes in the brick walls, into which the socket boxes will be inserted, you can use the crown worn on the perforator. For concrete walls, such a tool will be ineffective, so it is best to use a chisel.
The holes for the socket boxes must be made in those places where they will be convenient for use. Their places should be determined at the stage of creating a drawing. Sockets for air conditioners, hoods and other stationary appliances should be placed as close as possible to the place where the electrical appliance will be installed in order to hide the cord.
Before laying the wires, it is necessary to prepare the sections of the required size, as well as the corrugations for them. After that, the wires should be tightened into the corrugations, and installed from in the pre-prepared grooves. The ends of the wires must be brought into the socket boxes.
After laying the wires, the socket boxes and grooves must be covered with a solution. Then lead the wire into the electrical panel and grease with thermally conductive paste. The connections must be strong and reliable. The shield must be attached to the wall with dowels.
The timeout should be disconnected, the wires from the meter and the grounding should be put into the shield. After that, it is necessary to isolate the wire from the meter and put it in the electrical panel. The finished structure must be carefully fixed, after which you can perform wall plastering and further decorative finishing.
Final stage
Replacing the old electrical wiring ends with the installation of socket outlets, sockets, switches and lighting fixtures.
An important step in replacing electrical wiring is to check each branch of wires with a short circuit tester. To do this, you need to turn on the electricity, then apply current and find the phase and zero using the indicator. This will make it possible to lead the desired wires into the appropriate terminals.
After inserting the wires into the correct terminals, it is recommended to check them again for a short circuit. If there are no problems, you can turn on the main machine and supply electricity to the house or apartment. It remains only to check the operation of all sockets, lamps and switches.
And only after that, you can begin to carry out wall decoration and other repair work. Otherwise, it may be necessary to re-grind the walls in order to identify places where the wires are poorly connected.
Features of replacing electrical wiring in various rooms
So that the replacement of electrical wiring in a private house or apartment does not cause problems in the future, special attention should be paid to the placement of electrical equipment in different rooms. This must be taken into account even at the stage of drawing execution. This will allow you to perform the work as efficiently and quickly as possible, as well as ensure the convenience of using sockets and switches. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand how to change the wiring in all areas of the house.
Bathroom
Despite the small size of the room, replacing old wiring in the bathroom and toilet can be difficult. This is due to the high levels of humidity. If the work is done poorly, electric shock is possible. And if in another room it is not dangerous, then humidity, wet and slippery floors can make it fatal to humans.
In addition, high-power equipment is installed in the bathroom. These are water heaters, washers and dryers. And the wiring must guarantee their stable performance.
Therefore, when replacing the old electrical wiring in the bathroom, the following conditions must be met:
- when installing a boiler, you should immediately buy long cords;
- for electrical equipment, it is necessary to give preference to three-core cables;
- in the bathroom, you need to install special sockets that have a special cover to protect against moisture;
- the minimum distance from sockets and switches to the bathroom, shower and washbasin should be 60 cm;
- for extension cords, it is better to install the outlet in an adjacent room.
If the toilet is not combined in the bathroom, the wiring in it is limited only to the lighting branch for the plafond. Therefore, the wiring can be combined with the bathroom.
Kitchen
When routing wiring in the kitchen, it is recommended to use two branches. One of them can come from the bathroom, and the other must be separate. For wiring, use 4 mm wire. sq. In this case, the wire must be in a special protective sheath. In the drawing, during the preparation process, the following connection points should be noted:
- for lighting devices (chandelier, additional sconces, spotlights);
- switches;
- triple sockets for switching on the stove, oven, refrigerator, multicooker and other kitchen equipment.
It is not recommended to display a separate branch to illuminate the working area. Not only does this not comply with safety regulations, but it also does not make sense from an economic point of view. One point can be highlighted to turn on a toaster, blender, multicooker, coffee maker and other equipment that turns on for a short time. For the refrigerator, select a point that is on the opposite wall from the points for other appliances. In addition, all outlets must be at least 60 cm away from the sink.
The corridor
The corridor requires two branches - for lighting and sockets. If the corridor is long, several lighting points will be required. In addition, it is in the corridor that switches for the bathroom, kitchen and living rooms are most often installed. In some cases, it is advisable to install a sconce near the front door. Lighting fixtures, switches and additional sockets for the corridor should be thought out even before the replacement of electrical wiring begins.
Children's room
Special requirements are imposed on the quality of replacement of old electrical wiring in the nursery. If the child is small, sockets and switches must be installed at least 180 cm from the floor. It is also best to use protective disc devices to protect small children from electric shock.
It is recommended to use separate branches for lights, sockets and switches. A separate line can be used to turn on household appliances such as a heater, TV or computer.
Living rooms
For the bedroom and living room, you should also use three branches of wiring: for sockets, lighting and household appliances. In the bedroom, an additional branch of electrical wiring can have power adjacent to the children's room.
To replace the electrical wiring in a three-room apartment, you will need to use about 15 branches. It is not recommended to use a separate branch to install the air conditioner. It must be plugged into an outlet near it. This is a safety requirement.
Benefits of replacing electrical wiring during a home overhaul
Overhaul of a house or apartment is a troublesome and expensive business. Therefore, many owners refuse to replace the wiring in order to speed up repairs and save money. However, capital repairs of housing are carried out quite rarely, therefore, during this time, the wiring most often becomes unusable and becomes unsafe.
- Replacement of electrical wiring can be carried out in accordance with modern safety requirements.
- You can install sockets, switches and lighting devices as convenient and functional as possible. The number of outlets and their location will eliminate the use of extension cords and tees.
- If problems arise with the wiring, you will not have to spoil the fresh repair in order to subdue it. And the new wiring will serve at least until the next major overhaul.
Replacing electrical wiring in a house is a daunting task, even for an experienced person. Therefore, it is important to follow all stages of the work, draw up a detailed drawing, and also consult with an electrician. And if you have doubts about your own abilities, it is better to use the services of professionals.
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