Mounting the electric switchboard by one's own hands

The number of household appliances in the apartment is constantly growing. Simultaneous switching of electrical appliances creates problems with connections and exceeding the load on the mains. To protect against overload, it is necessary to divide control by contours. To do this, it is necessary to make the installation of the switchboard for the house correctly. To do this yourself, you need to understand its internal device, wiring diagrams and connections, installation rules.

In addition, you need to have electrical wiring skills.

Requirements for electrical boards

The safety and comfort of the residents depends on how correctly the choice is made and the installation of the electric switchboard in the apartment.

The rules and requirements for installing the shield are as follows.

1. The permissible number of protective devices and their rated current are indicated in the technical documentation of the device.
2. The body is made of materials that do not support combustion and do not pass an electric current. To do this, use a metal with a special coating or polymer.
3. The body must show the nominal voltage.
4. The connecting wires must be marked with the designation of the group of devices to be connected. For this, tags are used.
5. The metal case and doors are grounded.
6. To the PE and N pads, one wire is connected per terminal. They are taken with a margin of at least 5%, so that there is an additional reserve.
7. When purchasing for the shield, a technical passport must be available in which the following is indicated: its type, manufacturer, certification, standard number, rated voltage, current, frequency, breaking capacity, degree of protection, class, installation rules, weight, dimensions, basic Characteristics of RCD devices.

After the installation of the electrical switchboard in the house has been made, it should be handed over to the specialist of the housing office.

In addition, you need to provide an electrical diagram of the device. Usually it is pasted on the door to be convenient to use.

Selection of switchboard

Do not buy a cheap plastic cover. Over time, it becomes fragile and begins to chip. Modern plastic boxes look impressive and stylish. The structures of metal with a good coating are stronger and more reliable, but have a high cost. They are installed in case of need to create a mechanical protection against external influences.

The dimensions of the shield depend on the number of switching equipment.

Schematic electrical diagram

The circuit is necessary first of all in order to make the installation of the switchboard. It is necessary when carrying out repairs or modernization of the residential electricity network. Without it, the electrician will not accept the installation work. The wiring diagram of the switchboard is drawn by hand or by means of a special program.

The electrical panel is installed at the very last stage, when all the wires are grouped from the rooms to the selected place. This approach has a lot of advantages. Materials are saved and assembly work is simplified .

For each wiring group, the load is counted and the type of machine is selected. As a result, the total system power consumption will be known. If necessary, it must be replaced. Usually a copper solid conductor is taken.

Mounting the flap

Mounting the switchboard in the apartment is usually done in a niche near the front door. In the absence of a prepared place, you can hollow out the opening or hang an external flap on the wall. This method is the fastest and easiest. It is used for laying external wiring. It can be hidden under a false wall. If the mount is made on gypsum board, under it are installed the embedded elements to increase the bearing capacity. It will be better to pre-make a niche from the metal profile with an allowance of 2-3 cm.

Mounting of the switchboard is done in such a way that access and its maintenance are convenient. The distance from its lower edge to the floor is usually 1.4-1.7 m. The upper row of machines should not be above the eye level.

When it is required to install the switchboard in a wooden house, it is usually necessary to select attachments with protection from dust and moisture.

The circuit breaker must be at least class C for short-circuit protection.

It is desirable that there is a lock on the shield that can be closed from the children.

Assembling the flap

For each group of wires selected the necessary automata. At hand, there should always be a wiring diagram for the switchboard. With it you need to constantly check and, if necessary, make changes to it. The central master switch, which connects all circuits at the same time, must be slightly less power than the external one. It is located as close to the incoming power cable as possible. In addition, 2-3 spare packs should be added so that powerful consumers, such as an electric boiler or an electric oven, can be used. Instruments with a power of more than 5 kW have their fuses.

How to install the electrical switchboard and correctly connect the ground, you should consult a specialist. For the installation of equipment in the body of the flap there are mounting straps. First they are set to zero and ground buses. In the photo below they are depicted from above and can be supplied as a set of a shield.

It should be checked that they match the main switch in terms of power. After the body and door panels are connected to the bus N. In a private house grounding wire is introduced from a special circuit, mounted outside by all rules.

How to connect the ground

In old houses, TN-C grounding system was used according to old GOSTs, where zero and ground wires are combined. For modern homes, TN-S and TN-CS systems are used. On the floor board, 3 phases and separately zero (N) and grounding (PE) wires go out.

Often some "craftsmen" connect a zero wire and grounding. In the event of a zero wire firing in the shield, 220 V can fall on the body of the electrical appliance. The correct solution will be if you create a separate ground loop, which is very problematic in multi-storey buildings.

Connecting the power cable

The supply cable has three cores of different colors. The phase is connected to the input of the circuit-breaker. It can be white, red or brown. The blue zero is connected to the corresponding bus, and the yellow one with the green strip goes to the earth terminal block . A similar operation is done with wires in the rooms. Only the phase wire is connected to the bottom of the circuit breaker corresponding to this group.

Mounting the switchboard with your own hands is much easier if all the machines from the upper side of the phase are connected together by bus conductors. They are called combs, and when choosing one should pay attention to the cross section, which should not be less than 10 mm ² . Some manufacturers sell them cheaply by reducing the thickness of the veins.

They are more reliable than pieces of wire that were used earlier.

Protection against electric shock

To protect the person from the action of the current in case of unexpected contact with the bare conductor and the body of the appliance, a protective shutdown device (RCD) is installed in the shield. If you simultaneously touch the phase conductor and the grounded conductive housing, the power supply is cut off. For the apartment, the pickup current is selected at 30 mA. It is not dangerous for humans, although it causes unpleasant pain. From a short circuit, it does not work. Therefore, in the electrical circuit, an automaton must be connected with it. If you use a differential automaton, it performs the function of both devices, triggering not only a short circuit, but also a leakage current.

Wet rooms and powerful consumers are supplied with separate RCDs or diafavtomatami. In a humid environment in wooden structures, even a current of 30 mA can cause a fire. In such areas, wiring requires special attention and protection.

Connection to devices

It is convenient, when on each circuit there is a separate automatic device. If necessary, you can always disable it. Such a breakdown of connection points is preferred:

• Grouping of outlets in each room;
• Lighting by rooms;
• Individual connection to the styralka, boiler, electric stove, dishwasher.

The most powerful machines are installed closer to the main.

The electrical connection of the assembled equipment to the switchboard is made as follows. The meter output terminals are connected to the input of the main switch. From it, the wire is connected with a cable to the differential switches, and from them is assigned to the consumers of energy. Between the above, the automatic machines are united by a comb. It is more reliable than jumper wires.

Electrical appliances are supplied with their own means of protection, from the simplest fuses to the electronic ones. The flap automata mainly serve to protect the wiring.

Mounting of three-phase switchboard

At the entrance there is an introductory machine, and behind it are installed a three-phase counter and a difa-automat, after which the power is evenly distributed along the load contours.

Three-phase connection has some differences. If the total power is 15 kW, then it is divided by 3. Each phase will account for 5 kW. The machine is put 3 or 4-pole. When the current is exceeded, one of them turns off everything.

Load try to distribute evenly, but this does not always work. Nobody at the moment can accurately say what is included in this or that outlet. But distribution is still necessary. Thus it is necessary to leave a reserve on capacity.

The use of an RCD in a multiphase version creates problems and is advisable only in the case of a very limited budget. It is better to immediately install the diafi-auto, which makes the system more expensive. But with the subsequent switching on the change of the scheme there will be no complications.

Installation of a three-phase electric switchboard requires special knowledge and skills. When changing the connection diagrams and entering new circuits, it is necessary to maintain the uniformity of the load in each phase. A competent installation involves the use of a cross module, which is a bus in an isolated closed box. The phases and the neutral wire are connected to them, and then the necessary branching is done. Several inputs to consumers can be connected to one input. The device is securely attached to the bar and significantly saves labor on wiring. On top is a transparent cover for visual inspection.

Conclusion

For modern energy-saturated life in the apartment, an electric switchboard is needed. It is designed to distribute electricity around the apartment and protect a person from electric shock.

Possessing specific skills, it is possible to install the switchboard by hand.