Which machines are better and more reliable for apartment wiring

Circuit breakers are common devices that are designed to protect electrical wiring in a room from network overloads and short-circuit currents. If an abnormal situation occurs and an overcurrent passes through the wires, the insulation can instantly melt, leading to a fire. The consequences can be dire. To prevent tragic events, it is enough to install a circuit breaker taking into account the technical parameters of the network.

Why do we need electrical wiring machines

Before you figure out which machines are better and more reliable for apartment wiring, you should find out why these devices are needed at all. Reasons why it is better to buy an automatic machine for an apartment:

• In the event of an emergency or abnormal situation, it is easier to establish the cause, provided that protection is installed on each line.
• Lighting devices will turn off only in one room, and not throughout the apartment, therefore, there will be no need to look for alternative sources of lighting in complete darkness. The same goes for outlets. If there is a problem on the line where the refrigerator is running, the water heater will continue to work normally.

Compared to plugs equipped with fusible links and automatic plugs, machines have many advantages.

Basic rules for calculating parameters

It is necessary to decide which machines to put in the apartment and how to correctly carry out the calculations to select the appropriate model.

There are two basic rules for calculating the parameters of circuit breakers:

• The rated current should slightly exceed the power rating of the particular line at maximum load. It is quite simple to ensure the maximum load on the line; it is necessary to simultaneously turn on all household appliances, lighting and electrical appliances. If this rule is disregarded, the machine will switch off continuously.
• In order to prevent overheating of the wire cores, there must be a limit on the maximum current indicators. Otherwise, in relation to the electrical wiring, the machine will not perform its protective function. It is worth paying attention to one common mistake when choosing an automatic machine - "the main thing is that there is no less current." This approach will lead to the fact that the machine will not work even at the moment when the wiring is on fire.

You can calculate the maximum current strength according to the technical characteristics of the cable products. This parameter for the protection device should be slightly less than for the conductor.

The permissible current load limits for electrical wiring in the apartment are indicated in the PUE table (for cables with copper conductors):

Criteria for choosing an electric automatic device for an apartment

For high-quality protection of wiring and household appliances in an apartment, you need to correctly calculate the important parameters of the device. When purchasing a vending machine for sockets, you need to pay attention to the following selection criteria:

• short-circuit current;
• working current;
• operating current;
• selectivity;
• number of poles.

Short circuit current

To select an automatic switch for short-circuit current, one important rule must be taken into account - it is forbidden to install machines with a breaking capacity of less than 6 kA (this rule is spelled out in the PUE). Devices with ratings 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 kA are used. If the apartment is located in a house located near a transformer substation, it is better to give preference to automatic machines with a nominal value of 10 kA. In other cases, it is advisable to install circuit breakers with a limit short circuit of 6000 Amperes.

Rated (operating) current

This characteristic reflects the value of the current, above which an open circuit will occur and the machine will turn off the power to avoid overloading and burning household appliances.

To find the right value, you need to analyze the total power of electricity consumers, as well as the cable cross-section of home wires. The larger the cross-section of the veins, the greater their carrying capacity, i.e. they will be able to withstand heavy loads.

To select the appropriate technical characteristics of the machine, you need to find tables for selecting the cable cross-section for current, the rating of the machine and a table for selecting for power. They are spelled out in the edition of the Rules for the Installation of Electrical Equipment.

Pick-up current

In parallel with the rated current, it is required to select the operating current rating. When household appliances are turned on, the starting current can significantly exceed the nominal values. So that the machine does not work every time, you need to choose the right class of the switching device.

At home, classes B, C and D can be used. But it is preferable to purchase class B, especially if the kitchen is not equipped with powerful electrical appliances. If an electric boiler or powerful household appliances are installed in the room, it is worth purchasing a model from class C.

Selectivity

The essence of this concept lies in the emergency shutdown of not the entire apartment, but only the emergency line. In this case, you need to delve into the technical features and select the ratings of the circuit breakers in accordance with the service line.

The rated current of the input switching device must exceed the operating current of all other working units located in the switchboard. For private apartments, it is recommended to give preference to a machine with a 40 A input.

Number of poles

With the number of poles, as a rule, there is the least difficulty when choosing a protective device.

• For a single-phase 220 W network, it is necessary to install a two-pole single-phase circuit breaker.
• If the wiring in the apartment is three-phase, a four-pole switching device must be installed on the input.

To protect electric motors of household appliances, it is better to give preference to three-pole 380 volt devices.

Features of machines for sockets of some famous brands

In hardware stores, you can see a large assortment of circuit breakers from different manufacturers. Some of them use their own marking system; you can familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the model using a special catalog number.

The most popular and reliable circuit breakers include:

• "ABB" - machines with a modular design. The developers are a Swedish-Swiss company. They produce different modifications designed for different voltages and rated currents.
Cost of ABB machines
• "AE" is an effective Russian-made device. This protective armature is produced in different configurations, so there should not be any difficulties in choosing a suitable device.
Cost of AE Assault Rifles

Also, when choosing a home circuit breaker, you should pay attention to the manufacturers General Electric and Legrand. Most foreign manufacturers manufacture their products under license at Russian and Chinese factories.

Common mistakes when buying

When choosing equipment, people who are inexperienced in this area often make the same mistakes in terms of load and current strength. If the protective device is chosen incorrectly, the consequences can be very “hit” in the pocket and take a lot of time.

To prevent this kind of thing, you need to familiarize yourself with common mistakes. In the future, this will allow you to choose the right circuit breaker for your apartment.

• When choosing the rating of the machine, more attention should be paid not to the power of all household appliances, lighting and electrical appliances, but to the state of the electrical wiring. If the wiring is old, it can be dangerous to rely on the technical characteristics of the electricity consumers used. For example, to protect an electric stove, a circuit breaker rating of 32 A is required, and the cross-sectional area of ​​an old cable made of aluminum can only withstand a current of 10 A. The result is that the wiring overheats and melts, which causes a short circuit. If a powerful safety switch is needed to meet all the needs, the first thing to do in the apartment is to replace the wiring.
• Electricians strongly recommend purchasing all the automatics for an apartment from one manufacturer. This approach avoids problems associated with the mismatch of elements during the installation and operation of devices.
• You need to purchase circuit breakers only in specialized stores from an official representative of a well-known and well-established manufacturer. Only this approach will protect against the acquisition of fakes. When buying from official representatives, the cost of machines will be lower than from intermediaries.

It happens that when calculating the potential of the machine for the operating current, the indicator comes out average between the existing ones. For example, the result is 14 A, and in stores there are models with ratings of 10 A and 16 A. If the wiring is new, you can give preference to the latest model. If there is no guarantee that the wiring will withstand such a load, it is better to choose the first one.

Circuit breakers are valuable devices in helping to prevent many energy-related problems. If in doubt, in order to select a suitable machine, it is better to contact the technical department of the RES for expert advice.