Find a bad connection in the wiring. What are wiring faults and how to fix them? Why does the wiring burn out

Sooner or later, before every owner of an apartment or a private house, the question arises of repairing electrical wiring with their own hands. Over time, the wires lose their original properties, and from time to time troubles such as breaks or short circuits may occur. The latter, by the way, are the cause of most fires. It is for this reason that it is worth paying very close attention to the issue of the serviceability of the current-carrying lines of the apartment, and periodically carry out preventive maintenance and inspection of problem areas.

The main reasons for replacing electrical wiring

One of the main reasons for replacing electrical wiring is its gradual deterioration. This question is especially relevant for those who bought an apartment in which no repairs have been carried out for twenty years or more. It is clear that the electrical wiring in such an apartment has long been morally and technically outdated. After all, how many new household appliances appeared in the last twenty years? Huge set! And this set has significantly increased power consumption. And to provide the necessary power, you need high-quality wiring.

About 20-30 years ago, when distributing power in high-rise buildings used inexpensive aluminum wire, which used weak insulation. Such wiring was designed for small and low-power household appliances, the total consumption of which should have been about 2 kW. Today, for modern household electrical appliances, this figure is clearly insufficient.

Let's take simple arithmetic. Each of us has a refrigerator in the apartment, washing machine, there is Electric kettle, iron, hairdryer and computer. Add together their power consumption. Even if we take the very minimum, then in total we will get more than 4 kW, which does not at all correspond to the boundary norm of the wiring described above. And if you still have an electric heater, electric grill and toaster, then the figure will reach 10 kW!

Ignorant users connect electrical appliances to the network, absolutely not thinking about whether the wiring will withstand all this load or not. They are simply sure that since the hairdryer is buzzing, the iron is hot, the TV is showing, then everything is in order. That's right, that's how it should be. There is no need for a simple layman or housewife to worry about the health of the wiring. But for such peace of mind, you should first make sure that your wiring can really withstand all these loads.

According to all the rules, the wiring in the apartment is changed every twenty years. The switches themselves, sockets are also short-lived, and their life is calculated on average for 5-7 years. The same applies to protection devices, which should be replaced every 10 years. Often Maintenance electrical wiring comes down to the fact that the owner replaces the damaged section of the cable, or simply changes switches, sockets, plugs or plugs.

Consider the main causes of malfunctions in electrical wiring:

1. Short circuit. Most often occurs in places where the insulation is bent, twisted, or due to friction of the wires against each other. Also, damage to the integrity of the insulation can be caused by overheating of the wires.
2. Bad contact. Most often it happens at the junction of the wires, as a result of which the wire gradually heats up, which leads to burnout of the wire cores, melting of the contacts and damage to the insulating layer.
3. Mechanical damage. Most often it happens during any repair work in the immediate vicinity of the passage of cables. Wiring can be damaged by hammering nails, drilling walls, and other work.

Before starting any repair work in the apartment, be sure to read the wiring plan, if available. In case of its absence, it should be noted on the wall the presence of junction boxes, and the places of possible passage of conductive cables.

Repair of electrical wiring in the apartment - where to start?

So, we are faced with the task of repairing the electrical wiring in the apartment. Where to start repair work? First, determine what the problem is, that is, the cause of the malfunction, and then find the very place where it arose.

To do this, we conditionally divide all the wiring into sections. For this, the electrical wiring diagram of the apartment is very useful. If everything is at hand - then let's start!

Start of repair - action plan

If there is a question about the complete replacement of the wiring, then first we draw up a new cable wiring diagram indicating the proposed connection points. Here we indicate the cable with the desired cross section on each section of the circuit, all sockets, switches and plugs.

What do we need for electrical work? Here is a short list of tools that will greatly facilitate the life of the home master:

• Roulette;
• Tester;
• Screwdrivers of various configurations;
• Pliers with insulated handles;
• Side cutters;
• Wire cutters (to strip the cable);
• Screwdriver;
• Drill with a set of drills for concrete and wood;
• soldering iron;
• Perforator with a set of nozzles;
• Insulating tape;
• Cable;
• fittings;
• All kinds of electrical accessories;
• Terminal blocks;
• Putty knife;
• Boxes for sockets;
• putty on plaster base;
• Flashlight.

Once you have all this arsenal at your fingertips, you can get to work. Check again that your new scheme. If you doubt the correctness of the calculations, it is better to contact specialists who will help you and point out errors. And it would be best to initially order the scheme from qualified workers.

Some will ask: “Why do I need this scheme?” We answer. A few years after the repair, you will not be able to remember exactly where the electrical cable. It may not be necessary, but there are situations when it becomes necessary to drill a wall, and it is quite possible that it will hit a conductive wire. Thus, you can damage the wiring, which will entail more global work than drilling a small hole in the wall.

Choosing a cable

How to choose the right cable? To do this, we take the total figure for the power of all household appliances in the apartment, to which we also add all light sources. Then we add 100 W “in reserve” to each of the devices, after which we divide the total amount, according to Ohm’s law, by 220. As a rule, the resulting figure fluctuates around 12-16 A. Based on this, we conclude that the cross section of copper cable will be about 1.5 square meters. mm.

In the case when the value turned out to be large, it is necessary to lay several lines from electrical panel, placing them in parallel and providing each with a separate device protective shutdown. This solution will avoid replacing the wire with another larger section, which will significantly reduce financial costs. When choosing a wire, it is better to stop at copper, since it is this cable that surpasses aluminum in electrical characteristics by 1.5 times.

Laying electrical wiring

Before starting work on laying the electrical wire, it is necessary to turn off the power to the network. This can be done using the package switch in the shield. When disconnecting, try not to touch the wires in the electrical panel, even with the sleeves of your clothes.

Work should begin from the corridor. To begin with, we mount a new shield and lay new wires parallel to the old ones. We also connect switches and sockets to them. Thus, we go through room after room, disconnecting all points from the old wiring, connecting them to new cables. Along the way, the old cable is removed, with a replacement in the same channel with a new one.
We hide all the wires in the wall. If the wall is concrete, then use the grinder to make channels in the wall.

All channels (strobes) should be done strictly horizontally or vertically.

Before laying the cable in the channels, be sure to check its length by spreading the wires on the floor. This will ensure that the wire runs perfectly. After laying the wires in the strobes, we putty it with a gypsum-based putty. Once the putty has dried, you can start installing sockets and switches. Be sure to treat the bare ends of the wires with a soldering iron before connecting them to the socket terminals.

AT general scheme wiring should be at least two lines: one leads to the kitchen, and the second diverges into the rooms. Why do you need a separate line to the kitchen? For the reason that it is there that the largest number of energy-intensive equipment is concentrated, which requires more power, and, accordingly, will be loaded more. In addition, if the kitchen is located electric stove, then it will have to be powered by a separate wire. Both lines must be equipped with automatic power switches. They are installed directly in the shield itself.

We offer you to familiarize yourself with the video, which will help you understand some of the nuances of electrical installation:

So, you have completed the repair work to replace the wiring. Finishing touch- we put the lead wires into the shield, and start the updated power supply system!

As soon as there are problems associated with the electrical supply in a house or apartment, residents begin to think about repairing electrical wiring. Each of us has come across a situation when the working socket in the room stops functioning, or when it becomes impossible to turn on the light.
In these cases, the owners either repair the wiring with their own hands, or turn to electricians for help. If you decide to do the electrical wiring repair yourself, you must first have an idea and theoretical knowledge how it's done. Of course, experience in repair will not hurt, but not everyone has it.

Causes of electrical faults

An electrical fault may occur due to various reasons. The most common are the following:

The occurrence of a short circuit. Most often, a short circuit causes damage to the insulating layer between the wires. Often there is a bending of the wires, which leads to a short circuit. The wires are bent at the points of connection of sockets, in the lamp socket, if the wires of the iron, hair dryer or table lamp are constantly twisted.

Causes of a short circuit in the wiring.

A short circuit occurs even if a a large number of electrical appliances (in this case, a tee is used). The result of such handling of the socket is a strong heating of the contacts, and the subsequent melting of the insulating layer of the wires.

There is no normal contact between the connected wires. This malfunction occurs when the contact is broken at the junction of the wires.

With mechanical damage to the wires. Often this happens as a result of drilling holes in the walls or driving nails into them in places where hidden electrical wiring is carried out.

What is the best way to start repairing electrical wiring

Because it nourishes electric shock house or apartment introductory wire from the electrical panel, they begin to repair the wiring from the electrical panel. First, check that the protective devices are in the "on" position ( circuit breakers, UZO and others).

It may very well be that the lack of voltage in the room is due to disconnected circuit breakers or blown fuses. If, while examining the position of the devices in the shield, you notice that their position is "off", then a short circuit may have occurred in the electrical wiring itself.

Do-it-yourself wiring installation instructions.

In addition, the reason why the circuit breakers were in the "off" position may be due to current overload. This can happen if the machine overloads the simultaneous inclusion of powerful modes. household appliances. To fix the problem, you turn off some electrical devices, and, after a short period of time, turn on the switched off machine.

It may turn out that there is no voltage in the entire building or apartment, although the protective devices located in the input electrical panels have the “on” position. In this case, you can try two or three times to try turning off and on the circuit breaker. Maybe the power supply malfunction lies in the fact that there is no contact between the wires in the machine itself.

How to find a fault in the wiring

If you have done all of the above and positive results did not receive, it means that it is necessary to start looking for a malfunction and carry out a direct repair of the electrical wiring.

The fault can be found by doing the following: Divide the wiring into several small separate sections. This can only be done if you have a wiring diagram on hand, which shows how it can be divided into sections.

Repair of electrical wiring in a private house

In order for you to understand how to carry out electrical repairs in your home, check out the following example.

For example, in your house sockets stopped working and the lighting in the kitchen and in the bedroom disappeared. The cause of the malfunction may be damage to wire-2, however, this still needs to be determined.

For the convenience of performing work on the repair of electrical wiring, you can break them into stages. First, be sure to check the power supply in the junction box 2, which supplies power to the kitchen and bedroom.

To do this, you need to open the box and look inside it. Consider the places where the wires are connected: whether they are intact, not broken or burnt, as happens with a short circuit, the wires, and whether the wires are in good condition (they should not have melted insulation).

If necessary, tighten the twisted wires - this will make the contact better (this is done in cases where the wires are connected using a twist).

If during the inspection you did not see visible damage in the electrical panel, then after the inspection, check the junctions of wires 1 and 2 (in box No. 2) for voltage. It must be. In its absence, you can conclude that the contact is bad.

Next, it is checked whether the voltage reaches junction box No. 3. Open this box and use a pointer to check if there is voltage on the cores of the wires that output current. If there is no voltage, the problem is with the wire, which could be damaged, for example, using electric drill for hanging pictures on the wall.

For the final conviction that the cause lies in the damage to the wire, check its integrity. For this purpose, turn off the machine at the entrance to the house, unscrew wire-2 from both sides (it is located in junction boxes No. 2 and 3), and then, using a special “dialer”, check the wire cores for mechanical damage.

How to fix the problem of damaged wires

To solve the problem damaged area wires use three different ways:

1. The damaged wire is removed, and then a new wire is laid in the wall. For this purpose, a section of the wall where a damaged wire is found is ditched.
2. Lay on top of the damaged wire using the open laying method, new cable placed in the cable channel. This is called open wiring.
3. If, when installing electrical wiring for the first time, a wire with three cores was laid, without arranging grounding in the house, it is possible to use the third core as a working one (one condition: if the non-working wire has only one damaged core out of three).

Step-by-step instructions for repairing electrical wiring.

When there is no electricity in the whole house, it is first necessary to check the introductory machine for voltage. With a corrected circuit breaker, the voltage should be at the input and output (in case the circuit breaker is turned on). Further actions produced in the same way as those shown in the diagram above.

Tools used in the repair of electrical wiring

In order to repair electrical wiring with your own hands, you must have the following basic tools:

1. A voltage gauge or multimeter, any of these devices can check the voltage.
2. Pliers with insulated handles. Pliers twist wires in junction boxes.
3. Screwdrivers, with which, if necessary, you can unscrew or tighten the terminal clamps of protective devices (automatic devices, RCDs and others).
4. Insulating PVC tape, which is used to insulate bare parts of wires after repair.

An essential tool for troubleshooting electrical wiring.

Another indispensable device that everyone, even a novice electrician, needs is the so-called "dialing". The device has an ordinary battery, a light bulb, connecting wires and clamps that are connected in series. Making this device with your own hands is easy.

"Continuity" makes it easy to check the integrity of the wires, especially for hidden electrical wiring.

A banal electrical fault can cause a lot of trouble. Firstly, these are some material costs, and secondly, the loss of time and other inconveniences. But not always in such cases, the help of a specialist is required. Often, troubleshooting is quite possible on your own. But if you are not confident in your abilities, it does not matter either, deal with it without difficulty.

• First - there is no contact where it should be.
• The second - there is a contact where it should not be.
• The third is exceeding the permissible load.

As a special case of the first malfunction, one can consider a break, a broken contact in the electrical wiring. The second case is characterized by a short circuit in the wiring. In the third case it will high power household electrical appliances not designed for your wiring.

Figure 1. The most common causes of electrical wiring failure.

1. Melting of contacts on the circuit breaker.
2. Melting of contacts in a socket or switch.
3. Reflow of contacts in junction boxes.
4. There is no contact in the cartridge or in the twist, or in the terminal block of the chandelier.

There are also completely anecdotal cases when, in order to eliminate a wiring malfunction, it is enough just to tighten the cork fuses more tightly or turn off unnecessary electrical appliances that cause group machines to turn off. But let's look at all this in more detail.

Sometimes the circuit breakers in the shield turn off not at all due to a fault in the wiring, but due to a short circuit in household electrical appliances. For example, it happens that the plug at the kettle closes or a wire is transferred somewhere. In order to exclude this option and not to sin on the electrical wiring, it is necessary to turn off electrical appliances that are suspicious and try to turn on the machine. If the machine turned on and the voltage appeared, then it was not the wiring, but some electrical appliances were faulty.

For your years of experience I have developed a certain technique, which I will now tell you about. You need to start looking for a malfunction with the causes that most often occur in home electrical wiring. And also start with a simple one and move on to a more complex one by the method of elimination.

Figure 2. The sequence of actions when troubleshooting the electrical wiring of the apartment.

First of all, when there is a power outage, it is necessary to check the presence of voltage in the apartment electrical panel. If there is no voltage on the neighbors on the floor, then the problem is not on your side. If there is voltage, you need to pay attention to the group circuit breakers and their contacts, they should not be melted. If there are disconnected machines, it means that somewhere in the apartment there was a short circuit, or it was exceeded. permissible load. If all circuit breakers are on, but there is no voltage in the apartment, then you need to look for an open or poor contact.

The next step is to go to the apartment and turn off household electrical appliances, which were left without voltage (pull out the plug from the outlet), because the place of the short circuit can be in them, and not in the wiring. We are trying to turn on the machine, if it turned on, then the reason really was in one of the electrical appliances. If not, we keep looking. We unscrew all the bulbs and inspect the cartridges for a short circuit. If nothing is found, then we disconnect all the chandeliers and lamps from the terminal blocks. Trying to turn on the machine. Turning off? Looking for more!

The specific location of a fault, both an open and a short circuit, can often be detected when visual inspection wiring. At the same time, it is first of all necessary to pay attention to the places where the wires are connected and the connections of switches and sockets. We remove sockets and switches, paying special attention to the wires that come out of the wall. Often the cause of the malfunction can be found there. It happens that wires, especially aluminum ones, break and close from old age, or they simply break. Darkening and charring of the insulation, melting and bare wires indicate local heating of the wire due to poor contact.

Figure 3. The wire on the socket contact has burnt out. Short circuit in the chandelier socket.

If the above methods did not help to detect a malfunction in the electrical wiring of the apartment, a short circuit, or a break, then it is necessary to inspect the junction boxes. These boxes are usually 15 cm down from ceiling level. You can find them under the wallpaper by tapping the wall in the intended locations. After opening the box, you need to inspect the contacts. Charred contacts can indicate both an open and a short circuit. If we are looking for a break, check for voltage in the boxes. You can do this with the simplest control lamp. Anyone who has ever held a screwdriver in their hands is not at all difficult to make such a lamp from improvised materials. Moreover, you will need quite a bit, an old electric cartridge, a 220-volt light bulb and two pieces of wire, 30-40 centimeters each. But it is better and safer to use a special indicator, tester, multimeter. Like the picture below.

The task is getting harder! If the fault cannot be detected, it remains to check the integrity of each wire. In this case, it is imperative to de-energize the line by turning off the circuit breakers or unscrewing the plugs. So, we check the integrity of each wire. To do this, we will need to separate all the wires in the box, but before that, we must mark them so that after identifying the damaged wire, we can twist them as they were. Next, you will need to "ring out" each wire, that is, find out its direction, to which outlet it goes or to which lamp, switch. After that, you can measure the insulation resistance of each wire with a megger, it will show which wire is damaged. Some electricians do it the other way. Voltage is applied in turn, to each wire through a 1A machine and check whether voltage has come to the other end of the wire. In the event of a short circuit on this wire, the machine turns off, also indicating the damaged area.

After you find a damaged wire, you need to replace it. You can simply pull the damaged wire out of the scrub and clean it, and then fix the new wire in it. Connect the wires in the box as they were connected. But in most cases, it rarely comes to checking the wires; usually, a fault in the electrical wiring of an apartment can be found by doing the first 2, 3 steps from this article. In 100% of cases, with the help of these actions, it is possible to identify and eliminate the wiring malfunction.

Figure 4. At the end of the work, we measure the voltage in the network.

In any case, when working, you should not forget about safety precautions. That's all. I hope that this article will be useful to someone and will help in practice to solve real problems. And let your sockets always have 220V!

Causes of electrical faults

The main reasons in electrical wiring are very simple. If very briefly, then electricians have only 2 problems: the lack of contact or the presence of contact where it should not be. Lack of contact is the most common problem, it occurs mainly at the junction of wires, in the electrical panel, in walls under plaster, where for some reason the wire was once broken or broken.

The second reason is less common, but it is the most dangerous, because. may cause fire or short circuit. For example, if at your house all the time when you turn on the machine in the electrical panel, it immediately turns off or knocks out the RCD, then most likely there is a short circuit on the line or there is a leakage current.

Breakdowns associated with a lack of electricity in the house are always extremely unpleasant. They happen at the very wrong moment and cause a lot of inconvenience. In such a situation, it is best to resort to the services of a qualified specialist, since diagnosing electrical networks requires a certain level of training.

Troubleshooting and diagnostics

In most cases, the search for a problem should begin with the diagnosis of machines. In some old houses, safety plugs may still be found. According to all the rules, they are installed at least a couple of pieces. One machine is installed in the socket network, and the other controls the lighting devices. It is necessary to turn on the machines and check the presence of voltage at the output terminals. If there is no voltage, then there is probably a problem with the supply cable or its contacts.

If the voltage at the output of the machines is normal, then a search for a network break inside the apartment is ahead. In order to determine the location of cable damage as accurately as possible, it is necessary to check the voltage between junction boxes located on minimum distance. Voltage measurements are made at the input and output contacts of each box. If there is no voltage at the output with normal voltage on the input cable, then the break occurred in the box. In this case, the repair procedure will be as follows:

1. - disconnect the apartment from the power supply;
2. - hang a prohibition poster on the machine "DO NOT START! PEOPLE WORK";
3. - lock the electrical cabinet;
4. - open the junction box;
5. - check the voltage with a verified PIN, having previously checked it on a socket that is known to be energized;
6. - check the reliability of the contacts and eliminate the break.

Much harder when wiring fault(cliff) hidden and located somewhere under a thick layer of plaster. Then effective diagnostics can be performed only with the use of a special detector. This device is able to find metal hidden in the wall, and with the help of magnetic field determine the break zone electric wire. Typically, the detector allows you to localize the damage site with an accuracy of several centimeters in some 15 - 20 minutes.

Hidden wiring detector

This method is effective when it was a wire break, and not a short circuit. Then we leave the line where the malfunction occurred under voltage and, using a hidden wiring detector, we begin to lead from the junction box towards the alleged break. Usually, when approaching a live cable, the wire detector will emit a frequent sound signal, and an indication of the presence of a live cable will appear on the screen. If the detector stops beeping sharply, then it can be assumed that this is where the alleged cable break is located. Having previously turned off the voltage and hung out a prohibition poster (see above), you must carefully remove the layer of plaster and get to the place where the cable breaks. We splice the cable using crimp sleeves, welding the cable cores or soldering. We isolate and check the work under voltage.

If the house uses aluminum wiring and copper wires at the same time, it is extremely likely that sooner or later, at the place where the cables are twisted from different metal or there will be a break between the contacts in the junction box.

The thing is that aluminum wiring in contact with copper forms a galvanic couple and the twist begins to slowly corrode. The resistance of the wiring in this zone increases. Over time, the twist begins to heat up and gradually collapses. There is only one way out of this situation - to replace the electrical wiring with copper.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 09:00 - 21:00
Sat, Sun 10:00 - 20:00

We work throughout Moscow and the Moscow region!

The cost of work in a country house or cottage varies depending on:

• remoteness;
• area of ​​all premises;
• number of storeys;
• wall material, etc.

The final calculation of the cost of repair and installation can be done by our master on the spot. Drawing up an estimate costs 600 rubles. When ordering the service, we will return this money to you!

Prices for the replacement of electrical wiring

The minimum departure of the master is 1500 rubles.

Drawing up estimates of work and materials - 600 rubles.

Departure outside the Moscow Ring Road - +30 rubles / km

Wiring Replacement Services

If during the repair the question arose of the need to replace the wiring in an apartment, residential building, cottage or office, it is safer to trust the professionals. The specialists of our company, on site, will quickly and competently determine the needs and perform a set of measures:

• inspect all elements of the power supply system;
• determine the level of load and the need to modernize existing systems;
• draw up a plan for the power grid and agree on an estimate for the performance of work;
• provide advice on the repair of electrical wiring, relocation and installation lighting fixtures, switches, sockets, as well as modern multi-stage lighting systems.

Our experts will help you choose rational way distribution of electrical appliances in such a way that maximum safety and protection against short circuits will be ensured. AT modern home there are a large number of household appliances, especially in the kitchen. However aluminum wires the old model is not able to withstand such loads, they must be replaced.

We offer you to repair and change the wiring in any room. At the same time, we guarantee:

• high quality of work;
• the shortest possible time even with a high complexity of the task;
• application modern instrument, the use of the latest technologies and methods of laying wires;
• professionalism and responsibility of the masters.

What does wiring replacement include?

We offer you a whole range of services for the complete or partial replacement of the electrical system:

• complete diagnostics of all available wiring points, determination suitable options modernization, based on the capabilities and wishes of the client;
• installation of wiring with wiring in all rooms of an apartment or house. Works include chasing walls and floors. At the choice of the client, the wires can be laid open or in a closed way. In the first version, the cable is hidden in corrugated pipes or box. Hidden wiring closes inside building structures;
• installation of sockets, switches, as well as electrical panels with automatic elements;
• equipment for low-voltage lines for connecting telephones, television cables, the Internet, signaling, etc.;
• grounding installation.

Depending on the conditions of the premises, the possibilities and wishes of the client, we offer two types of electrical wiring:

What is partial wiring replacement

In order to save money, and if necessary, replace the electrician as soon as possible, you can repair the wiring in a single room. So, for example, in 1 room apartment to reduce risk increased load sometimes it is enough to update part of the electrical system in the kitchen.

A prerequisite for work is a thorough study of all electrical communications. After that, the most reliable option is selected:

• laying the line from the switchboard;
• connection from sources already in the room.

Sequence of work

• Creation of a project scheme, which indicates the placement of all electrical points. It is discussed in detail with the client, the cost is calculated, the contract is signed.
• Chasing - equipment required holes for laying cables and electrical equipment.
• Wiring.
• Shtrob seal.
• Connection of new lines with dismantling of old wiring.
• Arrangement of a switchboard, installation of automatic machines, knife switches, connection of lines.
• Installation of switches, sockets, after finishing work.

The price of works does not include and is paid separately:

• connection of electrical equipment - stoves, household appliances, lighting fixtures, etc.;
• the cost of the material - boxes, machines, sockets, etc.

Turnaround time

Determined based on the calculation of the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe premises. On average from 5 working days.

Our guarantees

All work is guaranteed for 1 year.

Our advantages

Turning to us, you get:

• professional advice and professional work;
• experience and skills the best specialists your business;
• conclusion of a formal contract;
• compliance with all requirements and standards in the course of work;
• individual approach to each task, implementation of non-standard orders;
• reasonable prices and favorable offers;