Nowadays, PUE (Electrical Installation Rules) provide for mandatory grounding of sockets in private and multi-apartment buildings. But it was not always so. In old houses and most private sectors, a two-wire system is still used - phase and zero. To be precise, a considerable number of electrical appliances do not require a ground contact. Usually these are various lamps in a plastic case, televisions, musical equipment. If there is no corresponding bus in the switchboard or if one of the listed household appliances is required to be connected to the network, sockets without grounding can be used, the cost of which is much lower. They will be discussed.
Electrical networks yesterday and today
During the time of the Soviets, houses were built at an accelerated pace, there was not enough time for thinking through and arranging grounding. In addition, such protection was useless - none of the household electrical appliances had a corresponding contact on the plug. The maximum that could be expected when moving to a new home was double sockets without grounding, which pleased with the possibility of connecting additional electrical appliances to the network.
Now everything has changed, and it has become quite difficult to find large household appliances in stores without a grounding contact. The sockets have also acquired a new look, in which an additional bracket has appeared, and the contact holes have been closed with internal shutters to protect against children. But although the usual connection points have not disappeared anywhere, you can see them much less often. Outdoor sockets with a high IP protection class are usually mounted without grounding.
Varieties of products for connecting household appliances
On the shelves you can find sockets of various modifications, shapes and colors. This allows the buyer to choose those that will suit his interior or will meet the requirements. You can purchase products with shutters and sockets without shutters, with and without grounding. It is worth considering these varieties in more detail.
Outlets with curtains: what are they for?
Such products are perfectly protected from children's curiosity. Curtains are called special partitions inside the case, which block access to current-carrying contacts. In order to insert the plug into it, you need to make some effort. A little curious discoverer will not be able to stick any foreign body into it - a nail or a knitting needle. This allows parents to be calmer. Previously for similar purposesspecial plastic plugs were used, which were quite easy to remove by a child.
Another type of such protection, although simpler, is a cover that is pressed against the case by a spring. Such products are more often used for outdoor installation, and therefore they do not have a large assortment of colors. The main production is gray and white outdoor sockets without shutters with or without earthing, equipped with covers.
What does the presence of a ground contact do?
Some wiring is required to connect such an outlet. 3 wires must be connected to the connection point - phase, zero and yellow-green ground wire. Such sockets, when properly installed, provide additional security, both for household appliances and for humans. If the grounding is done properly, and all the necessary automation is installed in the switch cabinet, you can not be afraid of overloads, power surges and even phase breakdown on the metal case of the household appliance.
Connecting outlets without a ground contact: what you need to know to do the job right?
Installation of such products is extremely simple. Preparation can be a little laborious if a new seat is being made. If a simple replacement is required, for example, single to double sockets without grounding, all manipulations can take about 5 minutes. The algorithm of actions will be as follows.
- The general power of the home is turned offelectrical networks. This is done from the introductory circuit breaker located in the switch cabinet. If the shield is located on the staircase of the entrance, it makes sense to hang a prohibition sign: “Do not turn it on! People are working.”
- Unscrew the fixing screw of the decorative panel, 2 expansion bolts of the contact platform of the socket and loosen the clamps of the power wires. After that, the old product can be thrown away or put away in the pantry "until better times."
- Having removed the outer cover from the socket without grounding, it is necessary to loosen the contact clamps, and then fix the supply wires in them - in one phase, in the second zero. Their location does not matter.
- By stretching the contacts, you can install the device in the "glass" and tighten the screws of the spacer mechanism.
- When the socket is firmly fixed, place and fix the decorative plastic and apply voltage.
Important advice! Do not hope that everything is done perfectly, and immediately turn on the household appliance. It is necessary to check the voltage at the contacts using an indicator screwdriver.
What good are sockets without grounding?
The advantage of such products is simplicity - the fewer nodes, the more reliable the mechanism. It is also worth noting the low cost of such outlets. Ease of connection is likely to play a decisive role for novice home craftsmen who are faced with such a question for the first time. However, it must be understood that if a ground wire is provided by the home power network, then it should not be ignored, let alone cut off,like some do. Such contact at some point can save a life. Of course, it would be better if such a danger did not arise, but the Japanese (and this people are very smart) say this: “It makes sense to sharpen your sword all your life so that it saves your life one single time.” A similar statement is true in the case of grounding.
Summarize what has been said
Sockets without grounding have the right to exist, but only if there is no circuit. This applies to old houses and private sectors. If there is a third, yellow-green wire in the home power network, you should not ignore it. It is better to purchase and connect an outlet equipped with a grounding bracket. You should not proceed from the fact that it is planned to connect equipment, the plug of which is not equipped with the appropriate contact - everything can change. After all, it makes no sense to redo it several times when you can mount something that is suitable for powering any household appliance.
