The number of household electrical appliances, digital gadgets and other consumers of electricity is steadily growing year by year. However, the number of outlets for their connection in our homes is relatively small. The use of tees and extension cords does not meet the requirements of electrical and fire safety. The most inexpensive and safe way out of this situation is to install an external outlet. Also, such sockets are necessary in houses with external wiring or if they need to be moved to another location.
Outdoor socket design
Unlike the socket for indoor installation, fixed in the socket, immured in the wall or partition, the external socket is installed on the plane of the wall. Its design consists of a group of contacts mounted directly on the wall, and a plastic housing that covers the mechanism of electrical contacts. In some products, a plastic socket is provided under the contact mechanism, which closes the housing shell.
Key Features
- Max current. In practice, products for 6A, 10A and 16A are used. Products for current 6and 10A are used quite rarely, because modern electrical appliances consume more power. 16A sockets are guaranteed to allow you to connect any household appliance, including an electric kettle, washing machine, etc.
- Rated voltage. In our country, the mains voltage is 220V AC.
- Degree of protection against dust and water. To ensure a high degree of protection, an outdoor socket with a cover is used.
- Geometric dimensions.
Contact module mechanism
The contact group of the socket performs its main function - the transfer of electric current from the stationary electrical wiring to the plug of the electrical appliance. It consists of a base that holds the contacts themselves, and terminals for connecting electrical wiring.
The base is made of plastic or ceramic. The ceramic module has high heat resistance, is non-combustible, but rather expensive and fragile, and is rarely used at present. Plastic products are durable, high insulating properties, resistant to high temperatures and are currently the most common. Installation of an external socket is carried out by fixing the base to the wall; for this, special holes for screws are provided in the module.
Contacts are made of sheet brass or nickel-plated brass. Nickel-plated contacts are less susceptible to oxidation and provide better electrical contact, which reduces their heating at high currents. In somecontacts are preloaded with an additional spring, which also improves the quality of the connection.
Terminals for connecting wires of fixed wiring can be screw or quick-clamp. As a rule, they are designed for connecting wires with a cross section of up to 2.5 mm2. Typically, socket terminals allow you to connect two wires per pole, which allows you to use sockets as feedthroughs. In some products, only one wire per pole is allowed; such products cannot be used as feedthroughs. To connect with a loop to each such outlet, you need to make a separate branch.
Ground contact
Many buyers of electrical installation products are faced with a choice: which socket to buy - with or without a grounding contact? Protective grounding is designed to turn off the electrical appliance when its insulation fails, for example, when any wire inside the washing machine is shorted to its metal case. The body of the machine in this case may be under dangerous voltage. All new electrical wiring is three-wire, and many old networks are too. An outdoor socket with grounding is not much more expensive, and the level of protection is much higher. In addition, its mechanism has greater depth and holds the fork more securely.
Socket housing
The housing protects against contact with current-carrying parts and, in case of fire, limits the spread of fire. Therefore, the highest requirements are imposed on the material for its manufacture, it must be heat-resistant,impact-resistant, do not emit toxic substances when burned, be a good insulator. As a rule, these requirements are met by PVC or ABS plastic. If the outdoor socket is used with open wiring, then the supply wire is entered through the side wall of the housing. Special markings are molded on the inside of the case to accurately and accurately cut a hole of the required size.
Degree of protection
Often, outdoor sockets are mounted in damp, dusty rooms or even outdoors. The cases of such products are subject to special requirements for moisture and dust protection. The ability to protect the mechanism from the external environment is indicated by two Latin letters IP and two numbers, the first of which characterizes the degree of protection against solid particles, the second - from water. For example, IP21 is a product with protection against particles of 12.5 mm in size and drops of water falling vertically (room socket). For rooms with wet processes, degree IP44 - protection against particles not less than 1 mm and water splashes, contacts are protected by a cover. The socket of external installation dust and moisture protected with grounding, degree IP54 - protection against penetration of dust and splashes of water. When using such products, it is important to ensure the tightness of the cable entry. To do this, waterproof housings are equipped with seals that prevent moisture from entering inside.
Exposed wiring
Despite the high requirements for interior decoration, open wiring retains itspositions. It is especially relevant in administrative buildings, where it is necessary to dynamically change the configuration of workplaces. Also, open laying of cable lines is often used in low-rise buildings, summer cottages and, of course, when repairing existing electrical wiring. The most effective and aesthetically pleasing way of open wiring is laying in plastic cable ducts. Manufacturers of electrical products produce lines of electrical installation products that are compatible with cable channels. Products such as Legrand sockets easily fit into cable channels without a visible connection.
Socket block
Installation of indoor sockets requires the installation of sockets for sockets, which is associated with the need to use a puncher, noise and dust. In addition, punching multiple sockets in one section of the wall can weaken the supporting structure. None of this is required and the installation of overhead wiring products. Therefore, outdoor sockets can be mounted in blocks. The outdoor socket block consists of several modules with contacts installed in one housing. Sockets in one housing are mounted in one row (up to four pieces) or in a matrix. For example, "Legrand" sockets can be installed in a 2x3 block, while some of the places in the housing can also be occupied by switches. The advantage of this design lies in the ease of installation and the aesthetic completeness of the unit.
Installation of outlets
Installation of an outdoor outlet is no differentcomplexity and is accessible to anyone who has minimal skills in working with hand tools and electrical safety.
- The purchased wiring product must be disassembled.
- Attach the block of contacts (or the back cover) to the wall, align it horizontally and mark the mounting holes (usually 2, but more may be required for the block).
- Depending on the material of the wall, use a drill or a puncher to drill holes according to the marks.
- Insert dowels into the drilled holes.
- Attach the contact block and fix it with self-tapping screws. If the module is ceramic, it is important not to overtighten as the ceramic can easily shatter.
- If you install an outdoor outlet on a wooden wall, you must use a non-combustible wall outlet.
- Bring the electrical cable to the outlet and separate it, exposing 10 mm of each core.
- Depending on the type of terminals, either clamp the ends of the wires with screws or push them into the holes of the self-clamping terminals.
- If the outlet is through, also separate and connect the outgoing cable.
- Depending on the design of the cover, cut a hole for cable entry in its side wall. If the cable gland of the socket is hermetic, it is necessary to install a regular gland on the cable before it is terminated.
- Install and fix the cover.
Installation of the external socket is finished, it remains only to check its performance.
Modular products
Separately followsmention modular sockets. Their filling consists of inserts of the same size. At the same time, their functional purpose may be different: a switch, a 250V socket, an outdoor television or computer socket. Some modules are made in half size and fit two in one socket, such as telephone and computer ports. Modules are installed in housings horizontally or vertically, up to 6 pieces, or in an array of 2x2, 2x3, 2x4 pieces. Most often, such products are used in the installation of office wiring.
