Is it difficult to put into practice the wiring diagram in the garage? Every home master who has a similar room (under the house) or a building will be interested in a similar question. Even if we are talking about a garage cooperative, then electrification ends with connecting the input cable to the meter. Further wiring of the electrical network is assigned to the owner himself.
You can call a professional electrician, which will require a fee. And depending on the complexity of the work, their cost can be quite high. However, if you have the basic skills that all electricians have, you can do the wiring yourself. But how to do it?
Do it yourself
Most likely, many of you held wire cutters or pliers in your hands. And if so, then there is nothing to be afraid of. In addition, if such concepts as PUE and PUGNP are alreadyfamiliar or at least do not cause concern, then it will not be so difficult to make electrical wiring in the garage on your own. Although there are certain nuances. But, in fact, this is what the material of the article is devoted to - the electrification of the garage.
And, then, because it is not required to design a whole car service with lifts and other necessary equipment. At the same time, it will not be necessary to replace one light bulb, socket or switch. Wiring in a garage is not an easy task, but not the most difficult one either. All work involves several stages:
- Installation of protective equipment against electric shock.
- Laying cables.
- Connecting light sources.
- Distribution of outlets.
But the most important thing is to follow safety rules!
Features of garage wiring
Many people have a garage, and in this room or building there is a need to connect various appliances powered by the mains and power tools. And for this you need a certain number of outlets. In addition, you can not do without additional lighting. In other words, in any case, without proper electrics in the garage, there is no way, even in the absence of a car. After all, a garage is also a good workshop, since not all work can be done in an apartment or house.
Conducting electrical wiring in a garage is noticeably different from this work in an apartment or a private house. There are some features and differences that must be taken into account at the design stage. It is also important which devices will be used.in use - welding machine, washing machine, etc.
With the garage cooperative, the initial stage has already been done, which cannot be said about your site - it is necessary to carry out an external branch of the cable from the central power line. And if you can do the wiring in the garage yourself, then you can’t do without a specialist to connect to the public network.
Besides, it's better to fork out a little more to have an experienced electrician check the quality of the wiring, especially paying attention to the connections. The amount in this case is unlikely to be high, but there will be certain guarantees. Personal safety is everything!
Diagramming
Before starting electrical work in the garage, you need to draw up a diagram. And the further operation of the garage depends on how well it is thought out. At the same time, it is necessary to indicate on it the place where the power cable enters the room, where the electrical panel is located, the location of all consumers, including lighting sources.
The scheme should be drawn up according to certain requirements:
- Channels for wires along the walls should only run horizontally or vertically. Turns are made exclusively at right angles.
- Wiring should be located at a distance of 100-150 mm from the ceiling and 150 mm from the heating pipes. This will avoid mechanical damage.
- The switch should be mounted 100-150 mm from the door frame and 1.5 meters from the floor.
- Sockets in the garage should be located at 600mm from the floor. At the same time, their number is determined as follows: one element per 6 m2 or every 4000 mm.
- If the garage has a viewing hole or basement, then the switch and socket should be located outside this area. This is due to increased levels of humidity.
- It is recommended to install separate machines and RCDs on the lighting and socket lines. If there is a need to repair the socket, the light will be present.
- To illuminate the viewing hole, 12-volt lamps are needed (sometimes one is enough). In this regard, it is necessary to include the presence of a step-down transformer in the circuit. It will be installed in the shield, in the same place as the knife switch.
In addition, in a garage, a three-phase electrical network should be installed, since the "grandfather" single-phase network is no longer able to cope with the loads. But if you need the usual 220 V, then you should choose the correct cable section. Then the load from the welding machine and other powerful devices can not be feared.
If there is a building plan, organizing electricians in the garage with your own hands will go much more comfortably. This document has exact dimensions, which will allow you to correctly create a wiring project.
Electrical Appliances
The garage is the place where mechanical work is usually done, and this requires the appropriate equipment. We are talking about electrical appliances. Agree, because in many cases it is difficult to do without the help of a welding machine and a number of others.appliances. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to store a car in the garage, some adapt the room for other household needs. Therefore, over time, a certain minimum of power tools accumulates.
In this regard, when developing a wiring diagram, the total power should be taken into account, which, in fact, has already been mentioned. To solve the problem of how to conduct electricity to the garage, below is a list of the most commonly used devices with an indication of their approximate power:
- charger (it certainly is in every garage) - 0.2 kW;
- electric jigsaw - 0.6 kW;
- angle grinder, electric drill, sharpener - 1 kW;
- high pressure washer - 2 kW;
- semi-automatic welding machine - 2.5 kW;
- heat gun - 3 kW.
As you can see, nothing super-powerful, as it happens on an industrial scale, is usually not used. Therefore, the cross-section of 4 mm wires2 and automatic machines for 25 A will be quite enough.
Installation of electrical panel
It is from the switchgear that the installation of electrical wiring in the garage begins. It can be placed inside, and after it put a circuit breaker, or outside. In the latter case, the input automaton will serve as the reporting point.
At the same time, it can also be connected in front of the electricity meter in the garage, only in this case it is sealed together with the meter. Only after that it will not be possible to change the input configuration. Therefore, the wiring diagram must be developed withlocation.
The electrical panel itself should be located in close proximity to the entry point. And the shorter the cable length to the first circuit breaker, the higher the level of safety. It is desirable to have all switching within the same box. But you can make an exception if the meter does not match the dimensions of the switchboard.
All circuit breakers must be marked - do not rely on your own memory, as it is not always permanent. If the shield is made of metal, then you need to take care of its grounding.
Outlets network
How to conduct electrical wiring in the garage? Above in the requirements section, it was listed at what distance sockets and switches should be installed. Here we will take a closer look at how you can optimally organize the outlet network. In this case, the general rule here is as follows: the duty socket should be located near the inlet shield, and the rest - in the work area. In this case, each group must be connected to a separate machine. Then, if necessary, the entire garage will not be de-energized.
In order to save money, the network should be divided into groups depending on the power of the devices used. For example, an outlet for connecting a battery charger does not need a wire with a large cross section. The same goes for a soldering iron or a vacuum cleaner.
Sockets for connecting a welding machine, grinder and other powerful equipment should be placed near the gate, as these devices are used onstreet. As for stationary electrical equipment (drilling, grinding machines, etc.), they can be connected, bypassing sockets, through separate starting machines.
Also, when developing a wiring diagram in a garage, a number of recommendations should be taken into account:
- There is no need to have 220 V sockets in the basement. But if this is necessary, then its execution should be outdoor to protect it from moisture.
- Wiring sockets and lighting should be separate - in different corrugations and along different lines.
- Because work is usually done at floor level, sockets for power tools should be located lower than in residential areas.
- When choosing where to attach sockets, consider the possibility of damage (car bumper, door if it reaches the wall).
- If the garage is metal, then the sockets are placed on dielectric pads, which must be resistant to high temperatures. Do not use plywood as it burns and absorbs moisture.
If the room is cramped, then when using numerous portable extension cords, you can get tangled in the wires. And this also reduces the level of security, so it is better to fix the module permanently.
Garage lighting features
When designing a wiring diagram in a garage, consider the need for quality lighting.
However, it can be divided into two functional groups:
- Standby light - it should provide uniformlighting of the entire room, especially in the entrance area. Moreover, high power is not needed, but a separate line is needed - so that in the event of a power outage, the emergency lighting works. It is only forbidden to combine this line with the power supply of a viewing hole or basement.
- Work areas - here it is optimal to place individual lamps with switches. By doing work in different places, you can provide yourself with light where you need it. In addition, the rest of the lamps will be turned off, saving energy.
In addition, when choosing the places for fixing lamps, one should take into account the shadows from existing shelves, racks and a standing car. That is, self-wiring in the garage comes down to combining directional and diffusing light sources for various purposes. For example, it is better to place a lamp with a lampshade above the workbench, while a flat diffuser will be relevant for general lighting.
The observation pit also does not require powerful lamps, but at the same time, lighting should be enough to see where to step or look for fallen objects. Due to too bright light, the eyes will quickly begin to tire. It is better to place flat long lamps here. And if there are niches in the walls, lighting can be arranged in them.
Required Materials
After the electrical wiring diagram is drawn up, you should start selecting materials. First of all, you need to decide on the amount of cable. Wiring will run both inside and outside - frompole to the electric meter. In addition, if you plan to lay the cable in the corrugation, you should purchase the required number of fasteners.
First you need to choose the cross section of the wires - for an external network it must be at least 10 mm2. It is better to use copper wires than aluminum wires. First, it is necessary to choose a much larger cross section. Secondly, aluminum is less elastic than copper, and for this reason is prone to frequent mechanical damage.
For the correct calculation of the cross-section of internal wiring, it is necessary to take into account the total power of all electrical appliances used. The resulting figure should be multiplied by a factor of 1, 2 (20% power margin). For sockets, conductors with a cross section of at least 4 mm are desirable 2. As for the switches, 1.5 mm will be enough for them2.
Now you have to choose the length of the cable. Since several segments are required (from the outlet to the shield, from the switch to the lamp, etc.), you should take it with a good margin. An additional 10-15 cm is required for each connection. At the same time, if it is decided to install the wiring in an open way, it is convenient to lay the wires in special cable channels 20x10.
It is necessary to determine the exact number of sockets - there must be at least two. An extension cord will be connected to one, and the other will serve for stationary equipment. The same applies to switches - 2: one for the main lighting, the other for turning on the inspection pit lights.
Deviceexternal input wiring
This stage must be entrusted to a specialist, since it will not be possible to do the work on your own. At the same time, there are several ways to lay the input cable - overhead and underground.
Air - less laborious and costly, so it's better to choose it. A special SIP wire is used here. At the same time, the distance between the garage and the street pole should be taken into account. And if it exceeds 25 meters, there is a need for an intermediate support.
Laying the cable in the corrugation with an open wiring method has its own characteristics, but the air method of connecting the input power cable also implies some requirements. In particular, we are talking about maintaining a certain height:
- above the road - at least 5-6 meters;
- above the pedestrian zone - at least 3.75 meters;
- entering the garage - at least 2, 75 meters.
At the same time, the last requirement creates certain difficulties, because the garage is a low building. And if you run a cable through the roof, there may be problems with the arrangement of waterproofing, there is a high risk of mechanical damage, and so on. Therefore, it is recommended to enter the cable through a steel pipe slightly curved at the top (popularly known as a “gander”).
Underground laying of the power cable will require much more expenses, because it is necessary to dig a trench. However, in some cases this may be the best solution. In addition, armored copper cable VBBSHV is already used here.
At the entrance togarage, a metal pipe is placed in the foundation hole, through which the wire will be inserted into the garage. At the same time, its diameter should be twice as large as that of the power cable. Further, it is already connected to the shield.
Now you should choose one of the two options for wiring in the garage:
- hidden;
- open.
Let's take a closer look at them below.
Hidden wiring
In this case, strobes are made into which the cable is laid and secured with plastic clamps or metal brackets. The old "grandfather" method - the use of alabaster - has proven itself well. You need to grab the track with a solution in increments of 250-300 mm.
Further, in the same hidden way, junction boxes are installed, sockets and switches are connected. After all connections are made, you should ring the wiring with a multimeter for operability. It is worth paying attention to this stage of work and not using the usual twists. In particular, this applies to the connection of dissimilar metals (aluminum and copper). Special terminal blocks are commercially available and are inexpensive.
While still open, photograph the wiring diagram in the garage on the walls. This will allow, if necessary, to quickly find a faulty section of the network. In addition, if you subsequently need to hang a shelf, then such a photo will come in handy - you can avoid unwanted penetration of the wiring. And only after that it is possible to perform plastering of all strobes.
Open mounting
If hiddenthe wiring method is relevant for brick and concrete buildings, then open wiring is more suitable for wooden or metal garages. This technique is simpler - no need to crush the wall for wires and boxes. And, in fact, how can this be done on a metal surface?!
As a rule, open wiring is laid in 20x10 cable channels, which can be made of self-extinguishing material. Then the appearance of the room will not deteriorate, and besides, safety is maintained during the operation of the garage. In addition, you can use insulated supports, but then the aesthetic component will be slightly reduced, as well as safety.
Required item - grounding
For obvious reasons, this is a mandatory requirement in the case when the garage is iron. At the same time, it is better to take care of this regardless of the material of construction, because, as we now know, there is an increased level of humidity.
The easiest option is to drive one, or better two or three metal rods 15 mm thick into the ground and connect them together by welding, a plate or a thick wire with a diameter of at least 8 mm. From this circuit, a steel bus (copper cable) starts up inside the garage to the electrical panel.
As a conclusion
As you can understand, the implementation of a simple wiring diagram in a garage in practice is not an easy task, and quite laborious. At the same time, there is also no high complexity here, and therefore any novice electrician can handle the work. Only the main thing is to devote most of the time to drawing up the electrical network diagram. As we know, a lot depends on this - the choice of cable length and other factors.
Well, in conclusion, it can be noted that the time, effort and money spent will definitely be worth it. After all, in the end, if everything is done correctly, you can get complete satisfaction from the work done by your own hands.
