Sheathing walls with drywall sheets is one of the most popular ways of finishing. It hides all the irregularities of the main partitions and serves as an excellent basis for subsequent installation work. For example, installing an outlet in drywall will not be difficult even for novice electricians.
Tools and materials
For work you will need:
- Drill for making holes in drywall, with matching cutter. The standard size of the socket is 68 mm, which means that the diameter of the cutter should be the same.
- Two screwdrivers - curly, for directly installing the outlet, and indicator to check the voltage level.
- Building marker, for precise marking.
- Level.
- Knife and drill, if there was no drill with a cutter at hand.
Getting Started
Before you start installing sockets and switches in drywall, carefully consider the wiring diagram. Thanks to her,you will immediately see where you need to make holes. Mark the center with a marker to make it easier to drill later.
If you intend to install not one, but a whole block of outlets, you will have to ditch the drywall in several places in a row. The main thing is to use the building level so that all sockets are located at the same height from the floor. On which one - GOST does not impose strict norms on this, but there are certain standards.
How high are the outlets?
Before you choose a place and start installing boxes for sockets in drywall, you need to think about their intended purpose. Much depends on your own convenience.
According to generally accepted European standards, the distance from the socket to the floor is 30 cm, and the switch must be located at a height of 90 cm. At the same time, 18 cm remain from the center of the switch to the edge of the doorway, excluding the trim and the box itself.
These standards are very convenient for installation in drywall. However, there are various everyday situations that require an individual approach.
- In the kitchen, outlets are often placed above the surface of the countertop. Their height, as a rule, corresponds to 1.2 m.
- If you have a PC or an aquarium in your living room, it makes sense to install the outlet at a height much higher than 30 cm from the floor to get rid of wires tangling under your feet.
- In the bathroom, the installation of double sockets in drywall - under the washing machine and other household appliances - is carried out onheight 1 meter.
After the markup is completed, the cutter is set in the center of the marker mark, then you can start drilling drywall. If everything is done carefully, even a novice master can easily cope with the task.
How to make a hole without a cutter?
In amateur electricians, other tools are also used. For example, you can outline the outline of the socket, then drill it with a drill and cut it out with a knife. However, the disadvantage of this method is the uneven edges of the future hole, which will complicate the installation of the outlet in drywall.
In addition, the gypsum board itself is a fragile material that can easily break if carelessly pressed. Therefore, it is still recommended to use a special cutter with a diameter of 68 mm. The same cutter (crown) is used in electrical work when installing spotlights.
And if the installation of drywall is already completed?
If the installation work was carried out by hired builders, then for sure they aesthetically completed the installation of drywall boards, leading the wires into a small hole. In this case, it is also possible to drill a place for an outlet.
The wire sticking out of the hole must be bent as high as possible and carefully, so as not to touch the insulation, drill a hole right under it to install the socket. If you are embarrassed by protruding wires, do not worry: subsequently, the decorative frame will close not only the hole itself, but alsoapproximately 1 cm of the wall in its diameter.
Another option is to push the wires inside the wall and then, using a drill in a special crown, make a hole in the place where it exits. In this case, it is important to ensure that the cutter does not cut the wire, falling inward.
Installation of socket boxes
Fixing the socket in the hole made in the drywall is not difficult. On its body there are fasteners for both the outlet itself and for the box on the wall. First of all, you need to remove the wires from the strobe and cut holes for them in the plastic socket. Then it is installed in drywall and fixed with screws. An additional degree of fixation will be provided by special presser feet.
The height of a standard socket box is 4.5 cm, which means that the size of the void between the drywall and the supporting wall should be the same. If the gap as a result of the installation of the slab is smaller, you will have to use a perforator to make a small recess in the concrete. In any case, everything should be calculated before the installation stage and provide for possible inconveniences.
Electrical work
When the installation of the socket boxes is completed, you can proceed to connecting the electrical wires. Do not forget to first find the inlet shield and turn off the power supply. And also, using an indicator screwdriver, check the voltage of the wires.
How to connect an outlet:
- First you need to take it apartand remove all plastic parts.
- Then unscrew the screws of the terminal part. You will insert the corresponding wires into them.
- If the installation of boxes for sockets in drywall at the previous stage was successful, it will not be difficult to insert the socket itself into them. It is fastened with special "legs".
To install the socket in drywall, you must connect to the appropriate terminals:
- Blue wire (zero, denoted by N).
- Brown wire (phase, symbolized by L).
- Yellow-green wire (ground, indicated by symbols PE).
Tighten the strands properly to avoid subsequent loosening of the contacts and a short circuit.
Final stage of work
After connecting the wires, the socket itself is mounted and fixed with the remaining screws. In the same way, the socket block is installed in drywall, in pre-drilled holes. When the electrical work is completed, all that remains is to put on the plastic frame and install the decorative mount.
Expert Tips
- Electrical wiring is best done long before wall cladding with plasterboard panels.
- Before starting electrical work, a frame is assembled from a metal profile, which will need to be fixed to the bearing surface.
- A metal corrugated pipe is used to protect the wires going to the switches.
- To supply current to electrical outlets, a three-coredouble insulated cable.
- Fixing the cables to the frame inside the plasterboard wall will give the structure increased reliability. For this, pieces of copper wire are used.
As you can see, installing an outlet in drywall is a simple process and quite feasible at home. If you want to gain experience in electrical work and save on calling a specialist, you may well use these recommendations.
