Assembly instructions for the switchboard

It's important to know

First you need to explain to you what kind of electrical boards are for use in homes andapartments.

The so-called "boxes" in which all safety automatics and the electricity meter are installed can be presented in the following varieties:

• The manufacturing material: plastic or metal. The first option is more practical, becausehas a light weight and aesthetically attractive appearance of the shield. As for the metal - it is more reliable and durable.
• Method of attachment : overhead and recessed. Accordingly, for the latter it is necessary to make a special niche in the wall, but at the same time they do not occupy the free space in the room. Installation of integrated switchboards is more difficult, but at the same time they are more often used for the installation of concealed wiring. The overhead version is attached to the wall by dowel-nails or self-tapping screws, which greatly facilitates the installation work.

Also it is necessary to tell about the most high-quality manufacturers of "boxes".Since you will in any case buy a shield in the store, we recommend giving preference to the following companies: ABB( abb), Legrand( Ignore), IEK( yek), Schneider Electric( Schneider Electric).These manufacturers have taken a stable position in the market and have become the standard of quality for most professional electricians.

The advantage of choosing this leading four's products is as follows:

• quality materials of manufacture( if plastic, then heat-resistant), if metal, all welds are done neatly;
• cost is not much higher than that of mid-range models;
• comes with auxiliary parts for the assembly of the switchboard, which would have to be bought separately: zero and grounding bus, labels with labels, mounting screws.

Well, the last thing I would like to tell you before giving the instruction - what is the input switchboard in the apartment( private house) consists of.

The main components are:

1. The box itself with the door.
2. DIN-rail( all the automation is attached to it).
3. Distribution busbars( PE and N) for connecting all grounding and grounding conductors.
4. Group of circuit-breakers with RCD( or combined version - differential automaton).
5. Electricity meter.
6. Wires for connecting all circuit elements.

Here it should be noted that for the choice of connecting conductors it is better to calculate in advance the cross section for power and current in order to independently choose the most suitable conductor diameter. Regarding automation, a separate topic, however, we have already considered that it is better to choose: a differential automaton or an RCD, the information will be useful for you.

With the introductory part figured out, go to the instructions that will help to assemble the distribution board in the house with their own hands.

Very interesting video instruction on this topic:

The basic process of

Step 1 - Create the scheme

To begin with, you must create a circuit for connecting all the automata, the meter and the distribution buses in order to quickly and correctly collect the switchboard in the apartment( or a country house).At this stage, you also need to choose the most suitable place for installing each product on a DIN rail. The more compact and logical the automatons are, the more you will save the connecting wires and make the box convenient for maintenance.

For your attention, an example of how the assembly diagram of the switchboard in an apartment on 220V should look:

In your version, everything can be radically different, and this will not indicate that the circuit is composed incorrectly. In each individual case, you can build a switchboard in your own way.

Step 2 - Preparing materials and tools

Among the tools you will definitely need:

• multimeter( to call the wiring after connecting all the elements).
• set of screwdrivers( tighten the screws on the terminals).
• tool for removing insulation or, in extreme cases, an electrician's mounting knife.
• screwdriver( mount the box to the wall)

• How to choose the RCD for the house and apartment?
• How to choose an electricity meter?
• Description of the circuit breakers

After reading these articles, you can go to the store for the appropriate automation and materials, after which it will only be necessary to assemble the switchboard with your own hands.

Step 3 - Assembling the electrical panel

Here we come to the most important part of the article. Now that you already know what will be the "stuffing" of boxing and how to choose each of the products, you can proceed to assembly.

Immediately we should note one very important nuance - you have to agree with the representatives of the power supply who will install the electricity meter. If you are allowed to install it yourself, you can draw up an appropriate act and go to work.

The step-by-step installation instructions for the electrical panel are as follows:

1. Hang the housing on the wall( or install it in a prepared niche).
2. Take the lead wires to the switchboard and those that come from each room / powerful electrical appliance.
3. Strip the wires for good connection to the terminals.
4. With self-tapping screws, fix the DIN rail inside the enclosure, which will serve as the fastener for the entire "filling".
5. Fix all circuit breakers, RCDs and even the meter( if its fittings correspond) on the installed lath. Everything is simple, the shield design includes a special lock, which quickly and effortlessly snaps the product on the rail.
6. Install the ground and ground bus.
7. Cut the connecting wires into suitable lengths.
8. Connect all the elements according to the diagram. We do not forget that the introductory phase and zero for circuit breakers and RCDs must necessarily be connected to the upper terminals.
9. Carefully check the assembly quality of the switchboard, if necessary, retighten the screws at all terminals.
10. Invite an energy sales representative to seal the meter.
11. Verify the correctness of the work done, including the introductory machine.

If after you turned on the electricity, there was no characteristic smell of burnt, there was arcing and there was no activation of the RCD, which means that all the electrical work was done correctly.

Visual video lesson of the whole main process:

Finally, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with some simple tips that will help you more correctly build a switchboard in an apartment and a private house.

Useful advices for

The first thing I would like to advise - on the inside of the box cover, glue the scheme with the conventions( that's where it is).If there is an emergency situation and you will not be in place, anyone else will be able to quickly turn off the electricity or vice versa to turn on the machine that was knocked out.

We also recommend that all groups of wires inside the panel be marked with tags and additionally grouped with plastic clips, as shown in the photo. This will make maintenance and repair more convenient so that people do not rack their brains when searching for the right contact.

Do not forget about the important feature of connecting RCDs and circuit breakers - lead-in conductors must necessarily be top-hatched, which even duplicates the manufacturer on the front panel of the product.

After you have made the first power-up after the assembly, leave it open for a couple of hours, then come up and check the temperature of the automation and wires. If somewhere the insulation starts to melt, immediately turn off the electricity and start troubleshooting, otherwise you will not be able to avoid a short circuit in the future.

Once every six months, tighten the screws on the automation terminals inside the box, especially if you use aluminum wires.

Do not buy a compact switchboard in which there will be no space. First, perhaps in the future you will add new elements to the scheme. Secondly, a tight space will facilitate overheating of devices and their quick failure.

That's all I wanted to tell you about how to build a switchboard with your own hands. We hope that the information was useful and interesting for you. If you have any questions, ask them our experts in the comments or category "Question-answer"!