Din rail socket

Installation of electrical wiring the apartment provides for the installation of modern electrical shields. A feature of such products is the completion of their equipment on a modular basis. That is, all devices that are placed in such a shield are unified for certain sizes and mounts.

As a common fastening system, a metal profile made of aluminum or galvanized steel is used. This profile is called din rail. This product owes its name to the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) in which it was developed. Today, this standard is generalized and is used in the manufacture of electrical products in many countries of the world.

The modular devices that can be installed in the electrical panel are circuit breakers, residual current circuit breakers, differential automata, electricity meters, various indicators and relays, terminal strips and, of course, sockets.

The modular design of the devices placed in the shield makes it possible to place a very large number of functional elements of the electric network in a limited space. This not only allows you to significantly reduce the size of control cabinets, but also significantly increases the convenience of working with them and provides a high level of electrical safety.

The socket panel is an important element of the electrical panel or junction box, since with its help any electrical appliance can be connected to such equipment. This can be very useful when carrying out repair work and servicing electrical network elements located in the panel.

Unfortunately, in many switchgears installed back in Soviet times, there are no panel sockets. This often creates inconvenience associated with the need to carry out work or just a control inspection of equipment using various flashlights or carriages. Therefore, when replacing or upgrading the wiring in the apartment, special attention should be paid to the competent arrangement of the distribution panel, in particular, the installation of a panel outlet in it.

Another area in which sockets on din rails are very widespread is industrial enterprises and production facilities where such devices are used to connect measuring instruments or electrical equipment.

Varieties of din rails

Since today it is customary to use a din rail for mounting a modular outlet, it would be useful to get acquainted with their varieties, as well as the features of installation and operation.

As already mentioned, these products can be made of various materials depending on operating conditions. Their sizes are unified, depending on the manufacturer din rails can be equipped with holes or notches that allow you to easily fix the product, as well as split it to obtain the necessary lengths. In addition, the purpose of these rails in a decisive way affects their size and shape.

The following types of din rails are distinguished:

• Ω-type. The most common variety. For fastening most modular devices, the TN35 rail is used, having a width of 35 mm. There are also similar smaller format products used for mounting terminals.

• C type. As can be seen from the figure, the ends of such a product are bent inward. Unlike the previous model, such rails are used mainly for installing terminal blocks.

• G-type. Products of this type in appearance of their profile really resemble the letter G. They are mainly used for fixing hardware clamps.

Features of installing a modular outlet

Before installing each electrical panel, it is necessary to clearly determine the number and arrangement of all modular devices included in its composition. This is due not only to the need to correctly draw up a general power plan for the apartment, but also directly affects the choice of switchgear housing.

Each modular element has a clearly defined size, which is regulated by the DIN43880 standard. In accordance with this document, the width of one module is taken equal to 17.5 mm.

Depending on the power, today there are two types of sockets for a din rail. They differ primarily in size.

The design of each such outlet does not have fundamental differences from the device built-in or overhead models. Such a socket also has two working terminals, to which the phase and neutral wires are connected. Depending on the purpose, this device may be equipped with grounding contacts.

The only feature of such outlets is their clearly regulated shape and size, as well as the presence of a special latch that allows you to mount the product on a rail.

The figure shows the two most common types of sockets designed for installation on a din rail. These models, in addition to size, are distinguished by the presence of grounding contacts.

Socket without grounding

The width of this device is 1 module (17.5 mm), it is very compact. To install such an outlet does not have to allocate a lot of space. A similar product is intended for connecting low-power consumers that do not require mandatory grounding, for example, a lamp or a soldering iron. Models with a rated current of 6 and 10 A are available.

Ground outlet

A slightly more overall is a socket with a width of 2.5 modules. It is equipped with grounding contacts and is designed to power consumers whose metal parts of the case must be grounded during operation. Such devices include, for example, manual power tools. Models are available with a rated current of 10 and 16 A.

The main parameters that characterize such outlets are the rated voltage and current, as well as the degree of protection.

Within the two considered varieties, there are a fairly large number of options for constructive execution of sockets designed for installation on a DIN rail, which are designed to work in different conditions.

Most of the devices presented in electrical goods stores have an IP20 degree of protection, which is quite enough to install them in a distribution panel.

As for the decoding of the designation of the degree of protection of electrical equipment IP, it is very simple. The first digit of the code corresponds to the diameter of the object from which this equipment is protected. The number 2 indicates that the body of the device is protected from penetration of objects with a diameter of more than 12.5 mm (human fingers or similar objects). The second digit of the numerical code indicates the degree of moisture resistance. 0 corresponds to the absence of any protection against moisture.

If necessary, you can choose a product that meets higher standards of protection. For example, ground outlet Bemis 1 / 16A having environmental protection IP44, designed for operation in difficult conditions. The case of this product is made of durable plastic, it is reliably protected from dust and water splashes. This makes it possible to actively use such sockets at manufacturing enterprises.

The shield outlet is mounted on a din rail very simply. To do this, just pull the bottom movable clamp and install the socket on the rail until the lock clicks. After this, it remains only to connect the phase and neutral wires to its terminals.

Outlet Manufacturers

The quality of any electrical products substantially depends on the manufacturer. This fully applies to sockets designed for installation on a din rail.

Today, the following brands are leaders in the market for the production of electrical goods:

1. Legrand is a French company with more than a century of history. Its main activity is the manufacture of products for electrical and information systems. Thanks to the opening of production in Russia, this manufacturer was able to firmly gain a foothold in the CIS market.
2. Schneider Electric. This is a large French engineering company specializing in the production of equipment for the distribution and transmission of electricity.
3. ABB. The Swedish-Swiss company, which specializes mainly in the production of protective automation for electrical networks for various purposes. Today in the Russian market it is one of the leading manufacturers of such equipment.
4. Bticino. Italian manufacturer whose products are of the highest quality. However, the price of such devices is also quite high.

All reviewed companies offer their products at fairly high prices. Despite its undeniable quality, it is sometimes more advisable to purchase a device from a lower price segment. Manufacturers that offer such products include such brands as Makel, Anam, Lezard, Wessen, GUSI. Also quite high-quality devices that are sold at affordable prices are products of Belarusian manufacturers.

Installing an electrical outlet in a distribution panel is not only an excellent solution for providing convenience maintenance and repair of electrical equipment, but also does not bear significant costs in the process of purchase and installation of this devices.