One of the important stages of wiring installation is the connection of wires in an electrical junction box, which follows immediately after the cable is laid. To some, at first glance, it may seem that the use of a junction box for wire commutation is in fact a waste of time, but this assumption is erroneous for several reasons.
Contents
- Wiring diagram in the junction box
- Wiring options in the
- switch box Video connecting the wires in the junction box
Wiring diagram in the junction box
During operation of the electrical wiring, faults may occur - for example, an open circuit has occurred. In case if during the electrical installation the workers did not dispense the box, and the connection points were simply rolled up with a finishing material such as plaster, then in order to get to the connections again, it would be necessary to break the external finish - to cut off the wallpaper, to break the plaster layer, etc. Hardly anyone will arrange such a prospect. If in future it will be necessary to install additional outlets, it is not always convenient in such cases to extend the wires from the sockets already installed, it is easier to arrange the connection directly to the box.
If the wires are connected using terminal blocks, then the wall will have to be sold a channel of a sufficiently large depth, which is much more labor-intensive than simply connecting the wires in the junction box.
Finally, from the standpoint of fire safety, the advantage of using junction boxes is undeniable. For the proper organization of electrical installation works, there are special Rules for Electrical Installation Devices( PUE), which regulate the connection of electrical wires.
Wiring options in the
switch box According to these rules, there are the following ways to connect the wires in the junction box:
- The connection with the terminal blocks is the most preferred method: the terminal blocks are small and easily fit into the switch box and buythey will not be difficult. It remains only to cut the wires for a certain length, connect the corresponding veins and lay the resulting assembly in a box.
- Connection of wires in the soldering box is a method more suitable for professionals who have sufficient experience in carrying out this procedure. Having no experience, a person will spend a lot of time on soldering, and not the fact that the result will be a quality connection.
- The connection of wires in the distribution box by the crimping method can be considered the most reliable non-removable connection. However, this is a rather labor-intensive work requiring skills, the availability of special devices and materials - such as press pliers, copper or aluminum sleeves and a shrink tube. Pre-stripped cores should be inserted from both ends of the sleeve to the stop and crimp the connection. Immediately before crimping one of the switched wires, the heat shrink tube should be put on, and after crimping, move the tube to the sleeve and heat it to the shrinkage temperature.
The twist method is the simplest connection option. However, if one talks about whether such connection of wires is reliable in the junction box, the PUEs allow such a method only as a temporary method and prohibit twisting without subsequent full completion of the connection.
For those who first encounter such a task as connecting wires in the junction box, the photos and videos presented in the article will help to visualize as clearly as possible how this procedure is carried out by all the above methods.
The main wiring elements in the box are luminaires and sockets, and the wiring diagram in the junction box for them will be different. A socket will require a simple connection of the wires to the colors. In total there will be three colors: phase( gray, brown or black), zero( blue or blue), ground( yellow with green strip).There are also wires without ground, then the cable will be two-wire, and instead of three colors there will be two. For a luminaire with a single-key switch, only two wires are needed in the box: zero will be connected to the wire going directly to the luminaire, and the phase will pass to the luminaire through the switch. For a chandelier with a 2-button switch, the only difference is that to the chandelier in this case the switch will be powered by 2 wires, responsible for different groups of lamps, and zero will remain common.
