How to find damage to the insulation of the wiring in the apartment. What to do if the flush cable is damaged

This doesn't happen very often. With great difficulty we hang a carpet on the wall, but we do not rejoice at the result for long: for some reason, the light bulb in the room stops burning. Or to hang a shelf, but sparks fly out from under the drill, a crack is heard, and the apartment is plunged into ominous darkness and silence.

The reason for the misfortunes is simple to disgrace - we were unlucky, and we damaged wiring cable. In the case of the carpet, most likely, the phase or zero core was broken. And when they prepared holes for the shelf, they damaged the insulation of both cores and made a short circuit (the drill can, of course, be immediately thrown away).

To resolve the situation, the damage to the line must, of course, be found. In the case of a shelf, this will not be difficult - where they fought at the time of a short circuit, there is a damaged area.

It will be more difficult with the carpet, which we have safely hung up, having punched, that way, with a dozen holes. There are two questions. First: "Which wire is damaged - phase or zero?". And the second: "In which of the holes did we damage the cable line?".

If installing a dowel and a self-tapping screw in a hole, we broken phase wire, then there is a danger of damage electric shock. self-tapping screw, metallic profile, metal elements of decor and interior - all this can be energized if the installation is unsuccessful. You can make sure that there is no / presence of danger with the help of a serviceable and reliable one. In addition, we must remember that damage can be not one, but two or more. The identified danger should be eliminated by first turning off the voltage: unscrew the self-tapping screw, metal parts dismantle.

Next, you need to decide which part of our apartment wiring failed as a result of damage. It is extremely rare that after a line is damaged, the light in the entire apartment disappears, usually one lamp or one or more sockets simply stops working.

If , then the indicator can check the presence of a “phase” in it. There is a "phase" - the neutral conductor is damaged. There is no “phase” - we are looking for the place of its break with the help of devices that react to changes in the electromagnetic field, for example, an indicator screwdriver with a phase detector.

It must be remembered that outsiders cable lines, passing parallel to the test, can interfere and distort the readings of the device. Therefore, group ones that are not related to our tests must be disabled.

If the luminaire refused to work, then the input cable of the box, the switch cable, or the luminaire cable itself may be damaged. Usually, by the location of the box, you can understand which cable we are dealing with. Damage to the phase conductors of the luminaire wiring is detected when the switch is on.

In any case, the break points of the phase conductors are usually found quite easily.

With a damaged neutral conductor, the situation is a little more complicated. It will be necessary to make some preparatory work: turn off the circuit breaker of the affected group, unhook the damaged neutral wire from the busbar and apply a “phase” to it. Further damage can be found in the same way as in the case of damage to the phase wire.

A similar method detects damage to the cable of the light switch, if they are located after the switch itself. Since they are phase, it will not be possible to find out anything under voltage in this situation. It will be necessary to turn off the "machine" and the switch, and then apply voltage to the phase conductor from the side of the lamp - then it will be possible to find the place of the break.

At search for damages in neutral conductors often it is not known which of the wires on the N bus in switchboard refers to the damaged line. Then you can disconnect the input neutral conductor from the common bus, open the nearest branch box of the affected group and, having determined the neutral wire, apply a phase to it already from the load side. Further, everything is according to the previous scenario.

But finding damage is only half the battle. In fact, you can not do this at all, but immediately replace the damaged cable section. A lot depends on the situation here. Let's say a damaged wire goes from to a lamp, socket or switch. Then it makes sense to change the cable completely.

But if the group cable coming from is damaged, replacing the entire cable may seem impractical. After all, the cable can pass through the walls of several rooms and have a large length. And in order to replace part of the cable, you will need to install at least one additional branch box, and this is already associated with. The strobe will need to be cleared to free the ends of the cable passing through the wall and to prepare the hole for the box.

Strob clearing is a responsible and demanding task. This is best done with a hammer and chisel, chipping off small pieces of plaster and being careful not to damage the cable. Of course, the voltage must first be turned off. You should refrain from power tools, because one careless movement is enough - and the damage will become even more serious.

It is necessary to clear the strobe approximately 15 centimeters from damage in both directions. Then you need to take the ends to the side and punch a hole for the branch box. We install the box with the help of alabaster, and we put a cable from the strobe into it. If the damage has not particularly reduced the length of the cores, or there is some margin, then you can put the cable into the box on both sides and connect the cores with standard terminal blocks. That is, it is possible to do without replacing the cable, simply by connecting the previous cores by color. This is especially useful if the cable is damaged in only one place.

A new piece of wiring, if any, is usually mounted in. The most important thing here is not to overdo it and not damage other cables while drilling holes for the dowels. Well, do not forget to turn off and drown out the old and already unnecessary part wiring.

We close the newly mounted junction box with a lid, plaster, level the wall and glue the wallpaper - the work is completed, you can apply voltage.

Conclusion.

Although it is clear that damage to the flush cable is not a "tragedy", when performing repair work nevertheless, it is better to first use devices to search for live conductors, so as not to create unnecessary problems. Better yet, have detailed plan the location of the electrical wiring lines with an accurate indication of the height of the cables. Still, repairing damage is a rather troublesome and dirty business. Yes and interior decoration such repairs will not benefit the premises.

Alexander Molokov

Damage to electrical wiring, although infrequent, does happen, and any owner in his house or apartment should be able to find the causes and place of damage. In order to help you in this simple matter, this article was written.

In it, we will look at troubleshooting methods, the most likely damage and, of course, how to eliminate them.

The reasons for the short circuit of the electrical wiring are quite diverse, but most of them are associated with its improper operation and non-compliance with the rules during installation.

We list only the most common causes of damage:

• The first and most common is wiring aging. Like everything in our world, wires are not eternal. They are subject to oxidation, which changes their physicochemical properties. At the same time, not only the material of the wires, but also the insulation is subject to aging. This is especially pronounced in aluminum wires.
• The second, but no less important factor is wire overload. The reason for this could be as incorrect choice section of the wiring (see), and the connection of electrical equipment for which it is not intended. Due to overload, the wire overheats, which destroys its insulation and changes its physical and chemical properties.

• Also, any instruction will indicate to you that not correct connection wires leads to their accelerated aging. After all, contact connections are weakness any electrical wiring, and they must be made in accordance with clause 2.1.21 of the PUE. This paragraph allows only welding, soldering and screw or bolt clamping methods to be used for connecting wires.
• Well, in the last place in our article is human activity. Due to flooding, intentional or accidental damage to the wire insulation, mechanical stress, a huge amount of damage occurs.

Finding the location of wiring damage

Finding the location of the damage will greatly facilitate the wiring plan, if you have one. This will not only significantly reduce the search area, but also eliminate unnecessary actions in the undamaged section of the power grid. But usually there is no such plan and you have to search in the hope of observing generally accepted norms and rules.

Determination of damage

Before proceeding with the search for the place of damage, we should determine the nature of the damage. We will consider damage to a single-phase 220V network, since it is used in most houses and apartments.

For a three-phase circuit, there can be much more damage options, and only determining the nature of the damage will require much more effort.

So:

• To determine the nature of the damage, we consider two main options. The outlet is not working and the lighting is not working. For normal operation of these devices, it is necessary that a phase and neutral wire be connected to them. If they do not work, then one of the wires is not suitable and we need to determine which one.

• To further determine the location and nature of the damage, we need a two-pole voltage indicator. With it, we check the presence of a phase in the outlet. If there is damage in the lighting network, then we check the presence of a phase directly on the lamp or the place where the ceiling is connected.

Note! When checking the presence of a phase at the connection point of the ceiling or chandelier, the lighting switch must be turned on. If the phase is present, then open the switch and make sure that it is gone. If the phase is still present, then your lighting network connection does not match PUE standards. This will greatly complicate the further search with your own hands.

• If the phase is present, then most likely we have a break in the neutral wire. This is much worse, because it is more difficult to determine it. In order to accurately verify the breakage of the neutral wire, two options can be used. Both of them can only be used with precautions and only by people, at least those who know the basics electrical engineering. Otherwise, it is better not to perform this check.

So:

• Option number one. We find the zero contact on the nearest outlet. We connect a wire of sufficient length to this contact. We check the presence of a circuit between this wire and the zero contact of a non-working outlet or lighting network.
• Option two. In the junction box of the damaged section, after removing the voltage, turn off the phase wire of the damaged section. It should be insulated. In its place, we connect the neutral wire of the damaged area. We apply voltage and check the presence of a phase on the contact, which used to be zero. The absence of a phase is a sure sign of a break. After making sure of this, we restore the previous scheme.

Finding the location of damage in the event of a break

Having determined the nature of the damage, you can proceed directly to the search for its place. In more than 50% of cases, the site of damage is one of the contact connections.

After all, this is the weakest point. Therefore, we begin the search by inspecting the contact connections of the socket, switch or ceiling.

• Using this method, we will not only exclude one of possible causes, but also significantly narrow the search area. So by checking the contact connections, you can tell exactly which of the sections is losing zero or phase.
• Now the fun begins - precise definition places of damage. If you are using public method wire laying, then simple visual inspection wires in this area in 90% of cases will identify the problem. Otherwise, you can replace the entire wire.
• If you have hidden wiring, then everything is a little more complicated. To search, you will need a wiring plan, at least an approximate one, and special device to search for damage. But the cost of such a device is quite high. Some suggest creating your own device to search for a damaged element. But personally, I use a much simpler way.
• This will require a non-contact voltage indicator. The price of this device is not high, and indeed it greatly facilitates the work. This pointer works from the influence of an electromagnetic field that is around any live wire.
• If the wire is not laid under a very thick layer of plaster, then usually a non-contact pointer is enough. When you bring it to a wire that is under voltage, it begins to glow or make sounds, or both. You simply move the pointer along the line of possible wire laying until the indication disappears.
• If the indication is gone, then at this point you check that you simply did not lose the wire or that it did not turn. If everything is correct, then this point is your place of damage.

Note! In order not to make a mistake, check that there is no socket or switch in the adjacent room. In addition, before proceeding with the repair of damage, check everything a few more times.

• But, you say, what about the place of damage to the neutral wire. It is not an indicator to determine. Yes, it won't. Therefore, the neutral wire should be made phase, as we did when checking the integrity of the neutral wire.

Finding the location of damage in case of a short circuit

Separately, we will consider the question of how to find the place of damage during a short circuit. Indeed, with this damage, it is not possible to apply voltage to the damaged area.

When voltage is applied, the machine turns off or the plugs burn out:

• In order to exclude a short circuit, we should get rid of it. A short circuit is a connection of non-insulated phase and neutral wires. To rule this out, disable one of them.
• To simplify further search, the neutral wire is usually turned off. He is isolated and taken aside. After all, when you turn on the machine that feeds the damaged section of the network, it will be energized.

Note! During the execution of these operations, no electrical appliances should be powered from the sockets or the lighting network of this group. All of them must be removed from the sockets, otherwise it may damage them.

• Now apply voltage to the damaged section of the circuit. If there are no other short circuits, then the machine should not turn off. Otherwise, it is necessary to look for a wire touching grounded parts or a short circuit with a neutral wire of another group.
• If the machine has not turned off, then we perform a further search, as in the case with a broken phase wire. If a short circuit occurs with the wires going to the socket or switch burning off, you can easily identify the damage.
• You can check if the wires are burnt out or not by simply checking for the presence of a phase in the socket or switch in the damaged area. If there is a phase, then this indicates that at least one wire has not burned out.

• In this case, the search for the site of damage is extremely complicated and it is almost impossible to perform it at home. Therefore, it will be easier to either pull out the damaged area, or install a completely new wiring.

Repair of the damaged area

Repairing a damaged area is quite simple (see). Although ideally a new wire should be laid, temporary repairs can be made to this section as well. To do this, it is important to use a wire with a cross section not less than the existing one and from the same material.

So:

• First of all, we will have to remove the layer of plaster, under which the wiring is hidden. This should be done carefully so as not to further damage it.
• We make sure that we correctly identified the location of the damage by the presence of a break or traces of a short circuit.
• We cut the damaged wire and connect a small insert from the wire of the same material to it. Connection is best done by soldering or pressing. This will significantly reduce the depth of the required niche for the subsequent plastering of the wire.

• As insulation, it is best to use heat shrink, which will be much easier to put on and which, again, will save space.
• After repair, perform a functional test of your network by applying voltage and turning on the load. If possible, give a larger load and check that there is no increased heat at the joints. If everything is fine, you can plaster a niche with a wire.
• Re-energizing and putting into operation is best done after the plaster has dried.

Conclusion

As you can see, finding the location of wiring damage and troubleshooting is not such a difficult task. The main thing is to observe safety measures and have a minimum set of knowledge.

After all, there are videos that are best example what happens to those who, not understanding electricity, try to fix it.

We continue to search for faults in the electrical network. After, we proceed to check the wiring.

Important! Observe when working with electricity. Without work experience, carry out all work only with the power turned off.

Mechanical damage to the wires of the lighting group

The wiring of the apartment lighting group depends on the type of house. AT brick houses built in the 50s-60s-70s, the lighting of the apartment is laid in the floor screed of the upper apartment. AT panel houses lighting wiring is laid in the cavity of the floor slabs. Less common are other wiring options. In any case, the electrical wiring starts from the lighting group machine installed in the floor panel and "goes" to the first junction box of the apartment.

From the first junction box, the lighting wiring goes in one line to the first room, the second line to the bathroom and kitchen.

Wire Damage Repair

If the wiring of lighting wires goes along the floor of the upper apartment, the repair of such wiring will be fraught with problems of neighborly communication. It is likely that the neighbors upstairs were doing repairs and damaged your wiring. Need to check.

If the neighbors do not have repairs, then to troubleshoot you need to move from box to box in your apartment, checking (ringing) the wires for their integrity.

All work is done with the power off. For dialing, use a megger or a home-made dial from a light bulb and a battery (9V).

I note that in most houses, a junction box is laid above each switch.

Room lighting problems

If the lighting in the room does not work, look for damage to the lighting wires. Start checking the lighting wiring in the room from the chandelier.

• Check the connection of the chandelier (maybe one of the power wires has come off or broken off).
• Together with the contacts of the chandelier, check the contacts of the switch.
• Next, check the line from the chandelier to the junction box above the switch.
• Then, check the line from the junction box above the switch to the switch.

I note that if you have aluminum wiring, then most likely the malfunction is due to a broken wire in the chandelier connection or in the switch. Unless, of course, you drilled a wire into the wall.

Copper wiring does not break. If there is a malfunction, look for a screw contact that has fallen off in the connection of a chandelier or switch. There is also the possibility of a weakened contact in the junction box if the connection in it was made with poor-quality terminals.

Checking the electrical wiring socket group

Troubleshooting an outlet group is similar to checking lighting.

1. Check the groups first. If the current from the machine goes out, go to the apartment. 2. If all sockets do not work, then start checking the sockets from the first, counting from the shield, socket of the group. Let me remind you that all the sockets of the group are connected by a loop (in parallel). If the contact in the first outlet of the group breaks or comes off, then other outlets will not work. Check the contacts in the first socket. If there is contact oxidation, clean it. 3. If everything is in order in the first outlet, check the line from the first outlet to the nearest junction box. Next, check the line from it to the next box and so on to the shield. That is, you move from the outlet to. 4. For outlet groups, there is a high probability of a wire break in the wall. This is due to hanging furniture or interior details on the walls. How to find the wiring in the wall and check it for integrity, I wrote in the article: worth reading. 5. After a malfunction is found, it remains to replace the faulty section of the wiring by laying or making new wiring in the box, or making a different look.

Mechanical damage to wires is a rather rare malfunction and is typical for old houses.

Usually, wiring repair starts when there are problems with the power supply. Sooner or later, situations arise when a socket stops working in a house or apartment or the lighting goes out. In this case, any owner proceeds independently to repair the wiring or hires specialists.

Causes of wiring failure can be different. The most common of them:

• - a short circuit, occurs, as a rule, due to damage to the insulation between the wires. Most often, the cause of a short circuit is the place where the wires are bent - the socket connection input, in lamp sockets, twisted wires of electrical appliances - iron, hair dryer, table lamp.

Also, a short circuit can be caused by connecting to one outlet. a large number electrical appliances through tees, as a result, the contacts become very hot, and this leads to melting of the wire insulation.

• - poor contact at the junction of the wires. This type of malfunction appears when the contact between the connected wires is broken.
• - mechanical damage to wires. This often happens when the owners start drilling or hammering nails into the wall in which the hidden electrical wiring is located.

Where does electrical wiring repair begin?

Since the power supply of the house or apartment comes from the introductory electrical panel, wiring repair starts with him. First of all, you need to check the on position of the protective devices (circuit breakers, RCDs, etc.).

Perhaps the reason for the lack of power in the house may be disconnected circuit breakers or blown fuses. If, during the inspection of the electrical panel, the protective automation devices are in the off position, then a short circuit in the electrical wiring elements should be assumed.

Also the reason for shutdown circuit breakers may be overcurrent. This happens when the machine is overloaded while turning on powerful equipment. To do this, you need to turn off some of the electrical appliances and after a while turn on the machine again.

If it turns out that there is no voltage in the house or apartment, and the protective devices in the input electrical panel are in the on position, try to perform the “on-off” operations of the circuit breakers several times. Perhaps the cause of the malfunction may be the lack of contact inside the machine itself.

Finding faulty electrical wiring

So, if the actions described above do not bring results, you need to start troubleshooting and directly repair the wiring.

Troubleshooting consists in dividing the entire wiring into separate sections. To know how the wiring is divided into sections, it is advisable to have a wiring diagram handy.

A small example of repairing electrical wiring in a private house

Initial data: Let's say sockets and lighting in the kitchen and in the bedroom do not work.

Cause of malfunction: Wire-2 is damaged (but we don’t know about it yet).

Electrical wiring repair let's break it down into several stages. First you need to check the power in junction box number 2, since it is from it that the kitchen and bedroom are powered.

Let's open this box and take a look. The wire connection points must be intact, not broken (burned out in case of short circuit) and in good condition (without melting of the wire insulation). If necessary, we press the twisted wires for better contact (if twisting was used to connect the wires).

If there is no visible damage in the box, after inspection, we check for voltage at the junctions (on the twist) of wires 1 and 2 (box No. 2). There must be tension! If not, then the problem is a bad connection.

Go ahead, now you need to check if the voltage comes to the junction box number 3. To do this, open it and also use the pointer to check the presence of voltage on the conductive wires of the wire. There is no tension! So the problem is in the wire (for example, it was damaged by an electric drill when installing the picture).

To finally make sure that the wire is damaged, you need to check it for integrity. To do this, turn off the machine at the entrance to the house, unscrew the wire-2 on both sides (in the junction box No. 2 and No. 3) and, using the “dialing”, check the wire cores for integrity.

Solve the problem with damaged area wires in this case in three ways:

1. one . Remove the damaged wire and lay a new one in the wall instead. To do this, you need to ditch a section of the wall with a damaged wire;
2. 2. Lay over the damaged wire open way new in the cable channel (open wiring).
3. 3 . If, during the installation of electrical wiring, a three-wire wire was initially laid, and there is no grounding in the house, then you can use the third core as a working one (this is provided that one of the cores is damaged in the non-working wire).

If there is no electricity in the whole house, then first of all, the presence of voltage on the introductory machine is checked. If the circuit breaker is working, the voltage will be both at the input and at the output of the machine (of course, in the on position of the latter), and then act according to the above scheme.

Wiring repair tool

Main wiring repair tools are.

But yes, if everything is done correctly, it is necessary to periodically carry out at least once every few years Maintenance and checking all contacts and connections electrical wires or cables.

Often, electrical wiring requires repair as a result of its improper operation. Periodically, there is a need to replace electrical wiring in a city apartment. In any case, during a malfunction occurs:

In order to avoid problems with the electrical network of your home, you need to know the causes of damage to it. Let's look at the types of faults in electrical wiring, indicating their causes.

Types and causes of electrical faults.

1. Wire insulation damage- accidental, with inept installation or over time from the old age of the wiring. Due to insulation failure, current leakage to earth or short circuits occur. Attention if, due to old age, the insulation from electrical wires begins to crumble - there is a high risk of fire and electrical injury. Output one is complete replacement of electrical wiring in an apartment or house.
2. Damage to the integrity of the electrically conductive core as a result of accidental breakdown while driving nails or drilling holes in the wall. The wire often breaks in places where it is repeatedly bent in one place in distribution or mounting boxes or socket boxes designed for installing switches and sockets in them. Often the wires leading to the chandelier or lamp from the ceiling are broken.
3. Damage electrical cables due to malfunction or incorrectly selected circuit breakers or plugs in the electrical panel. Any section of the conductor is designed for a certain limitation on the current load. For example, the most common at home aluminum wires section 2.5 sq. mm. and copper - 1.5 square millimeters - allow a maximum continuous current load of not more than 16 amperes. For example, we connected washing machine with a power of 4 kilowatts or a current consumption above 20 A, respectively, a 16 ampere machine will knock out and you will have to replace it with a 25 ampere one. But this is not an option, because in this case the integrity of the electrical wires or cables will be damaged due to their overheating when operating at extreme loads.
   The only way out is to replace the power line a larger cable from the consumer to the electrical panel. Attention, often old machines do not always work properly and provide effective protection home wiring.
4. Faulty Appliances or technique. Often the reason for the operation of protection (machines) are faulty electrical appliances. As a result of insulation breakdown on a metal case or the occurrence of short circuit or current overloads inside these devices. It is important to disconnect them from the socket and do not use them again - take them in for repair or replace them.
5. No or poor contact in places where electrical wires are connected to lamps, chandeliers, sockets, switches or directly to other electrical appliances. The wire must be well clamped and completely come into contact with the bare part without insulation. be careful and do not pinch the insulation part. In particular advanced cases the contact burns out, the socket housing is destroyed, the insulation and the cores themselves are damaged. Always watch and tighten all electrical wiring contacts. Sometimes twisted wires in junction boxes that are installed under the ceiling burn out. Periodically check and tighten the twists, but do not use electrical tape for insulation, but only