How to make light on the balcony?

Step 1 - Determine the wiring option

The first thing you should do is decide on the following questions:

• how to route the cable along the walls (in the gates or cable channel);
• how many fixtures will be installed and what their total power;
• where the new line will be drawn from (from the distribution panel, distribution box in the next room or from the nearest outlet);

We will consider each of the questions in more detail so that you can correctly conduct light on the balcony in the panel house.

Line Laying Method

So you can make hidden wiringhaving drilled the walls from the next room (or distribution board) or run the cable along the walls using a special plastic box. The first option is recommended if you decide to completely replace wiring in the apartmentbecause it makes no sense to spoil the wall decoration for the sake of connecting one or two lamps.

As for the plastic channels that are mounted on the walls, it is more logical to use them in order to conduct light on the balcony with your own hands in this case. This is due to the fact that with this method of wiring, the operating time and its complexity are noticeably reduced. At the same time, open wiring is not as reliable and more prone to mechanical damage.

Nevertheless, our verdict is that it is better to conduct light on the balcony in an open way, which is much easier and at the same time does not require a special tool, for example, a perforator. In addition, open wiring can be carried out in an electrical plinth or on brackets, which are attached even easier and faster. About how it is performed cable routing in the cable channel, we told in a separate article.

Fixtures

At this stage, you need to decide which devices will be used for lighting. Most often, when connecting light on the balcony, spotlights, sconces and LED strip are used. Learn more about options. balcony lighting You can in the corresponding article, in which we also provided visual photos, examples of the most popular devices.

Looking ahead, I would like to note that the more powerful the lamps, the greater the likelihood that you will have to output a new line from the distribution panel, which is problematic and not very reasonable. We recommend watching a video of various lighting options for the loggia, which give a clear idea of ​​whether light is needed in such a room at all or not:

Connection point

As we said earlier, there are three power sources from which you can independently connect the light to the balcony. The first and most difficult option is to stretch the wiring from the apartment shield. In this case, it will be necessary to draw a route through all the passing rooms, which is a very laborious event, even with open wiring. We recommend using this method only if you decide to make a complete replacement of the lighting line.

It is more reasonable to pass the light to the balcony from the next room, with which the window block borders. For this you need find a junction box in the wall and draw a new line from her. The problem you may encounter is unreliable old wiring or the small diameter of the cable cores. If powerful electrical appliances are connected in the room, it is far from a fact that the wiring can withstand another load sector, which will come from the light bulbs. In this case, you need todetermine the cross section of the wire at the entrance to the room and calculate whether there is a current load margin. If the supply is not large, it is better to use only low-power bulbs.

Well, the third option is similar to the previous one, because The power source will be the next room. The only difference is that it will not be necessary to conduct light on the balcony from the junction box, but from the outlet. This method of wiring is called a loopback connection. If the installation box is far away and you do not want to stretch the network through the entire room, this option will be most suitable.

As soon as you decide on all these issues, it will be possible to move on to the point and draw the electrical circuit of the lighting. After the scheme, all components are already bought and installation is carried out.

Step 2 - Create a Connection Diagram

The connection scheme of all elements will depend on which supply point option you have chosen. We will not consider how the cable is routed to the place of installation of the lamps, so we will show an example in which the input is already on the loggia.

If you have already decided to make light on the balcony, then perhaps installing an outlet will not hurt. In this case, a simple wiring diagram with one lamp will look like this:

Some guidelines for designing a project:

• The junction box must be led into the next room so as not to endanger wire connections (balconies often leak, can be blown out with poor glazing, etc.).
• If you decide to install a wall sconce, mount it over the window unit. This place is less prone to damage.
• All elements of the lighting line must be waterproof. If the cable will be laid in an open way, place it in a corrugated pipe.
• The cable must be copper, with a cross section of at least 1.5 mm². Better give preference to the brand VVG, which is an ideal option for price and quality.
• You need to connect the wires wagon terminal blocksAny twisting is very dangerous, especially on the loggia.

After drawing up the scheme and purchasing materials, you can proceed to the main process.

Step 3 - Draw the line and connect

For example, consider the most difficult of the ways - when you need to conduct light on the balcony, drawing a line from the shield. In order for you to understand the instructions, we will conditionally divide it into paragraphs:

1. Turn off the electricity in the apartment (automatic machine on the input panel).
2. Cut the desired length of conductor.
3. Make markings on the walls to gut them.
4. Create technological grooves from the input to the junction box on the loggia. Also make strobes for switches, sockets, mounting box. You can only bring light to the balcony through the wall, so you will need to drill a hole in a suitable place that is sufficient for the corrugated pipe to pass through.
5. Place the cable in the strobe and fix it with alabaster every 20 cm (the solution quickly sets, which is very convenient).
6. Connect all the elements in one circuit, according to the created diagram.
7. Call the finished line with a multimeter for availability short circuit. If everything is in order - close the strobes with a solution.
8. Connect the light to the input circuit breaker and turn on the electricity.

That's all you need to know in order to conduct the light on the balcony with your own hands. As you can see, it is quite realistic to make the electrical installation yourself even without certain skills. If you decide to make the loggia lighting without electricity, install special battery-powered lamps, which are popular among apartment owners in panel houses.

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