What are the wiring faults and how to fix them?

Causes of Emergencies

So, the first and most basic cause of electrical failure is the desire to save on materials. A specially selected small cross-section of the cable (because it will cost less), cheap Chinese accessories, installation by lay people. All this leads to the fact that after a short period of time fires occur in apartments as a result of fire wiring.

The second reason is the old wiring. As a rule, the replacement of the cable line in an apartment and a private house is carried out every 10-15 years. During this time, most of the connections in the junction boxes weaken, the insulation of the cables is destroyed, as a result of which the light disappears. In addition, before, the rate of energy consumption was an order of magnitude lower, and therefore the cable cross-section was small. Now, with the advent of powerful consumers, such as boilers and electric stoves, the cable cross-section should be relatively large. For example, according to SP 31.110, clause 9.2, electric stoves must be connected with a separate cable with a cross section of at least 6 square mm.

The third reason is incorrect wiring. Even if you just wired, it may already be in a faulty condition. This is due to the fact that the wire connections were improperly made, the cable section was selected with an error (worse if too small), or the conductor insulation was damaged during installation. As a result - current leakfire, wiring, failure of household appliances, etc.

Incorrect operation. It happens that the wiring is new, but due to the fact that the owners carelessly treat it, there are all kinds of electrical faults in the house or apartment. For example, pulling the plug out of the outlet entails a situation where the socket falls out of the wall. It is much worse when there is mechanical damage to the cable in the wall when driving a nail (if you decide to hang a picture) or drilling holes for the TV mount.

In addition, the causes of wiring malfunctions include flooding of the apartment by neighbors from above, corrosion of wires (most often at the junction of aluminum with copper), as well as failure of household appliances. Regarding the latter, for example, very often washing machine is shocking during the breakdown of the heating element (TENA).

What kind of malfunctions are there and what are the risks

When listing the reasons, we slightly touched on the types of electrical damage, but only in general.Now we will consider in more detail possible wiring malfunctions in the apartment and house, providing them in the form of a list:

1. Damage to insulation, most often mechanical. The result is current leakage and if not installed RCD in the shield, electric shock cannot be avoided. Damage can be fixed by restoring the integrity of the insulation or by replacing the damaged area.
2. Damage to the current-carrying core. Also due to mechanical stress resulting from inaccurate installation, repair work or damage by rodents, which often happens in a wooden house. Aluminum conductors do not withstand frequent bends, so be careful when repairing such wiring. In general, according to the PUE (chapter 7.1. 7.1.34), the wiring must be carried out with a copper cable (for details, see the above item).
3. Melting of electrical wiring insulation as a result of overheating, which in turn occurs due to improperly selected cross-section of conductors or poor contact in the twists. This malfunction can lead to a short circuit and a fire in the apartment. It is possible to fix the fault only by completely replacing the cable with a more powerful one (if the reason is in a small section). Unreliable twists are best replaced with a joint WAGO terminals.
4. Failure of household appliances. If electrical appliances are beating current or burning smell is heard from them, urgently need to disconnect them from the mains and start troubleshooting. Otherwise, electric shock or fire in the apartment may occur. About, how to repair household appliances do-it-yourself we talk in the appropriate section of the site.
5. Bad contact in the twists, as well as in the places where the wires are connected to machines, lamps, sockets, etc. Due to poor contact, heating of the wires occurs, melting of the insulation and, as a result, ignition of the electrical wiring. The problem can be fixed by periodically checking all connections and tightening the clamps. When repairing, eliminate all twisting by connecting the cables with PPE caps, VAGO clamps, sleeves or screw terminals. Twists in the wiring cannot be used according to chapter 2.1. PUE p. 2.1.21.
6. Failure of sockets and switches. Each electrical product has its own service life, which, as a rule, does not exceed 10 years (usually 6). If the outlet is old, then its contacts, most likely, have already weakened and when the plug is connected, overheating can occur, due to which a fire occurs in the apartment. With the old switch, everything is not so scary, because because of the wear of the mechanism, the switch simply stops working (the light does not turn on). About, how to repair a light switch, we told in the corresponding article. You can also find a lot of information about repairing outlets.
7. Burning of the neutral wire in the shield. A very dangerous electrical wiring malfunction, due to which the electronics in the house break down, and there is also a danger of electric shock to a person. Damage can only be repaired by restoring contact, but danger can be prevented by setting voltage monitoring relay in a house or apartment. With this you can observe two phases in outlets. And if zero burns out in the ASU of the house or in the access electrical panel - then it is possible phase imbalance and excessively high or low voltage.

We also recommend watching a useful video on how to find a short circuit in the wiring:

These are all the most common wiring faults. The last thing I would like to talk about is how to prevent problems with the electrics.

Hazard precautions

The first and most effective way is to install special protective devices in the shield. For example, an RCD will help in time to prevent a leakage of current in the apartment, a circuit breaker - short circuit and overvoltage, voltage monitoring relay - the occurrence of two phases in the outlet, as well as overvoltage.Please note that it is possible to use an RCD only if you have grounding, so it requires an EMP in chapter 1.7, namely in paragraph 1.7.80.

The next thing to take care of is to do at least once a year (and preferably six months) wiring audit. This will allow time to detect bad contact, cable damage or overheating of live conductors. Here you can also make an assessment of the status of the old wiring. You need to be aware when it is better to replace the entire home electrical network. Do not forget about the main signs of a problem with an electrician - cod, sparking outlets, the smell of burning. If any of these signs shows itself, you must immediately proceed to the search for damage.

Well and the last - during repair observe safety measures. Before you hang the TV on the wall, determine where the hidden wiring passes so that you do not accidentally get into it when drilling. About, how to find a wire in the wall, we told in the corresponding article. In addition, do not forget that you need to connect aluminum with copper only with the help of special terminal blocks, and electrical installation is allowed only with a complete power outage.

So we examined the possible faults in the wiring in an apartment and a private house. We hope the article was useful and interesting for you!