High-quality and properly selected electrical wiring will always help protect any room from unpleasant "surprises" associated with short-circuit currents, insulation breakdowns, wiring burnout, household appliances fire and more. It is possible to avoid such unpleasant situations and incidents. To do this, you must initially pay close attention to the cable section.
Most people who decide to do electrical wiring on their own and without the help of specialists do not fully understand the importance of the procedure during which the cable section will be selected. Even the use of the new and modern technologies themselves may not save you from the above problems if the section of the current-carrying cable is chosen incorrectly.
When choosing a section, all factors must be taken into account: the magnitude and duration of the load, the rated current that will pass through the cable, the maximum and minimum voltage, and the load power. You need to check the conductorresistance to high temperatures (both ambient and overheating due to short circuits), mechanical strength and resistance to possible external damage. Undoubtedly, the cable cross-section depends not only on the above properties and parameters. It is necessary to take into account individual differences in wiring, and even the influence of the external environment and its factors on the conductor.
The most important indicator when choosing a section is the reliability of the cable, its quality. Here the best option can be called copper. It is much more resistant to the negative influences listed above than aluminum cable. A copper conductor will be more efficient, and it is also much less susceptible to oxidation and deformation processes. Thus, the cross-sectional area of a copper cable will be less than that of an aluminum cable, provided that their other characteristics are identical. Yes, and purely visually, the copper conductor will look better.
When choosing the cable cross-section by power, it is necessary to take into account the total power of all possible devices. It is very important. Naturally, it is more convenient to choose a cable cross-section with a margin. Also take into account its length and the possibility of voltage losses.
The term "cable section" refers to its cross section. In electrical engineering, it is determined by several design parameters: compliance with heating conditions, mechanical strength conditions, according to the estimated economic current density.
Generally speaking, the correct calculation shouldimply formulas. However, you can use specially compiled tables with the main parameters to select the cable section: power, current strength, sometimes network voltage. Such tables can be found in manuals for electrical installation of equipment. There are already calculated data for cables of various sections, made of various materials, taking into account most possible factors. The values of the correction factors are also indicated, for example, if it is necessary to lay the cable at low temperatures.
