DOMESTIC WIRING

Service mains: The conductors which bring electrical energy from the nearest pole
carrying the secondary distribution system to the consumers premises are known
as Service mains. For all domestic purposes only single phase supply is required.
There are 2 types namely:
1. Over head service mains
2. Underground service mains.

Over head service mains: In this, the conductors from the pole to the meter board
run above the ground level at a reasonably good height providing clearance from
the adjacent buildings. Aluminum core steel reinforced or hard drawn copper
conductors are used as service mains. Their size depends on load of the consumer.

Underground service mains: This is provided if the load of the consumer is more
than 25kW. In this overhead connections can not be given and this improves the
beauty of the building.

Meter board and Distribution board:

Fig: 3.2.1. Meter board & distribution board. [Ref: Basic Electrical Engineering text
book, Bakshi]
Supply is taken through service mains and connected to the input terminals of the
energy meter which is fixed in wooden box. The wooden box is known as meter
board. This consists of a use which is a safety device during over loads or short
circuits. The energy meter is provided by the electric supply company. The energy
meter must be installed at a place which is easily accessible by meter readers. The
main switch is used to switch on and off the supply to the building. This is provided
next to the energy meter and output terminals of the energy meter are connected as
input terminals to main switch. The output terminals of the energy meter are connected
as input terminals of main switch and this is connected to distribution board. The
main switch is usually an iron clad double pole [ICDP] switch. The main switch is
fixed inside the distribution board itself. The distribution board is a rectangular box
which consists of 2 bus bars fixed. One neutral bus bar and other phase bus bar.
Domestic load is distributed to various sub circuits from distribution board.
Systems of wiring:
1.Cleat wiring:

Fig: 3.2.2. Cleat wiring.[ Ref: www.google.com]

In this type of wiring wires run b/w porcelain cleats which are fixed by screwing.
The wires are made of VIR or PVC. The porcelain cleats used are of two halves
one base and other cap. The distance b/w the cleats should not exceed 60cm so
that wires will not come into contact either with wall or each other.
 Advantages: Low cost and easy maintenance, requires less labour and workmanship.

Disadvantages: Not suitable for wet and damp areas, does not provide good
appearance.

Applications: Preferred for temporary installations where the place is dry.

2.Wooden casing and capping wiring:

Fig: 3.2.3. Wooden casing and capping wiring[Ref: www.google.com]

When the wires/ cables used in wiring needs protection this system is used. These
have wooden casing with grooves covered by capping. Cables are made of VIR or
PVC. Length of casing and capping should be 2.5- 3 meters.

Advantages: Good appearance, low quality wires can be used, easy to install and

rewire.

Disadvantages: Cannot be used in wet and damp places, requires better workman

ship.

Applications: Preferred for low voltage.

3. Conduit wiring:

Fig: 3.2.4. Conduit wiring [Ref: www.google.com]

Conduit is buried under the wall or ceiling. PVC conduit is popularly is used as it
requires less time to install and cheaper in cost. The conduit is fixed by means
of J hooks, fully protected mechanical injury. Does not affect appearance. The
channels are provided in the wall before plastering and then conduit is fixed in the
channel by the hooks.
Two Way and Three Way Control of Lamps:

Two way control of the lamp: If we want to control a lamp from more than one
point (stair case) say from two places then it is called two way control. Similarly we
can control a lamp from three places under certain circumstances and is called as
three way control.

Fig: 3.2.5. Two way control of lamps [Ref: DSI ppt]

The operation of the circuit is explained in the following table

Position of S Position of S Condition of lamp

1 2
1 3 ON
1 4 OFF
2 3 OFF
2 4 ON
 The Wiring Diagram of Three Way Control of the Lamp with OC – Open:

Fig:3.2.6. Three Way Control of the Lamp[Ref: DSI ppt]

Three way control: Figure shows the circuit to control a lamp at three different points.
SW1 and SW2 are single pole double throw switches (SPDT). SW3 is a double pole
double throw switch (DPDT). The operation of the circuit is given in table.

SW SW SW State of Lamp
1 2 3

A G CD, EF ON

A H CD, EF OFF
 B G CD, EF OFF

B H CD, EF ON

A G CF, ED OFF

A H CF, ED ON

B G CF, ED ON

B H CF, ED OFF

Protective Devices:

Protection for electrical installation must be provided in the event of faults such as
short circuit, overload and earth faults. The protective circuit or device must be fast
acting and must be able to isolate the faulty part of the circuit immediately. It also
helps in isolating only required part of the circuit without affecting the remaining
circuit during maintenance.

The following devices are usually used to provide the necessary protection:

• Fuses

• Relays
 • Miniature circuit breakers (MCB)

• Earth leakage circuit breakers (ELCB)

Fig:3.2.6.Connection of fuse[Ref DSI ppt]

In case of a short circuit or a fault the current increases beyond the rated current. This
results in the melting of the conductor. This may cause a fire. Hence it is necessary to
cut off the supply to the circuit. This is done by using a fuse.

Fuse consists of a wire made of copper or lead tin alloy fixed to a porcelain base. The
fuse wire is connected in series between the supply and the circuit. The thickness of
the fuse wire depends upon the rated current of the circuit. When the circuit current
exceeds the rated current, the fuse wire melts, resulting into the disconnection of
the supply to the circuit. Thus any damage to the circuit is prevented.

The material used for fuse wires must have the following characteristics :
Low melting point, Low ohmic losses, High conductivity, Lower rate of
deterioration.
 Terms Related with Fuses:

1. Rated current: It is the maximum current, which a fuse can carry without
undue heating or melting. It depends on the following factors: Permissible
temperature rise of the contacts of the fuse holder and the fuse material, Degree of
deterioration due to oxidation

2.Fusing current: The minimum current at which the fuse melts is known as the
fusing current. It depends on the material characteristics, length, diameter, cross-
sectional area of the fuse element and the type of enclosure used.

3.Fusing Factor: It is the ratio of the minimum fusing current to the rated current.
It is always greater than unity.

Miniature circuit breakers[MCB’s]:

These are electrical switching devices which are used to protect the electrical
equipment and circuits under over load conditions. Circuit breakers used in residential
, commercial installations at low voltages are referred as MCB‟s. These are single
pole breakers and are installed in a cabinet. It is also use for Tripping during ground
faults.
 Features of MCB:

Operation is very fast, No tripping circuit is necessary operation is automatic,

Provides protection against over load and short circuit without noise, Can be
reset very quickly after correcting the fault, Current rating is from 0.5A to 63A,
Voltage rating 240V for single phase 415V for three phase, 220V for DC.

Electric shock:

When a person comes in contact with the live wire supplying electricity, he receives a
shock. The severity of the shock received depends on the voltage of the wire and the
body resistance of the person. The max. current a human body can withstand is
30mA. If the body is totally wet, the body resistance is 1000 ohms, if it is dry, it is
about 5000 ohms. Mild shocks produce nervousness. The damage caused due to an
electric shock depends the voltage, the current, per son‟s health etc.

Precautions:
Insulation of the conductors used must be proper, Meggar tests should be conducted,
insulation must be checked, earth connection should be always maintained in proper
condition, use rubber soled shoes and gloves while working, never touch the two
different terminals at the same time, sockets should be fixed at a height beyond reach
of children.

1. Avoid water at all times when working with electricity. Never touch or try repairing
any electrical equipment or circuits with wet hands. It increases the conductivity of
electric current.

2. Never use equipment with frayed cords, damaged insulation or broken plugs.

3. If you are working on any receptacle at your home then always turn off the mains. It
is also a good idea to put up a sign on the service panel so that nobody turns the main
switch ON by accident.

4. Always use insulated tools while working.

5. Electrical hazards include exposed energized parts and unguarded electrical equipment
which may become energized unexpectedly. Such equipment always carries warning
signs like “Shock Risk”. Always be observant of such signs and follow the safety rules
established by the electrical code followed by the country you’re in.

6. Always use appropriate insulated rubber gloves and goggles while working on any
branch circuit or any other electrical circuit.

7. Never try repairing energized equipment. Always check that it is de-energized first by
using a tester. When an electric tester touches a live or hot wire, the bulb inside the tester
lights up showing that an electrical current is flowing through the respective wire. Check
all the wires, the outer metallic covering of the service panel and any other hanging wires
with an electrical tester before proceeding with your work.

8. Never use an aluminium or steel ladder if you are working on any receptacle at height
in your home. An electrical surge will ground you and the whole electric current will
pass through your body. Use a bamboo, wooden or a fibreglass ladder instead.

9. Know the wire code of your country.

10. Always check all your GFCI’s once a month. A GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter) is a RCD (Residual Current Device). They have become very common in
modern homes, especially damp areas like the bathroom and kitchen, as they help avoid
electrical shock hazards. It is designed to disconnect quickly enough to avoid any injury
caused by over current or short circuit faults.

11. Always use a circuit breaker or fuse with the appropriate current rating. Circuit
breakers and fuses are protection devices that automatically disconnect the live wire
when a condition of short circuit or over current occurs. The selection of the appropriate
fuse or circuit breaker is essential. Normally for protection against short circuits a fuse
rated of 150% of the normal circuit current is selected. In the case of a circuit with 10
amperes of current, a 15 ampere fuse will protect against direct short circuits whereas a
9.5 amperes fuse will blow out.

12. Working outside with underground cabling can be dangerous. The damp soil around
the cable is a good conductor of electricity and ground faults are quite common in the
case of underground cabling. Using a spade to dig at the cable can damage the wiring
easily so it is better to dig at the cable by hand while wearing insulated gloves.

13. Always put a cap on the hot/live wire while working on an electric board or service
panel as you could end up short circuiting the bare ends of the live wire with the neutral.
The cap insulates the copper ends of the cable thus preventing any kind of shock even if
touched mistakenly.

14. Take care while removing a capacitor from a circuit. A capacitor stores energy and if
it’s not properly discharged when removed it can easily cause an electric shock. An easy
way to discharge low voltage capacitor is that after removal from the circuit is to put the
tip of two insulated screw drivers on the capacitor terminals. This will discharge it. For
high voltage ones a 12 Volts light bulb can be used. Connecting the bulb with the
capacitor will light up the bulb using up the last of the stored energy.

15. Always take care while soldering your circuit boards. Wear goggles and keep yourself
away from the fumes. Keep the solder iron in its stand when not in use; it can get
extremely hot and can easily cause burns.
Earthing:
Earthing is connecting the exposed metal parts of the appliances to ground (or earth)
by using a conductor of very low resistance.
The earthing procedure is as follows;

• The earthing wire brought out from the equipment is joined to the earthing
electrode through the earthing terminal of the 3 pin socket.

• The earthing electrode may be a galvanized iron (GI) pipe or a rod or a plate
or may be a strip.

• A pit is dug (in the ground) of size 30 cm x 30 cm for at least 2 m depth below
the ground level.

• This pit is half filled with a layer of common salt and charcoal as shown in figure.
• Above this the remaining depth is filled by soil till ground level.
• The earthing electrode is embedded in a pit.

The two types of earthing are: Plate earthing and Pipe earthing.
Plate Earthing:

Fig:3.2.7. Plate earthing[Ref: DSI ppt]

• In this method a copper plate of 60 cm x 60 cm x 3.18 cm or a GI plate of
the size 60 cm x 60 cm x 6.35 cm is used for earthing.

• The plate is placed vertically down inside the ground at a depth of 3 m and
is embedded in alternate layers of coal and salt for a thickness of 15 cm.

• In addition, water is poured for keeping the earth electrode resistance value
well below a maximum of 5 ohms.

• The earth wire is securely bolted to the earth plate.

• A cement masonry chamber is built with a cast iron cover for easy regular
maintenance.
Earthing efficiency increases with increase of plate area and depth of
embedding. The disadvantage is that discontinuity of earth plate can not be
observed.
Pipe Earthing:

Fig: 3.2.8. Pipe earthing. [Ref DSI ppt]

• Earth electrode made of galvanized iron (GI) pipe of 38 mm in diameter

and length of 2 m (depending on the current) with 12 mm holes on the
surface, is placed upright at a depth of 4.75 m in a permanently wet
ground.

• To keep the value of the earth resistance at the desired level, the area
(15 cms) surrounding the GI pipe is filled with a mixture of salt and coal.

• The efficiency of the earthing system is improved by pouring water

through the funnel periodically.

• The GI earth wires of sufficient cross- sectional area are run through a
12.7 mm diameter pipe at 60 cms below from the 19mm diameter pipe
and secured tightly at the top as shown in the figure.

The disadvantage is embedded pipe length has to be increased sufficiently

with high order specific resistivity.
 Power Calculation :

To calculate the consumption of an electrical appliance in kWh, you have to take

into account three factors:

1. the capacity of your electrical appliance, expressed in watt.

2. the number of hours that the appliance is in use in one day.
3. the number of days per year when the appliance is in use.
The calculation is as follows:

[number of hours’ use] x [number of days’ use] x ([capacity of appliance

expressed in watt] / 1,000) = number of kWh

The capacity should be divided by 1,000 to convert the number of watts into the
number of kilowatts. This finally gives us the number of kWh (kilowatt hours).

Example Calculation for the energy consumption of a radio alarm

A radio alarm is on all the time and therefore uses energy continuously.

hours / day 24 hours

days / year 365

Capacity of radio alarm 10 watts

Annual energy consumption of radio alarm: 24 x 365 x (10 watts / 1,000) = 87.6
kWh

Example Calculation for the energy consumption of a vacuum cleaner

In the table below we assume that the vacuum cleaner is used for two hours once a
week.

hours / day 2 hours

days / year 52 days

Capacity of vacuum 2000

cleaner watts

Annual energy consumption of vacuum cleaner: 2 x 52 x (2,000 watts / 1,000)

= 208 kWh