- protection of electrical wiring from short circuit currents (hereinafter referred to as short circuit) and electrical network overloads. If an emergency occurs and an overcurrent passes through the home wiring, the cable insulation will instantly melt, and the wiring itself will flare up like sparklers. The result will be, as you understand, deplorable - a fire and, even worse, an electric shock. To prevent this from happening, it is imperative to install an automatic machine (or rather several) with suitable characteristics in the apartment shield. How to choose a circuit breaker for current, cable cross-section and other technical characteristics, read on! Immediately, we advise you to be sure to watch the video instruction provided below, which clearly shows the methodology for calculating the required automation parameters.
Main selection criteria
So, let's consider how to choose the most important parameters of a device for protecting wiring in a house and apartment.
How to choose the right value of the switching device for the house and apartment?
The listed criteria for choosing a circuit breaker are the main ones, and first of all, pay attention to these parameters. It should be noted that saving on vending machines is very stupid! The difference between a quality product (from ABB or Schneider Electric) and a fake is not too big, considering that your home and, more importantly, your life is at stake!
Unacceptable purchase errors
There are several mistakes that novice electricians can make when choosing a circuit breaker based on amperage and load. If you choose the wrong automatics, even slightly “overshooting” the rating, this can lead to many adverse consequences: the machine trips when the appliance is turned on, the wiring will not withstand current loads, the life of the switch will quickly decrease, etc.
- The first and most important thing you should know is that at the time of conclusion of the contract, new subscribers order the energy capacity of their connection. From this, the technical department makes a calculation and chooses where the connection will take place and whether the equipment, lines, TP will be able to withstand the load. Also, according to the declared power, the cable cross-section and the rating of the circuit breaker are calculated. Unauthorized increase in the input load without its modernization is unacceptable for residential subscribers, since the project has already declared capacity and laid a supply cable. In general, the value of the introductory machine is not chosen by you, but by the technical department. If in the end you want to choose a more powerful circuit breaker, everything should be consistent.
- Always focus not on the power of household appliances, but on electrical wiring. You should not choose the machine only according to the characteristics of electrical appliances, if the wiring is old. The danger is that if, for example, you choose a 32A model to protect the electric stove, and the cross section of the old aluminum cable can only withstand a current of 10A, then your wiring will not withstand and quickly melt, which will cause a short circuit in the network. If you need to choose a powerful switching device for protection, first of all, a new, more powerful one.
- If, for example, when calculating the appropriate rating of the machine for the operating current, you get the average value between the two characteristics - 13.9A (not 10 and not 16A), give preference to a larger value only if you know that the wiring will withstand the current load at 16A.
- For a summer residence and a garage, it is better to choose a more powerful circuit breaker, because. a welding machine, a powerful submersible pump, an asynchronous motor, etc. can be used here. It is better to foresee the connection of powerful consumers in advance, so that later you do not overpay for the purchase of a switching device of a larger denomination. As a rule, 40A is enough to protect the line in domestic applications.
- It is advisable to pick up all the automation from one, high-quality manufacturer. In this case, the likelihood of any inconsistency is minimized.
- Buy goods only in specialized stores, and even better - from an authorized distributor. In this case, you are unlikely to choose a fake, and besides, the cost of products from a direct supplier, as a rule, is slightly lower than that of intermediaries.