Today, any person cannot imagine life without electricity, and electricity without an outlet. This truly magical device makes it possible to cook food, warm up, listen to music, and light up the room.
Most of the appliances that people use every day are plugged into an electrical outlet. This simple device rarely fails. It is enough to correctly install the sockets during repairs or when entering a new apartment and you can use them for decades. Many sockets are now on sale, different in color, shape, single, double or in a module with other connectors.
Socket types
The standard type of C5 socket was installed earlier in all houses, in Soviet times. It fits forks with a pin diameter of 4 mm and a length of 19 mm. These are on old devices, lighting lamps. C5 sockets are not grounded and are rated for 6, 3A and 10A. Today, such forks are no longer produced.
The development of the international market for electrical appliances has led to a gradual transition from standard outlets to Euro type. Buying any household appliances, you notice a plug that will not fit a standard "Soviet" socket. There are euro sockets for them.
The European C6 socket outlet has a different shape, with a larger hollow for a round plug and holes for pins 4-4, 8 mm. The distance between the pins is also greater here. The C6 socket has a grounding contact and carries a current of 10A or 16A.
Socket device
The difference in the device of standard domestic and European sockets lies in different forms of contacts and different insulating materials of the enclosures. Standard sockets are made mainly of plastic, European ones are mostly made of ceramics, high-strength plastic, polycarbonate. The socket consists of a base with two holes for plug pins, which are connected by contacts with electrical wiring, a steel plate and a body or cover. The contacts connecting the plug to the wiring, according to their mechanism, are lug and spring. Petals can lose rigidity over time, detach and spark. Spring loaders are considered more reliable. It is more profitable to buy an outlet with them, plugs with a pin diameter of both 4 mm and 4.8 mm can fit to it.
Connecting sockets
The most common way is to connect outlets in parallel.
According to generally accepted standards, the socket should be located 30-40 cm from the floor, and the switch 110-120 cm from the floor.
At the same time, the load on the electrical circuit is softened, and electrical devices work more stably. At the beginning of the process of installing the outlet, we strip the wires of the electrical wiring from insulation. If necessary, we install a socket box, pull the wires through it, sink it in the wall, and fix it with screws. We divide the wires of the two cables, connect them in pairs, according to their colors. Phase wires are red or orange, zero wires are blue wires, ground wires are white. We attach the wires to the socket terminals in pairs, tighten the contacts with screws. "Phase" is usually mounted on the left, "zero" - on the right, "ground" - in the center of the socket. We carry out the installation of the socket to the wall using two or four bolts. We put a decorative cover on top, grab it with the central bolt. The socket is ready for use.
Don't forget about safety
When working with electrical outlets, for your own safety, it is imperative to follow some technical rules:
- be sure to turn off the electricity on the dashboard;
- use tools with insulating handles;
- when building up the wires, solder, do not twist
Responsibility for the correct use and the general technical condition of the wiring is always the responsibility of the occupants. And the repair of the wiring, in case of damage, must be carried out by the power supply company.
- the socket in the wall must fit tightly and be insulated;
- wires, socket and equipment must correspond to the amperage;
- in the event of a spark, it is prohibited to operate the socket.
So different sockets
Currently on the market you can find a huge variety of electrical outlets. There are overhead sockets (external), which are more common in private houses. But built-in sockets are considered more convenient. They are installed in the wall, only a decorative strip remains outside.
There are sockets combined in the same housing with switches. Among them, you can choose options for any room design. There are rosettes with overlays of different colors, including with the addition of mother-of-pearl, elite specimens "imitating a tree" of different species - linden, black ash, beech. Their price will be one level higher. The shapes of the switches for such modules are square, rectangular and round.
Childproof outlets can be purchased. They have safety shutters that cover the holes for the pins. The curtains open when rotating in a circle or pulling up. For rooms with high humidity, such as a kitchen, swimming pool, greenhouse, toilet, there are sockets with protection against moisture. They are marked with IP44. Some of the most unusual electrical outlets include timer outlets and push-pull outlets.
