Open retro wiring
Antique housing design is now in fashion. Retro wiring is a striking element of this design. At the same time, it is made of a new model - modern cables and installation elements, designed "in the antique way". But the General appearance of such wiring gives a special charm to the room in which it is performed. What is retro wiring, how to install it correctly, what ditails to pay attention to during the work - we will tell you in this article.
Let's just say that retro switches are not vintage products that are given a second life. Vintage switches only externally imitate the retro model. Inside each productthere is a modern mechanism that is reliable in operation and, most importantly, absolutely safe.
Open retro wiring:
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Open retro wiring
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Retro antique copper switch
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Retro Antique copper socket
Components for open retro wiring
First of all, here is a little theory. Professional electricians have a term that defines the position of the wiring in relation to other elements of the structure. Wiring can be concealed or open. By the way, if we talk about power lines, and this is also wiring, although of enormous size, then they are overhead or underground. On the street, overhead power lines are stretched along poles or high metal masts or towers (high - voltage lines), and underground -in dug trenches or along the bottom of reservoirs. For example, this is how electricity was supplied from Russia to Crimea.
In domestic premises the installation of a concealed circuit wiring system is performed in a slightly different way. In panel, block, and brick houses, cable channels are chased in the walls in the right places. The system of these channels goes from the main input of electricity to the apartment and then branches out throughout the premises, resting on sockets, switches and loads.
If you need any changes in the concealed electrical circuit, you have to make additional chases in the wall or on the ceiling, and do plastering work.
In the case of open wiring system in a residential building, a common cable is introduced, with a cross section calculated for the maximum designed load. Further along the rooms, the wires branch out, going to their intended places. But at the same time, they remain on surface, lining the walls and ceiling in a peculiar way. This solution gives a vintage look to the wiring.
Any electrical wiring requires a certain set of installation products and electrical appliances. These are the lighting devices themselves, and the switching equipment.
What is open vintage retro wiring?
Open vintage retro wiring can be done in wooden houses built of logs, timber or frame, as well as in brick, cinder blocks, and concrete buildings.
Retro wiring is installed in loft interiors, and is performed with a special multi-core copper wire, which is covered with polyvinyl chloride insulation and non-flammable synthetic material. The wire can be twisted from two or three cores. Core cross-section from 1.5 mm3 to 3.5 mm3. The outer insulation of the wire can be of different colors. There is a large selection of different brands on sale.
The twisted wire can be twisted on your own from individual cores using a hand drill, a screw driver, or an electric drill at low rpm
Components of open wiring (consumable accessories) are also made in retro style. They ensure that the wire is attached to the wall or ceiling and that the electrical circuit is switched. These are plastic or ceramic rollers, overlays on the round surface of the log, bushing sleeves for conducting wiring through the wall, junction boxes of various colors and sizes, switches, power and low-current sockets, with or without grounding, wooden or porcelain installation frames of different colors.
Tools and equipment
A skilled professional electrician always has a specialized tool for performing each technological operation. When installing open retro wiring, you must have special wire cutters for stripping insulation, ordinary pliers, a set of various screwdrivers, tape measures, a level, drills for drilling through holes in the walls, an electric drill, a screw driver, a stepladder.
Work planning
Work should start with electrical design, it can be a regular drawing or electrical specification. In the plan, we draw the locations of electrical loads, sockets, switches, and junction boxes. After carefully considering the plan, you should set cable markers on it, indicating the grades and sections of the cable cores. The markers show where insulators are installed.
The plan also outlines the location of the switchboard installation. All routes go to this switchboard
According to the plan, you can calculate the required cable length, the number of insulators and installation products. It is good idea to add 10-15% of the contingency reserve to the calculation results.
While laying open retro wiring, the installation of equipment for connecting the TV antenna, phone is also performed. When setting markers it is recommended to split cable lines on a functional basis. The outlet lines to lighting devices, for television and telephone are lead separately.
Electrical installation of open retro wiring
Installation of open retro wiring starts with the installation of sockets and switches. They connect cables that cling by the other end to the junction box. After that, the places where insulators are installed along the cable routing are marked. The first insulator is placed no further than 5 cm from the junction box. Further, the distance between insulators on adjacent lines should be the same and no more than 40 cm.
Laying the cable, make sure that the right angles and parallelism of the adjacent lines are observed
Through the walls, the cable runs through metal tubes with a diameter of 20 mm and a length equal to the thickness of the walls. In copper junction boxes, the wires are connected to each other either by welding, or by crimping, or by terminal blocks. Welding is the most reliable method, but it can only be performed by a certified welder. Crimping requires skilled hands and special tongs. It is easier to assemble the installation on the terminal blocks, but the reliability is much lower.
The switchboard is assembled according to the functional principle. For a group of lighting devices, ten-ampere circuit breakers are put, for a socket group, sixteen-ampere differential machines are used.
Open retro wiring on stone walls
The most significant difference between laying open retro wiring on stone walls, from working in a wooden house is that all installations must be carried out on a solid surface. It is easy to drive a nail into the wood and screw in the screw. In the case of a stone (concrete or brick) wall, it is necessary to apply more labor-intensive operations.
Under each dowel in the wall, you need to drill a screwdriver with a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the dowel. Holes are drilled with a punch with a graphite drill on concrete. Then a dowel is driven into this hole, and a self-tapping screw is screwed into it. This operation must be performed to install each insulator, and two screws are required for the hardware elements.
How to install open retro wiring in a house with stone walls, see this video.
How much does it cost to install open retro wiring-overview of prices for work
Among professionals, it is believed that the installation of electrical wiring in an open way requires not only the knowledge and skills of an electrician, but also a certain artistic taste. If the wiring is done in a wooden log house, then you need to feel the wood, coordinate the General pattern of installation and placement of electrical products with the rhythm of the location of boards and logs. In a modern city apartment, you need to feel the design style, and open wiring should not contradict it.
High requirements for the skill of electrical fitters are a prerequisite for increased requests for their work payment. The price is determined by the brand of the installation company and, not to a small extent, the brand of the cable and installation products manufacturer. Therefore, the price range is quite wide.
Retro antique copper switch
Which model of antique copper vintage retro switch to choose. Before you start installing the switch, do not forget to calculate how many and what lighting devices it will turn on and off. Depending on the functionality of the copper retro switch, the choice is made in favor of a conventional model or a dimmer.
A conventional retro copper switch controls the light source from a single point. This model can either enable or disable lighting. This is the most common option that is used in loft interiors.
The retro light regulator is able not only to turn on or off lighting, but also to adjust its brightness by lowering the network voltage. Dimmers, depending on the features of the structure, can control one or more devices simultaneously.
Pass-through copper retro switches allow you to control the light from several points: not only turn off the lighting, but also switch the circuit from one switch to another. Often used in bedrooms or corridors.
If You need to control the light source from more than three points, then use cross switches or intermediate switches. These products are the most popular in the bedrooms or on the staircases. Depending on the number of light sources that the switches are responsible for, they are divided into one - key, two-key, three-key, and so on.Accordingly, the first can control only one lamp, the second-two, and the latter regulate the operation of three lighting devices. section.
Ways to switch lights
Copper retro switches have different types of mechanisms: rotary, push and toggle, which directly affects the way the light is switched.
Rotary or rotary models. The control is performed by transferring the bow handle to one position (the chain closes and the light turns on) or to another (the chain opens and the light source turns off).
Retro push switches combine models with keys and buttons. The first products include a lighting device in the upper position of the key, and turn off - in the lower. Sometimes there are models with the reverse orientation of the mechanism.
Push-button models close the circuit when pressed. There are switches of the key type that close and open the circuit in turn with each click.
Toggle or lever retro switches instead of a key have a control lever, which in the upper position turns the light on, and in the lower- turns it off.
The voltage and current in a vintage switch made of copper.
Voltage and current are considered important parameters for selecting switches. Pay attention to these two indicators, because Your safety directly depends on them. The manufacturer specifies the maximum values at which the switches can perform their functions and will not fail.
Material of retro switches
It is worth considering in more detail the material of the case of vintage switches.
The most popular material is copper or brass. This is not just a tribute to tradition. These materials look equally good in any interior, cope well with high temperature differences, are resistant to corrosion, and have a long service life.
Some manufacturers use plastic or ceramics. They create entire collections of these materials. Modern types of plastic have excellent characteristics and are comparable to ceramics in terms of such indicators as low current conductivity and heat resistance. Moreover, plastic is characterized by low weight and low cost.
Choose copper switches from original manufacturers and reputable brands to avoid counterfeiting and to protect your life. Electrical goods made of low-quality materials can cause a fire.
The most expensive brands make retro switches from metal: brass, copper and aluminum. Brass has a low current conductivity and is resistant to corrosion. This material is very durable. Metal switches are usually used in expensive loft interiors.
Such characteristics as the color and design of the product are not important, but are chosen based on taste preferences.
Retro Antique copper socket
Not everyone wants to use in the interior, only modern developments in the field of design and quality of building materials. Fans of antiquity prefer to install decorative elements and antique furniture, which were popular in the past. Electrical appliances that were used to provide electricity to private homes and apartments in the middle of the last century are in particular demand.
Since there are almost no original products that could be used for organizing electricity supply in the house, the industry has established the production of such products in a large assortment. Especially worth noting are the retro sockets. Every person who has decided to equip their home in a retro style should know a feature of their installation and operation.
The choice of retro copper sockets for a country house or apartment is only part of the complex process of installing retro electrical wiring. And if you want to give the room a twist by replacing a standard modern outlet with a stylish vintage one, the process can be quite complicated, and the result is not as beautiful as you thought.
It is important to understand that retro copper sockets in the main mass are intended for open installation in the loft interior, which means that all wiring in the room must be open or exposed. And the style of electrical equipment components (junction boxes, switches, wires) must be appropriate.
And again, we emphasize that a retro socket is an integral part of the wiring in the retro style. Therefore, the choice of outlet should be accompanied by the selection of the appropriate wire and electrical fittings. From the point of view of aesthetics, the choice of vintage sockets is extremely wide. Whatever color scheme prevails in the room, you can always choose a product with a matching coloring, pattern, imitation of a natural stone or wood pattern.
Selection of retro copper sockets.
In order to choose a suitable outlet, you should make a marking on the wall in advance, where the elements of open wiring will be installed. To connect such products, you will need to install a special external electrical wiring, which in appearance must fully match the products that were used in the last century.
The peculiarity of using retro-sockets is that it is not recommended to connect electricity consumers with a capacity higher than 3.5 KW to them. Disregarding this rule can lead to tragic consequences. When connecting powerful devices, the probability of fire increases significantly, especially when installing overhead retro sockets in a wooden house. All modern products made in retro style comply with the rules of fire and electrical safety, but in order for this element to last as long as possible, you should choose products made of ceramics. Plastic parts, when heated strongly, are melted, and the probability of fire or electric shock increases significantly.
When the number of open wiring elements to install is known, you must select the electrical cable for the open wiring. Used in the past, aluminum products are not currently used, the quality of insulation of ancient cables will also not be suitable for modern safety requirements, so it is best to place the wiring in a copper tube.
Installation of retro copper sockets
When choosing vintage sockets, you should also consider the features of their installation. First of all, the classic version involves external or open wiring and, accordingly, external installation of the socket. Electrical wiring, in the old style, provides for compliance with a number of requirements for the installation of sockets. They must be at least 90 centimeters above the floor level. This location will ensure that the outlet is accessible for comfortable operation and for performing a style-forming function.
External sockets in retro style are easy to install. For them, you do not need to make holes in the walls, make chases for wires. All wiring runs along the surface of the walls, and it only requires fixing the electrical fittings with screws or other fasteners, depending on the type of wall.
The main condition for the installation of retro outlets is complete de-energization of all wiring by disconnecting automatic machines or unscrewing the plugs on the electrical panel. Use a pencil or marker to mark the location of the socket and drill holes for dowels. First, the inner part of the socket is fixed on the wall, in which the copper cores of the electrical wire are fixed. After that, the external elements of the outlet are mounted.
Work on installing a retro-style outlet is carried out in the following order:
- All electrical wiring in the house is completely de-energized. To do this, Unscrew the plugs or turn off the automatic fuses on the electrical panel. To make sure that there is no dangerous voltage, you can use a screwdriver-indicator, which, if there is a phase current, will light a special window.
- Along the entire length of the external wiring strip, insulator rollers must be installed, which must be located at an equal distance from each other.
- The product is disassembled and applied to the wall at the installation site. Use a marker to mark the holes of the socket fastener. The marked points are used for drilling the material to a depth that will be sufficient to install dowels.
- The electrical cable is plugged into an outlet. To perform this operation, put the copper wires in special clips and securely tighten the threaded connection.
- The inside of the socket is attached to the wall. To perform this operation, the mounting holes of the product are combined with holes in the wall and the socket is fixed using dowel bolts.
- Then the external case of the overhead socket is installed to the inner part using a bolt that is screwed in the middle.