In a modern apartment, many electrical devices operate simultaneously. During renovations, it often becomes necessary to move poorly located sockets and plan them so that you can connect each device without problems and avoid tripping over wires stretching throughout the house. This is most relevant for old-built houses - in new buildings the electrical network is usually organized more efficiently. Before starting work, you should consider how to rationally arrange household and digital appliances, panels and sockets.
Optimal location
In each room, residents often or constantly use various electrical appliances. To ensure that all interior items are in their place and sockets are not hidden behind a closet or sofa, you should draw a plan of each room with the indicated dimensions and determine where the furniture, appliances, and lighting will go. It is also necessary to take into account building codes and regulations to ensure fire safety and smooth operation of electrical wiring.
Hallway and corridor
It is better to connect lighting in the hallway using separate switches. Most often, shoe dryers or a vacuum cleaner are used in this room. Therefore, two sockets located in the corner at a height of 30 cm from the floor and 10 cm from the door or furniture will be sufficient. If it is necessary to install additional electrical devices in the hallway, the circuit becomes more complicated.
Bathroom
In the bathroom, a washing machine, shower cabin and water heater can be constantly plugged into sockets. Often you need to use a hairdryer or razor. Large equipment will require separate energy sources, which, according to the rules, should be located no closer than 60 cm from the water source and from the floor. You should buy special waterproof sockets with a cover and IP44 marking - they have a special plastic flange on the inside to drain water if it gets in.
A forced exhaust fan is usually connected to a light switch - if a person enters the bathroom, the hood starts working.
Kitchen
The kitchen leads in the number of constantly working electrical appliances. The main list of equipment constantly connected to the network:
- fridge;
- Dishwasher;
- electric stove;
- microwave;
- TV;
- hood;
- electric kettle;
- washing machine.
Therefore, you need at least eight sockets for constant operation and at least five for small household appliances such as a mixer, coffee grinder or meat grinder.
The main difficulty is the correct location of sockets for built-in appliances - they cannot be placed behind electrical appliances, so it is better to move the energy sources behind adjacent kitchen cabinets. It is necessary to install separate power sources for the hob and oven - a double socket will not withstand the load.
Sockets for a blender or toaster, which the owners use on the table, must be installed 30 cm above the work surface.
Living room
This room is used for relaxation and entertainment of household members; it contains a TV, audio center, Wi-Fi router, split system, and local lighting points. These devices are constantly connected; according to safety rules, sockets for them are mounted at a height of 30 cm from the floor and at least 10 cm from door and window openings.
For a split system, the socket should be placed at the top, near the installation site of the indoor unit - this will avoid unsightly wires on the walls.
It would be a good solution to make it possible to connect chargers or an electric fireplace in the sofa area.
Bedroom
On bedside tables there are usually phones or tablets that require additional charging. Therefore, the optimal solution would be to place a couple of sockets near the bed, at a distance of 15–20 cm from the tabletop.
If there is a dressing table in the bedroom, then you should also install an outlet near it to connect a hairdryer or other equipment.
It’s convenient to watch your favorite movies and shows while lying in bed, so the TV is usually hung on the wall opposite the head of the bed. You can hide the socket behind the screen panel.
Children's
An outlet for a night light is enough for a small child, but it is worth considering that in a couple of years they will need energy sources for game consoles and charging their phone, tablet, TV and computer. And if there are several children, then the load on the power grid increases.
For children's rooms, it is advisable to buy safe sockets with covers or plugs and place them so that the baby does not reach the hanging wires.
Office or desk
The desktop usually contains a computer, monitor, peripheral equipment, telephone and desk lamp. For comfortable work, you will need at least 6 sockets with a surge protector, and to hide the unsightly tangle of wires, you should mount the electrical accessories at a height of 25–30 cm above the floor and remove the wires under the cable channel.
Video: How to correctly place sockets and switches
Planning at the design stage will allow you to equip each functional area in the apartment as desired, for example, arrange a workplace and type on a laptop while lying on your favorite sofa. If you arrange the power connectors in the apartment in accordance with safety rules and take into account the number and placement of basic electrical appliances, then the wires will not get tangled under your feet, and the use of the equipment will become more convenient.
There is a simple method for placing sockets in an apartment , the step-by-step implementation of which will help make your home comfortable and safe. Now, as part of our large article “Apartment Electrical Project | Do-it-yourself electrical project,” using this technology, we will select the places where it is best to place the sockets and create a detailed diagram for the electrical installation.
To select installation locations, we will need an apartment plan; we have already discussed in detail how it can be created in the article “”, in which we drew a plan for a two-room apartment - “Khrushchev”.
Using this example, we will draw up a diagram of the location of sockets in the apartment.
1.
First of all,
you need to decide on the location of the furniture and put it on the plan. The more carefully you think through the desired environment, the more accurate and verified the location of sockets, switches, lighting and other electrical equipment will be.
It is best if you go to furniture stores and decide on specific models of tables, sofas, and armchairs that you plan to purchase. Knowing their sizes, you can easily transfer them to the scale of the apartment plan.
As an example, let's take a sofa with overall dimensions WxDxH(width depth height) - 2000mm x 800mm x 850mm.
To place a sofa on the apartment plan, you need to schematically display it in a horizontal section.
After converting the actual dimensions of the sofa to our scale of 1:20, the drawing of the sofa will have the following parameters:
Let me remind you that the scale of the apartment plan we built earlier is 1 to 20, i.e. To convert furniture to this scale, all overall dimensions must be divided by 20 (in millimeters).
Now you can place the sofa on the apartment plan, in the place you need, while the proportions of the sofa relative to the apartment will be fully respected.
In our example, we will furnish the main areas that are usually found in every apartment:
1. Sleeping area
2. Recreation area
3. Workplace
4. Kitchen space
5. San. Knot
You can apply furniture projections to the apartment plan in any way convenient for you - draw with a pen/pencil, make an appliqué (cut out furniture models and attach to the drawing), the main thing is to maintain the scale. We followed the simplest path, used a graphic editor and we got the following:
2. The next step is, using the same method, we arrange all stationary electricity consumers. They can be designated schematically, with geometric figures that repeat the general overall dimensions, translated into plan scale. It is best to do this on a separate copy of the apartment plan with the furniture arranged.
It is very difficult to indicate, within the framework of the plan, all possible devices that you will use in the future; try to show all stationary, large-sized and energy-intensive ones, such as a refrigerator, washing machine, water heater, etc. Keep in mind the rest of the electrical appliances that you are going to use; in the next stage, when we start arranging sockets on the plan, this information will be very necessary.
3. Further you can start arranging sockets on the apartment plan. It is best to do this sequentially, room by room. The principle here is simple, all regular consumers of electricity must have an electrical outlet near them, plus a certain number of outlets must be kept in reserve for devices that are connected periodically.
Imagine where and what devices you will use and arrange sockets on the plan accordingly. Be sure to design free sockets; it’s hard to predict what other electrical appliances you’ll need, but it’s better to provide places for connections in advance.
The more accurately you think through your future interior, its filling with electrical appliances and appliances, the more accurate the calculation of the number and installation locations of electrical outlets will be.
4. Once you have mapped out all the major electrical outlets on your floor plan, it is necessary to determine the locations of other electrical installation devices- sockets of low-current networks, such as: TV sockets, Internet (rj45) sockets, audio, etc.
5.
When placing sockets on the apartment plan, you should immediately indicate the installation heights of the socket blocks, while taking into account the size of furniture, appliances, door openings, etc., so that the sockets are not covered by interior elements.
For convenience, I advise you to immediately decide on the main installation height of the sockets; we wrote about what installation standards exist in the article “”. In the future, it is necessary to indicate on the plan the installation height of sockets only if it differs from the standard one.
6. When you have finally decided on the placement locations, plotted it on the apartment plan and noted the installation heights, you can calculate the dimensions of the exact location of sockets in a real apartment. To do this, use a ruler to measure the distance from the nearest corner to the center of the socket (if it is a block of sockets, to the center of the first socket in the block) and multiply the resulting value by the scale, in our case by 20.
Example: So, the image below shows an example of such a size conversion. If the length to the socket is 60mm in the drawing, the actual size will be 60x20=1200mm.
7. We put all the necessary dimensions on the socket layout diagram(indicate the dimensions on the side where accuracy is most critical).
Consider the standard sizes of socket blocks:
- standard socket assembly measures approximately 80mm x 80mm
- block of two sockets - 80mm x 150mm
- block of three sockets - 80mm x 225mm
- block of four sockets - 80 x 295mm
- block of five sockets - 80mm x 365mm
Try not to use blocks of more than four pieces (posts) in the socket layout diagram, because Not all manufacturers have frames of this size. If you need to make more than 4 sockets nearby, divide them into groups (2 and 3, 3 and 3, etc.)
By following these simple instructions, you can independently create a detailed diagram of the location of sockets in the apartment. At the same time, all sockets will be in their places, all electrical appliances in the apartment will have points for connection to both electrical networks and low-current signal networks. You will forever forget about all kinds of extension cords and tees, about bundles of lying and hanging wires.
Only such systematic, step-by-step design will allow you to choose the most convenient locations for sockets. The resulting diagram of the electrical outlet network in the apartment will be useful for subsequent cost calculations and electrical work in the apartment itself, and will be an important part of the electrical project.
Currently, almost all new buildings are designed in such a way that one can live comfortably and compactly in such an apartment. This is especially true for indoor power supply. An important criterion in the process of designing power supply is the correct location of sockets in the apartment.
The availability of a variety of electrical appliances depends on this factor. Thus, the first step is to correctly draw up a clear diagram, indicating the location of sockets and switches.
Of no small importance is the installation of sockets in accordance with standards and general rules, on which comfortable and functional living in an apartment depends. Thus, according to generally accepted European regulatory standards, the distance from the socket to the doorway should be no more than 10 cm and a height of no more than 1 m from the floor.
As a rule, almost all electricians who are involved in wiring sockets are guided by basic regulatory documents: SNiP; PUE; GOST is an important documentary component that must always be relied upon when drawing up a diagram of sockets in an apartment.
If you have no great desire to contact professional and qualified electricians, then you can do the wiring of sockets in the apartment yourself. However, in this case there are risks that the work may not be performed efficiently and will also take a lot of time.
It should be borne in mind that each room in the apartment has its own specifics and functional purpose, and here it is necessary to take into account all the nuances for a particular room.
Correct installation and placement of sockets
Kitchen
As a rule, the kitchen contains a significant part of all household electrical appliances in the apartment, which will be used daily. Therefore, the design of this room must be done in such a way that all important electrical appliances can be conveniently and practically placed. For example, you need to understand where the refrigerator, electric stove, hood, etc. will be located.
The circuit should be designed in such a way that there are no additional extension cords or carriers. Also for the kitchen there is a very pressing question: at what height should the outlet be made?
As a rule, in the kitchen it is recommended to install double sockets 10-15 cm higher as required by the standards, this is due to the fact that the kitchen will have a worktop with a built-in stove and cabinets at a level of 1 m from the floor, and 10-15 cm is small in stock.
Living room
It is advisable to install double sockets in this room. Here everything is installed strictly according to standards and norms. As a rule, one socket is installed near the door, and two sockets on the wall on each side.
At the same time, in the TV area you can provide an outlet for the antenna and a special connector for wi-fi, so that it is possible to hide the antenna and cable for the Internet.
Bedroom
Here, sockets are installed in accordance with standards and regulations. The location of the sockets in a given room can be selected individually at your discretion, while it is necessary to take into account which electrical appliances will be located in the room and in what place.
It is necessary to think through everything correctly, otherwise you will then have to connect additional extension cords, which you will agree is not very pleasant.
Bathroom
To install sockets in a given room, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the room. The bathroom does not have a significant area and its dimensions are not so large, so one or two sockets are enough here.
However, it is very important to take into account the regulatory rules, according to which the socket must be at least 60 cm away from the bathroom; this is all due to the fact that this room is the wettest.
Therefore, such conditions are imposed for installing sockets in the bathroom. At the same time, the socket body must be made of moisture-resistant material and have a protective cover to prevent water or moisture from getting into the socket.
Hallway
As a rule, for such a room it is enough to have two sockets. There are not many household appliances in the hallway that can be used in the room. Basically, the socket here can be used when connecting a vacuum cleaner or when using a shoe dryer.
Of course, when planning it is impossible to thoroughly foresee everything, so it is recommended to draw up 1-2 diagrams in advance, based on which the final one is made, on the basis of which the sockets are wired. It is also recommended to install electrical points with a small margin, this is done so that you do not have to use extension cords.
Therefore, with the right approach, you can independently install the sockets yourself, not to mention how to replace the old socket in the apartment, which is also not difficult. It is very important to take each step carefully and not to rush, as the cost of a mistake can be very high.
If you have any difficulties in the process of wiring the socket yourself, or you can’t understand something, you can look at our website for colorful photos of sockets in the apartment. Perhaps this will help you solve your problem.
Photo of the location of sockets in the apartment
The issue of the correct location of electrical connectors, that is, sockets and switches, needs to be given timely attention, even at the stage of planning the placement of all household appliances. In addition, you need to take into account the number of large and small equipment, according to which the installation of sockets and switches will be carried out.
There is a certain set of electrical installation rules that experts follow, and you can take note to become more knowledgeable before starting installation work.
How to position sockets correctly
So, the first thing that may puzzle you when installing sockets is their height relative to the floor level.
In kitchens, sockets should be installed at a height of about 1 m. 30 cm, but this figure sometimes changes, depending on the dimensions and arrangement of kitchen furniture.
It’s good if the main part of all kitchen outlets is located above the work surface, because it’s convenient. But, nevertheless, we should not forget that the minimum distance from sockets to the sink and gas pipeline must be at least 50 cm.
In bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity, sockets are not allowed to be installed lower than 1 m above the floor.
In addition, their location near a bathtub, shower stall (or inside it) is prohibited. If the socket is mounted next to a sink, you should choose a higher location so that splashes of water do not fall on the connector.
3
In residential premises, sockets, according to the rules, are installed at a height of 20-30 cm above floor level.
But it is worth noting that such an arrangement is not appropriate in a house where small children live. If sockets are already installed, you should choose a design with a special curtain and lock to protect children from accidents.
How to position switches correctly
You are probably familiar with the time when it was customary to place switches in apartments at the level of the shoulder or eyes of an adult, that is, at approximately a height of 1 m 70 cm. Today, the device for switching lighting fixtures is installed according to ergonomic convenience.
- The switches are located at the doorway on the side of the door handle at a distance of 10 cm.
- The height of the switches according to the floor is 80 - 90 cm, at the level of the hand lowered down.
- In bathrooms, the minimum distance from the switch to the shower doorway is 60-70 cm.
- Switches installed above the work surface in the kitchen, as well as sockets, should not be located close to the sink or gas pipeline closer than 50 - 60 cm.
Personal comfort
The above are general standard rules for the placement of sockets and switches, but in your own apartment you may have personal needs for their installation.
For example, many people read before going to bed, therefore, a socket for a table lamp is simply necessary near the bed. By the way, it is better to install it according to the rules, at a height of 30 cm above the floor. But it is better to place the switch a little lower than 80 cm away - ideally, next to the outlet.
1
Modern configurations of furniture: kitchen, work or leisure - can surprise, largely due to hidden capabilities. Such as built-in or under the countertop, retractable organizers with several sockets for portable devices (chargers, electric kettle, laptop) and other modern devices without which we can no longer imagine our existence.
It should be noted that such built-in sockets must be insulated, especially if they are located on the working surface of kitchen furniture or an island. And the installation process should be entrusted only to specialists, even at the stage of designing the cabinet body.
A modern apartment is designed in such a way that each room has its own functionality. Based on this, each room uses a different number of electrical appliances. Therefore, when a plan or diagram for the location of electrical points is drawn up, many nuances must be taken into account. In this article we will tell readers of the site how to arrange sockets in the apartment correctly and, no less important, safely.
What is important to know?
In addition to the nuances and functionality of the room, installation standards and regulations should be taken into account. For example, according to the European standard, the distance from the socket to the door should exceed 10 cm and the height should not exceed 90 cm from the floor.
You can see how to correctly place sockets with your own hands using a simple example. The diagram below shows a typical two-room apartment:
- Kitchen
- Living room
- Bedroom
- Combined bathroom
The installation and location of electrical accessories is guided by such regulatory documents as SNiP, PUE, and GOST. You can find out about this from our article.
Posting rules
Kitchen
The kitchen has many appliances, both large and small. Therefore, it is necessary to start designing devices with the location of all household and electronic appliances in the room. The main part of the equipment is located on the kitchen unit. There are several rules for placing sockets on a kitchen apron:
- For built-in appliances, it is better to place sockets behind the walls of adjacent cabinets. It is prohibited to place the device directly behind electrical appliances.
- For a hood, such an element is installed at a distance of 60 cm from the top of the kitchen cabinet.
- Placing sockets above the countertop is necessary for connecting small household appliances. This convenient position allows you to connect a blender or electric kettle. As a rule, they are installed at a height of up to 30 cm from the working surface.
At the same time, do not forget about the placement of sockets for the refrigerator, oven and hob. It is not allowed to use a double socket to connect the hob and oven, because it simply won't withstand the load. You can place one or two elements close to the dining table.
The video below clearly demonstrates the correct location of electrical points in the kitchen:
Living room
In the hall or living room, there are four options for placing sockets. These zones include:
The master talks about the convenient placement of sockets behind a wall-mounted TV in a video lesson:
Bedroom
You can arrange sockets in the bedroom in several zones, into which any bedroom can be divided. First of all, they are installed near the bed and bedside tables. This arrangement is explained by the fact that there should always be a lamp or sconce near the bed, under which you can read a book or newspaper at night. The diagram shows the approximate layout of the elements and at what distance they should be from the furniture.
If the bedroom has a desk, then you will need two sockets: one for the computer and the other for the desk lamp. It is better to place them around 20 cm from the table surface. And if it is planned in the room, then it is necessary to place 3-4 more connectors at a height of 130 cm from the floor. To keep the wires out of the way, it is better to hide them with a TV. Read about that in our article.
Don't forget about the doorway. The location of outlet points at the doors is also necessary. They are needed to connect a vacuum cleaner or heating radiator.
The video shows how to properly position sockets in the bedroom:
Bathroom
Having an outlet in the bathroom is not only comfort and convenience, but also an absolute necessity. According to the Electrical Installation Rules, sockets must be located at a distance of 60 cm from the bathtub or shower stall. Since this room is the wettest, it is necessary to place devices here in a minimum quantity.
In the combined bathroom you can place sockets for a hair dryer, razor or curling iron. As a rule, they are installed near the sink, next to the mirror. Unfortunately, it’s also near water. Therefore, the usual design will not work here; it is necessary to install a moisture-resistant housing, as in the photo below:
It comes with a cover that can cover the contacts. The electrical installation device must be at least IP44. It should also be taken into account that it is prohibited to use sockets with a connection diagram without a residual current device ().
A modern solution is a water leakage protection system. It will allow you to save your home and your neighbors’ homes from flooding during an emergency, either if you forgot to turn off the water, or if the dishwasher or washing machine broke down and water started running out of it. So, at the repair stage, to protect against leaks, you need to lay a separate cable into the bathroom, from the panel. The control module is connected to the AC network using a residual current device (RCD) or a differential circuit breaker with an operating current of no more than 30 mA. A popular water leak protection system is Neptun. You can read more about it in our review.
The correct placement of electrical points in the bathroom is described in this video example:
You might also be interested in learning about. Simple tips will allow you to create proper lighting in an apartment or private house!
Any apartment includes a room called a hallway. This is where a person first enters. And you also need to be able to correctly place electrical installation devices in it. As a rule, two sockets are quite enough for such a room. After all, in the hallway they mainly use a shoe dryer or a vacuum cleaner.
The diagram shows how to position the sockets and what distance from windows and corners should be:
Each apartment is individual. Therefore, a separate plan should be developed for each room - a diagram of the location of all electrical installation mechanisms. After all, in each house the number of household appliances is completely different, but during the project it is better to install electrical points with a reserve, so that over time you do not have to redo everything again or use extension cords.
That's all we wanted to tell you about how to arrange sockets in an apartment. We hope our tips helped you decide on the most convenient and correct location for electrical points in the rooms!
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