10 criteria for choosing quality sockets and switches

Sockets and switches are one of the main visible electrical devices in an apartment, so the choice of these products must be approached correctly. Firstly, they must be in harmony with the interior of the room, and secondly, they must correspond to the characteristics for their intended purpose. And, thirdly, to be of high quality and safe. In this article, we will tell you how to choose sockets and switches for an apartment and what you need to pay attention to.

What threatens the wrong choice?

If you choose the wrong electrical outlet, the following consequences may occur:

In addition, there are many more consequences that will clearly make you think in the future that you need to approach the choice of sockets for your home and apartment with responsibility.

If we talk about light switches, everything is not so dangerous here (meaning the wrong choice). The only thing to consider is that bad backlit switches work in tandem with LED lamps. The latter, due to the presence of a backlight, can flicker when the light is off, as a result of which you have to change the switch to a regular one, or manually turn off the backlight

Existing variety

Sockets

Today, there are many that make our life not only safe, but also comfortable. Consider which models are better to choose when installing electrical wiring in a house:

• Internal (hidden). It is used when - when special strobes are created in the walls. Such a socket is used most often, because the “core” is hidden in the wall, and only a beautiful rim with holes remains outside.
  
• Invoice. It is advisable to choose an overhead socket for wiring in the house, which is mounted in an open way. This is not to say that the external type of case spoils the interior. There are models that have a beautiful color and design.
• Colored. The issue of the interior is solved very simply, if you choose a model of a non-standard color that can complement the design of your room. For example, when you can use wood-colored cases. It will not be difficult to choose sockets by color, because. today there is a huge range of beautiful headbands, as shown in the photo.
• In retro style. This version is perfect for a bathhouse or a wooden house with an antique interior. Retro sockets will complement the interior of the room in an original way and can even become a highlight, however, the cost of such devices is an order of magnitude higher than the classic plastic version.
  
• With grounding. Today, almost no one chooses sockets without grounding. An exception is old-style houses and apartments, where the installation of two-wire electrical wiring (phase-zero) is used. Even if you decide to change the electrics in the old house, we strongly recommend that you choose sockets with grounding, so that in the future, when the ground loop is installed, you do not need to replace the electrical accessories.

  Grounded
  Without grounding
  

• With a timer. If you need to automatically turn off the power to an electrical appliance, there are special models with a timer that you can choose for your home and apartment. The cost, of course, is high, but what amenities!
  
• GSM and Wi-Fi sockets. These are modern models that can be controlled from a distance. They are usually used in the Smart Home system. The choice of smart sockets will allow you to remotely control electrical appliances in your house and apartment. For example, you can turn on the heating, lighting, or air conditioning 20 minutes before arriving home.
  
• Socket block. For a kitchen or a place where a TV is installed, we recommend choosing an outlet block. The rationality of the choice is due to the fact that in such places several electrical appliances are connected at once: a kettle, a multicooker, a blender, or, say, a TV, an audio system, a DVD player. To refuse the use of extension cords, it is more rational to choose a block of sockets for a house or apartment.
  
• With screw connection of conductors. To fix the core in the socket, special screws are used, screwed into the plate, which clamps the contact. The design is quite simple and is in great demand.
• Without screw connection. Instead of a traditional screw clamp, the wire is fixed with a contact hole that can contract/expand when a key is pressed. The disadvantage of this idea is the weak fixation of the conductor, especially aluminum, which needs to be “pulled up” from time to time.
• with special curtains. Child protection, which we mentioned above, can be provided with protective shutters on the openings. The design feature is that the holes open only when the fork is pressed in. In the pristine state, the holes are hidden, thus will not interest children.
• With special fork ejector. With frequent use of various electrical appliances, it is recommended to choose and install a socket of a special design - with an ejector. Such an ejector is triggered by pressing a special key, gently displacing the plug. Most often, such a model is selected for the kitchen, where various household appliances are often connected.
  
• With indicator light. A very handy thing is a small light bulb that will display the presence of electricity in the network, and will also help you quickly find an object at night (when the lights are off). If you decide to choose a backlit socket, please note that the same switch will affect what we mentioned at the beginning of the article.
• special purpose. The operating conditions of electrical appliances are not always safe. For example, a dressing room and a bathroom are rooms with high humidity, a warehouse is a place with an increased amount of dust, and the street combines two unfavorable factors, so if you want to install an outlet there, you need to choose a special type of enclosure. There is a special IPXX type marking, where “XX” are numbers that reflect the design feature of the product. Here it is necessary to stop a little more in detail. To your attention the picture, which displays the decryption:

For an ordinary room in an apartment, you can choose the IP20 degree, for which you need to use a model with an IP54 index, and in a dusty area, IP should not be less than 65!

switches

If we talk about light switches, then there are also many varieties. About that, you can find out from our article. Now we will tell you which type of performance is better to choose for different conditions of use.

Everything is clear with a hidden and surface-mounted housing type, here follow the tips that we provided on choosing a surface-mounted and built-in socket, it all depends on the method of wiring.

More important is the choice of lighting switch design. For example, a dimmer is perfect for a chandelier and other ceiling lights. With the help of a dimmer, you can adjust the brightness of the light, which is very convenient and sometimes in demand.

There are rotary light switches in retro style, they are best chosen for a bathhouse or a wooden house. A photo example of antique switches can be viewed below:

There are one-, two- and three-key models. For example, for a five-arm chandelier, it's a good idea to choose a double switch to turn it on at two different levels: half the chandelier and the whole. For the bathroom, too, the choice of a double switch is an expedient solution: one key controls, the second general lighting.

A rope switch is usually used to turn on wall lights, for example,. Sometimes it is also used in other conditions, for example, to control the backlight of a bed, but this is rare, so you need to choose this version only for certain conditions of use.

If you want to turn on the lighting from two places, we recommend choosing a light switch through. A convenient solution for organization or long corridors.

There are also acoustic models (react to cotton) and push-button models (instead of a button key), but they have gained particular popularity in the Russian market, so it is better to consider other options for selection.

Well, the last thing I would like to talk about is modern products with a sensor that are perfect for the Smart Home system. Choosing a touch light switch would be a perfectly reasonable solution for a modern apartment or house where everything is automated. Such models have more functions, but they are more expensive.

So we examined the types of electrical products used in domestic conditions. Now let's talk about how to choose sockets and light switches for an apartment and a private house.

Main criteria

At first glance, everything is very simple, but many novice electricians make mistakes when choosing switches and sockets, as a result of which they can make themselves felt after a short period of time.

Consider the main selection criteria:

1. Pay attention to the material of manufacture of the product. Soft cheap plastic quickly scratches and breaks even at the first installation. Be sure to choose products made of durable plastic.
2. The case must be labeled and the manufacturer. If there are no marks, most likely the product is a Chinese fake, which must be avoided.
3. In addition to the front part of the product case, it would be desirable to look at the internal structure out of the corner of the eye. Of course, in most cases, the seller will not allow you to open a new product, but if you are given such an opportunity, carefully inspect all clamps, screws and plates. They should not have marriage, various irregularities and suspicious gaps. At sockets, the build quality can also be determined by grounding contacts (copper antennae at the plug connection point). If the contacts are made of thin metal, most likely the product is not of very good quality. Grounding contacts should be moderately elastic and neat.
4. Some experienced electricians recommend selecting sockets and switches based on their weight and smell. A good product will not stink of cheap plastic, and at the same time will be light in weight. Lightness is a sign that electrical fittings have thin walls that can withstand smaller loads (both current and mechanical), as a result of which it can happen.
5. Another selection criterion related to design features is the number of component parts and the method of their fastening. The more different clamps and spare parts, the higher the quality of the purchase. As a rule, a cheap product is almost monolithic.
6. When choosing sockets, pay attention to the holes for the plug entry - they must match the fixing springs. If the holes don't line up, then the build quality isn't the best and it's better to choose a different model!
7. If the packaging (or inside) has instructions for installation and assembly / disassembly, this is an additional plus, indicating that the manufacturer is worried about customers. Again, most fakes are sold in clear plastic bags.
8. The choice of sockets by manufacturer should be directed towards quality firms. Give preference to foreign ones - "Legrand" (legrand), "Jung", "Schneider Electric", because. they are leaders in the manufacture of electrical products. A cheaper, but, nevertheless, high-quality option is the Turkish and Polish firms Karlik, Viko, Makel, OSPEL.
9. Please note that the voltage and current ratings must be indicated on the back cover. Voltage - 250 V, and current 6.3; 10; 16 A. Give preference to products with a rated current of at least 10A, because. in this case, powerful electrical appliances can be connected. A six amp product may not be able to withstand such loads. If there is no marking, it is better to refuse to purchase the goods! We draw your attention to a very important nuance - if you want either an electric stove, the current load should be as large as possible, at least 16 amperes. To connect an oven or stove to a 220 Volt network, you can choose a 20 or 25 Amp socket, but it is better to stretch a separate line from the electrical panel. To connect a chandelier and a TV, 10 A products will do. In general, in order to choose the right outlet for power, you need to follow the following rule: 4 A is 0.88 kW (roughly speaking, 1 kW). In total, to connect a 3.5 kW stove, you need to choose a 16 A socket. As you can see, choosing a product in terms of power and current is not too difficult.
10. Often today they prefer a combined model with a switch. The choice of a socket and a switch in one housing will save time on wiring and, moreover, both products will be in the same design style.

Video instruction

Tips from experienced electricians

Expert opinion

That, in fact, is all you need to know about how to choose sockets and switches for an apartment and a house. We hope that the information was useful and interesting for you!

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