Elec tric al Wir ing Systems and Methods

of Elec tric al Wir ing

NOVEMBE R 4, 2015 BY ADMINISTRATOR - 7 COMMENTS

The electrica l wiring must be installed correctly and safely in accordan ce with electrica l
regulati ons and standard s. If the electrica l wiring is carried incorrec tly or without confirn1ing to
any standard . devices could damage or leads to the malfunc tioning of device which further
causes for the reductio n of device life..
 -•wu ,.,c,, n11111y ;:,ystems and Methods of Electrical Wirin
g

I
Sev era l fact ors have to be con side
'·

red befo re the actu al installation wor

-
k to be don e for
resi den tial. com mer cial or indu stria
l wiri ng . These factors incl ude type
of building
con stru ctio n . type of ceil ing . wal l
and floo r con stru ctio n , wiring met hod
s, installation
req uire men ts. etc.

Let us disc uss elec trica l wiri ng bas

ics. i.e .. the con cep t of electrical wiri
ng . steps involved.
me tho ds follo w ed and com mon type
s of elec trica l wiring in brief.

:'· Table of Co nte nts

1. Elec trica l Safety
2 . Types of Electrical Wir ing Sys
tems
2 .1. Cleat Wiring
2.2 . Casing and Capping Wiring
2.3. Batten Wiring
2.4- Conduit Wiring
3. Types of Drawings
3.1. Block Diagram
3.2. Circuit Drawing (Diagram)
3.3. Line Diagram
3.4- Wiring Diagram
3.5- Wiring Schedule
3.6. Parts List
3-7. Wiring Preparation
4. Types of Electrical Wir ing
5 _Examples of Electrical Wiring
5.1. Single bulb controlled by a one way
switch
5 2 Two blubs are controlled by a one
way switch
5·3- Single blub (or any other load) controll
ed by two way switches
5-4. Godown Wiring
5.5. Fluorescent lamp controlled by a
one-way switch
5.6. socket outlet wiring
57 _Control switch board wiring

Electrical Safety
. . rk first and fore mos t thin g is the con
Before sta rtin g any inst alla tion w o cern of safety of the
,. . . tact of elec trica
p erso nn el. Ele ctri city is dan ger ous l equ ipm ent or wires
. dire ct or indi rect con

2/20
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 ,2019 Electrical Wiring Systems and Methods of Electrical Wiring

with the power turn ed ON can result serious injuries or sometimes even causes to death.
Foll.ow th e below steps to maintain the safety at the workplace. ·

Electri cal Safety

1 Always use safety equipment like goggles, gloves, shoes, etc. and avoid the direct
contac t w ith live or energized circuits.
2 . Have the skills and techniques to distingui sh the exposed live parts of the electrical

equipment.
3. Disconnect th e source supply w hile installing or connecting wires.
4. Th e power supplied to the installation must be controlled on the main switchboard which
should consist of circuit breaker.
s. Conductive tools an d materials must be kept at a safe distance from live parts of the
circuit or equipment.
6. Use non-conduc tive hand tools for w hich they are rated to perform electrical work. If
they are used for voltage (or current) rating other than rated , the insulation strength of
the tool breakdown and causes electric shock.

Know more about the electrical safety read this article:Electr ical Safety
 c: 1ecmca1 Wiring Systems and Methods of Electrical Wiring

Types of Electrical Wiring Systems

The state electricity board p·ct th l ·
rovi es e e ectnc supply up to the outside the consumer's
premises. The consumer hast t k th ·
o a e e connection from that point to the main switchboard at
home.

Fr th . 't h ·
om e main sw1 c board, various types of electrical loads such as fans , lights, room coolers,
and refrigerators are connected through the wires.There are different types of wirings used for
connecting the loads to the mains which can be used for house electrical wiring as well as
industrial electrical wiring. Some of these are discussed below.

Cleat Wiring

In this, porcelain, wood or plastic cleats are fixed to walls or ceilings at regular intervals, i.e .. o.6
m between each cleat. PVC insulated cables are taken through the holes of each cleat and
hence cleat support and holds wire.

This is an inexpensive method of wiring and is used for temporary installations. Therefore, it is
not suitable for home electrical wiring and also it is an outdated method.

,.....L,
l.r...Cleat Wiring

Cleat Wiring

Casing and Capping Wiring

In this cable is run through a wood casing having grooves. The wood casing is prepared in
such a way that it is of a required fixed length with parallel grooves that accommodates the
cables. The wooden casing is fixed to the walls or ceiling with screws.

After placing the cables inside the grooves of casing, a wooden cap with grooves is placed on
it to cover the cables. This is also a cheap wiring system, but there is a high risk of fire in case
of short circuits.

Casing and Capping Wiring

Casing and Capping Wiring

Batten Wiring
In this , insulated wires are run through the straight teak wooden battens. The wooden battens
are fi xed on the ceilings or walls by plugs and screws. The cables are fitted onto the battens by
using tinned brass link clips.

These clips are fi xed to the battens with rust-resistant nails. This wiring installation is simple
an d c heap as compared to oth er electrical wiring systems also takes less tim e to inst all. These
, ,_ A,19 . of Electrical Wiring
. . Electrical Wiring Systems and Methods
~. . . . . .
s.
are mainly use d tor indoor installation

Batten Wiring

Batten Wiring

Conduit Wiring
.
PVC cable s are t aken th rough eith l conduit
In this w iring er PVC conduit pipes or through stee
. . · conduit wiring.
er surface conduit wiring or concealed
pipe s. This conduit wiring can be eith

ace conduit
th the walls and ceilings, it is called a surf
If e conduit pipes are run on surface of
and are covered with
ng. If the con duit s are run inside the surface of the walls and ceilings
wiri
conduit wiring.
plastering, it is called as concealed

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-
...,..,· - ~...-,,
. ..-
., .

j
Conduit Wiring

On the other hand,

stries to connect the heavy motors.
Surface con duit w iring is used in indu building s.
ng is the mos t pop ular and com mon method of wiring the residential
con cea led wiri
l (concealed conduit
hod of wiring and also looks beautifu
The con duit wiri ng is the safest met
wiring).

Types of Drawings
that they convey
ctric al dra w ings play s an imp orta nt role in electrical inst allation works
Ele
ns. The information
ous devices and equipments with mai
info rmation abo ut con nec tion of vari
also helps to
gs pro vide s the com plet e des ign or plan of electrical installation and
on drawin
ass em ble the various equipments.

g abo ut these
s are discuss ed belo w. Before knowin
Som e of the elec trica l wiring diagram
d while preparing
have idea about various symbols use
diag ram s. first one mus t aware and
ous electrical wiring
win g and also for und erst and ing the wiring connections. Check out vari
dra
sym bols .

Block Diagram
5/20
m<:-;md-methods-of-electrical-wiring/
.019
Electrical Wiring Systems and Method, or EIM tt1d!!il Wiring

It is a fu nctional draw ing which shows and describes I.he n 1t1i11opcr;ili11q prirn..lr ,\ ,:·,, ,I I h1}
equipment or devices. It con sists of prin ciple function s or pc1rls n:;prc,r,r;nl1 :d IJ/ bloc, ~·_, ,md ,,rf •
connected t hrough lines that show the relationship belw!?:en lhl·J bl.od 1 ~ • •

This diag ram is usually d rawn before implementin ~1 ;:-, circuit diiJ(Jrdn 1. ll 'JJill nrJI <Jiv1: ,,n ;
detailed information about the system and also lec-1Ve'., I.he inforrnc-1l ion ,,h<)ut ·Ar1,sll.i 11
com ponents. And hence, most technicians have limi led int8r(-:'.--l i.1hou l I hi r Ji,.1< Jr,111 1
1,

.--- Lamp

Fuse - 3 SPST
switches
Fan with
Dimmer

- Motor

Circuit Drawing (Diagram)

In thi s, electrical circuit is graph ically represented in a simplified manner. It includ c:s t.hr :
position information (in cm or m or mm) of variou s elements like light fixtu res, rc:ceptaclr;
boxes , junction boxes, cei ling fans . etc.

>--- 25nm
9 Duplex Receptacle

25nm
Fluorescent Lamp

l Electrical
---- Panel
!
__ ,.I 0 Junction Box

Line Diagram
 .019 ElectricaI W,rnng
· SY5 !ems and Methods of Electrical Wiring
. . .
It 1.s a s1mpl1fied notation of an e l ec t nca
. l system also c ll d . .
diagram. It is similar to th bl . · ,a e as one-line diagram or single line
. e ock diagram except th at Vcmous . · . elements such as
electrical
t rans formers. switches, lights fan . ..
schematic symbols. , s. c1rcu1t breakers, and motors are represented by standard

t It consists of symbols to represent the components and lines to represent the wires or
conductors w hich connects the components together.

The line diag~am is actually derived from the block diagram. It doesn't give any layout of the
parts and their detail wiring information of the components.

H_owever, one can do wiring by following the information given in this diagram. These
diagrams are usually intended to illustrate the working of an electric circuit.

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f'o----o
•
.

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a---:-' I

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:

i2no ---~ ~ i . M
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:
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uno---
CB L-·-··-··j
TOL
Contractor
_hrART
---o-'""--'>------Q..,Ll;r---r--0
TOL STOP
lUC

~o--------------------1
Coil

Wiring Diagram
Th e electrical w iring diagram is a pictorial representation of the circuit which shows the wiring
between th e parts or elements or equipments.

It gives detailed information about wiring such that one can get an idea of making connection
betw een the devices. It includes relative position, arrangement of the devices and also

terminals on th e devices.

It sh ows power supplies and earth connections. control and signal functions (with simplified
shapes). termination of unused contacts and leads. interconnection via plugs, blocks, sockets.

termina l posts , lead-through, etc.

2019 Electrical Wiring Systems and Methods of Electrical Wiring

p -----,-------
I r---
I
------------·
Main Distribution Board:
~Ieter Board I
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~
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Energy
Meter
I
I
I
I
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I
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I
I
I
I
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·.-:, till~r
I I I I
I
I . I I .'. ,
I I I I I I
To sub
I I I I I I distnoution
Fuse
~----J L--- ----- --• I
I I
I
I
I
I board4
To sub
distnoution
I
I L-----
X eutral Link
boar d!--- ----- ----- -- ----•
r---- .J
I
I
·------- To sub
distribution
To sub distn"bu tion board3
board2

Wiring Schedule
r. length . type and
It is a list of cables or wires used in the installation with its reference numbe
the raceways of the
the amoun t of insulation stripping required for soldering the cable. It gives
wire and also starting and termination points.

the equipments (such

In some compl ex equipment. wiring table gives the interconnectio n of
includes the wire
as motors and hea ters) with starting and finishing reference points. It also
identification markings. wire colors. size and so on.

Schedule: Motor Control t i t (: ,. ;i:):\ ;C_~: IH!II

Wire No From To Type Length Strip Length

1 TB 1/1 CBl/1 16/0.2 600mm 12mm

2 TBl/ 2 CBl /2 16/0.2 650mm 12mm

3 TBl/3 CBl/5 16/0.2 600mm 12mm

4 TB 1/4 MC/Al 16/0.2 800mm 12mm

5 TB 1/5 CH/1 16/0.2 500mm 12mm

Parts List
defines the various
Althou gh it is not a drawin g . parts list is an integral part of drawi ng which
diagram. and block
symbo ls and parts used in other drawings such as wiring diagram . line
d iagram .
,2019
. . Electrical Wiring Systems and Methods of Electrical Wiring
It gives the information of circu't1 .
. . . component types with related to their reference numbers.
This list 1s useful for identifyi ng, loca t e and cross refer the actual component labeled or given
. .
1n other electrical drawing in · d
. .. s or er to ensure the choice of appropriate parts before doing the
electrical winng.

Part List r-- ;

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--.--. -- ,-_,! ' ' ;I I r\ _, ·......
( • \ '(. I \
1!1111
Ref BIN Description Part No

CB A3 Circuit Breaker PKZ 2 /ZM-40-8

MC A4 Contactor Oil 2AM 415/50

TOL A4 Overload Relay Z 1-63

Wiring Preparation
As we are discussing the sequence of steps in wiring like understanding the safety. knowing
types of wiring systems. understanding the difference among various electrical drawings and
symbols, the next step of electrical wiring process is the preparation of wires or cables and
electrical tools.

The w iring preparation includes the following considerations.

1 The type of conductor can be single solid wire or stranded wire conductor (which is
made up of a number of thin stands). Single solid wires are not flexible and are used
w here rigid connections are required such as power switching contractors. Mostly
stranded conductors are preferred for electrical installations.
2. The specifications of the w ire depend on the several factors like number of strands in the
conductor, insulation type, cross section area of the wire, diameter of the strands, etc.
3. Choose the wi res depends on the color code mentioned by various standards such as
red for phase w ire, black for neutral. green for earth and so on. Click here to know briefly
about the electrical wiring colors of the wires or cables.
4. Various basic electrical tools are required to do the installation work and some of these
tools include cutter. strippers. testers, pliers, etc. These tools are explained in our earlier
article so please check those electrical tools by clicking here.
5. Choose the components such as electrical boxes. switches, receptacles , etc. based on
their size and rating .
Start wi ring the components together by followi ng the w iring diagrams once
components. tools and cables are selected , follow ed by considering the safety to
personnel as well as equipment.

Types of Electrical Wiring

Vie know that electrical circuit is a closed path through which electricity flow s from ph ase or
hot wire to the devi ce or apparat us and th en back the source though neutral wi re.
 · ~-
Electrical W'inng -..yatems and Methods of Electrical Wiring
. . .
. , ,. . . .
/\lo 119 th El \V(1y . th e c lG~Ctrici ty .. ti 1 n,i:iy tacle s, Junc tion
p,, C01b 1st of fixtun0s, switc hes, mcep
l)1.~'.\("~;. de. So th e wirincg rn:, , l "' 1. 1.::. O.J t hrou gh th ese elem ents bc~forp actu ally maki ng
• . ' '.> ) c::; ou t:
co, 1nc cl1on s w ith app.1r~~tus or devi ce.

··
· s w 1nng
· · an d serie
fvl ~~orly· , ll,e wiri1 19 is d1·v·1ded 1· ntc) tw o 1·.ypes , nam e l y p arci lle l w iring
- ,
conn ecte d to the supp ly.
depending on th e way the d evices me pow ered or

llatio n are powe red on a si ngle circuit. It is the

In para llel wiring , severc1l devi ces on th e insta
with
s, in w hich devi ces are conn ecte d in para llel
mos t dcce pted w iring in hom es ,i nd indu strie
th e supp ly sour ce us show n in figure.

tion
are route d throu gh the elec trica l boxe s Uunc
In this, both phas e (or hot) c1nci neut ral cabl es
s, and devices are bran ched .
boxes) from w hich indiv idua l rece ptac les , fi xture

Hot- ......-~- --_ ._.,

. ____,....___
~eut ral
...:

Hot

~eot ral

h hot wire is routed through the several

The series wirin g is the rarely used wiring in whic
d to the neutral wire. It is like an old
devices and then last devi ce terminal is conn ecte
one light burn out leads to the shutdown of the
Christmas lights or serial lights wiring in which
entire netw ork.
Jl9 Electrical Wiring Systems ond Mothod&of Eloolrlctil Wir ing

Hot
...._:..: ,__ _ __. --- ...i
.....
.....
..
---
~eutral ·:

Hot

~eutral

Examples of Electrical Wiring

here we are givin g some exa mples of th<-?
For a better understanding of the wiri ng conc ept,
homes.
w iring circuits whic h we are dea ling daily in our

Single bulb controlled by a one way switch

of the switch and other term inal of the switc h
In thi s. hot w ire is conn ected to the one termi nal
bulb nega ti ve termin al is conn ected to th e
is conn ected to the bulb positive terminal. then
neutral wi re as show n in figure.

...
Sui tcb :

.
.. Lamps

[... . ······ ...... .

..
.
........ ······ ··················· . . ······ •· !f•

Two blubs are controlled by a one way switch

the supp ly wires (phase and neutrals) whic h
In thi s. two bu lbs are connected in paral lel wi th
in figure.
are rou ted by single one- way swi tch as show n

11/20
m._.,rnrl -method s-of-electrical-wiri ng/
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1• • J •• Iii • ,. ,: f ! • t • • 19 11 ,, • • t • f

co ntrollod by two wa y switches

Sin gle blu b (or an y other load)
1 ,1 ,, 111 r ,11 , ,, I I11 ,1r I I
11,, 1

•11 •,1i , -. 111, w /1ii,, 1 ii, w l i/1 I1 , , 1111I ti 1. ,1111 , I·.

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I hi:; w ir/11 11 ,, , 1 , •,11/1 1 f,
IV/' ' ' 1 ol v / li /11,; /• , 11• ,1,1//11 l, ,t l 11,
1 1 ,111 1 1
,

' ,( )lll (X' ': hv t1 •,i 11,, l w,, l w 11 W, IV ' ,\VII , Iii •', 111 /·, 1 1 , l.11 111 1 ,1/
·. 1111! I d ,1 ,,11 r 1/, 111 1 , , 11t1 1
11
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1 l w , 1 , ,, 1111, , ... (, ,I 111, , I H
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ON / ( )/ ·1 lh, 1 I. 11111 > /11,11

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::w ilt".l h '.' , w ill, 111< l.11l lj l I' ,
1

Switrhc,s

Lamp

r,. .
.
. ·· .............. .. ..... ..... ..... . . .... . •• ..•. .... .... .... .•
•••.
···· ~

Godown Wiring
? '..- tru c ttm :c;
1biq god ow 11 :-,, !011 9 pd .
!,' ,,19 c·_,, w;Jmh ou sc'__, and tun nel Uk<:
Thi s typ e w iri1 1rJ is tl SP cl i, on o
IL fo ll ow 'j th 0 lirwr1r f, r:q, u mc
e fo r ~N1itc hin 9 th ic: ti9 hl:, from
m c1 ny 100 ,ns o r po, lio ,
n.~.
h,w ing
e nd lo th e o th e r.

lurn ing th f➔ lig ht swi tc h ma kes

o ne roo m c.J nd cm l c r'o, noxt. hy
Wh e n a per so n le,Jves from E1
ON . It turn s OFF th 0 I.amp whil
er t21 mp sw itc hed or r w hit e~ p m sen t roo n1 i~·; ~wi tc hed
0,1 rli J sho wn in bel ow.
Lh c r. ThP. ~;c:h e rn alic w irin q dia gra m for god ow n w irin 9 i'
sv1 itc hin g zmo
 A
Electrical Wiring 8 ys ems and Methods of Electrical Wiring
t

I
•....
••
...
.
.... . ........ .. ......... ,..... ................ .
.
. .......... .......... ..,,,................. ...
...
controlled by a one-way switch
Fluorescent lamp rough ballast and
capa ci to r is
y sw itch th
m p w ith single one- wa
The sw itching of
nu or es ce nt la the switch and
ire is co nn ec te d to the one end of
w of th e la m p is
ure. In this. phase stl. One el ec tro de
sh ow n in be lo w fig e ch ok e (o r ba lla
ted to th
e sw itch is connec
another end of th own in figure.
an d ot he r to ne ut ral terminal as sh
choke
conn ec te d to th e
Starter

Tube
I •· · .. ... .. ... .
Choke

Capacitor
·- I , •·: f .JI'~- :,
-. f:lW
- - - . , - --

g
Socket outlet wirin ut ed to th e
th ro ug h it w he n the po w er is ro
the current e sh ow n
a pl ug an d passes et co nn ec tio n ar
The ou tle t hold s an d ra di al so ck
cket conn ec tio n
et th ro ug h a sw itc h. Th e si ng le so
sock
in belo w figure.
 , . -
Elecbicar Wiring Syst ems and M th Od Electrical Wiring
I''; e s of
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ard wiring
C o n tr o l switch bo ic h ceiling fan,
h bo ard is show n in belo w figure in wh
itc
ra m for a control sw
Th e sc he m atic di ag riate sw itches.
d lig ht bu lb are controlled by approp
an
flu ores ce nt lam p

Fan Re lator 6)

50
~€1. J • CeiUng Fan
Tube Light
'1'i eutral Link

Lamp

(\) Control
b o a rd
L-:::..~:E -- -i t- --+ -- -- -- -- -- 's w it ch
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