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THEORY REFERENCE NOTES

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 CONTENT

S.No CHAPTERS PAGE#

1. BUILDING WIRING SYSTEM 01 – 09

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Source: Internet, Civil Content writer:

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diploma materials.
Editor: Ibrahim sir

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1. BUILDING WIRING SYSTEM

SYLLABUS:
Building wiring system: Service wires, metering, light and power
circuits, electrical safety devices, MCB, ELCB, distribution boards,
wiring methods, ISI codes and standard materials, conductors,
switch boards, electrical points in general building, pipe earthing,
plate earthing.

SERVICE WIRES AND METERING:

Service wires: A wire that is used to tap power supply from the
street pole to the consumer terminal is known as service wire. It is
also known as service line or service mains.
Types of Service Mains: Supply from street pole to consumer’s
premises can be given by the following:
a. Underground Cables.
b. Overhead Conductors.
Metering: An electric meter is a device that measures the amount
of electrical energy consumed by a building, tenant space, or
electrically powered equipment. They are installed at customers'
premises to measure electrical energy delivered to their customers
for billing purposes.
Electricity meters come in four main types. These are:
a. Flat-rate meters
b. Interval meters
c. Smart meters
d. Solar meters

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LIGHT AND POWER CIRCUITS:

Light circuits: A lighting circuit provides power to individual light
points and thus has a dedicated fuse link for the distribution. As per
IE Rules maximum number of points on one Circuit is 10 and each
circuit should not have load more than 800 Watt.
Power circuits: A power circuit is defined as any circuit used to
carry electricity that operates a load. A power circuit consists of a
circuit with an outlet for the source, two wires for the path, a switch
for the control device and a motor for a load. It is used for points
with high consumption of power. E.g. AC, Geyser, Microwave Oven
DISTRIBUTION BOARD:
A distribution board (also known as panel board, breaker panel,
or electric panel) is a component of an electric supply system that
divides an electrical power feed into subsidiary circuits. It provides
a protective fuse or circuit breaker for each circuit in a
common enclosure. A distribution board is also defined as a board
where the incoming source cables or wires and outgoing cables or
wires are connected through a suitable protective switchgear,
fuses or MCB's
WIRING METHODS:
Electrical wiring is the electrical power distribution through the
wires in a perfect manner for economic use of wiring conductors
inside a room or building with better load control.
Electrical wiring system is classified into five categories:
1. Cleat wiring
2. Casing wiring
3. Batten wiring
4. Conduit wiring
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5. Concealed wiring
Cleat Wiring: In this type of wiring, Insulated conductors are
supported on wooden cleats. The cleats have two halves, one base
and the other cap. The cables are placed in the grooves provided in
the base and then the cap is placed. Both are fixed securely on the
walls by long screws. This wiring is suitable for temporary
installations where cost is the main criteria.
Casing and capping wiring: In this type of wiring Insulated
conductors laid inside PVC boxes having grooves in them. A
rectangular strip of wood called capping having same width as that
of casing is fixed over it. Both the casing and the capping are
screwed together at every 15cm. Casing is attached to the wall and
two or more wires of same polarity are drawn through different
grooves. The system is suitable for indoor and domestic
installations.
Batten wiring: In this type of wiring, wires sheathed in tough
rubber are used which are quite flexible. They are clipped on
wooden battens with brass clips and fixed on to the walls by flat
head screws. They are Moisture and chemical proof. The system is
suitable for damp climate and for lightning in low voltage
installations.
Conduit wiring: In this type of wiring, cables run through PVC
pipes providing good protection against mechanical injury and fire
due to short circuit. The wires are embedded inside the walls or
supported over the walls, and are known as concealed wiring or
surface conduit wiring (open conduit) respectively. The system is
best suited for public buildings, industries and workshops.
Concealed wiring: In this type of wiring, the layout is done under
the plaster of the wall of the building. Conduit pipes are buried
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under the plaster of wall with GI wire inside. And with the help of
GI wires, the main PVC insulated cables are drawn through the
conduit.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY DEVICES:
Wiring installation in industrial or domestic or any other building
are designed to carry certain amount of current rated voltage. The
normal function of the wire is reduced if the wire is subjected to
abnormal conditions such as much higher current than of its rated
current. However, the installation can be protected by providing
proper and effective protective devices in the installation. The
electrical safety devices are divided into two types:
1. Fuse
2. Circuit breaker
Fuse: A fuse element is a short length of wire with a low melting
point which melts under abnormal conditions, there by
disconnecting the faulty section from supply. It provides the
simplest and cheapest form of over current protection.
Types of Fuses:
a. Rewireable fuses
b. Cartridge fuses
c. High Rupturing Capacity (HRC) fuses
Circuit breaker: A device for interrupting or breaking the supply
under abnormal or fault current conditions. They are safe as the
overload tripping characteristics are set by the manufacturer
which cannot be changed. Faulty circuits can be easily identified
and supply can be restored quickly and easily when the fault has
been removed.

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Types of Circuit breakers:

a. Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB): It gives protection from
over current and short circuit.
b. Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB): It gives protection
from earth leakage along with protection from over current
and short circuit.
c. Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB): It gives protection
from earth leakage along with protection from over current
and short circuit.
CONDUCTORS:
Conductors: A conductor is a material which electricity, heat or
sound can flow through. An electrical conductor conducts
electricity. The ability to conduct electricity is called electrical
conductivity. Most metals, like iron and copper, are electrical
conductors. These metals are used to make wires to carry electric
current. Plasma is an excellent conductor of electricity and is used
for many purposes but metals are more used. A conductor's
resistance tends to get higher when the temperature also gets high.
SWITCH BOARDS AND ELECTRICAL POINTS IN BUILDINGS
Switchboard: An electric switchboard is a device that directs
electricity from one or more sources of supply to several smaller
regions of usage. It is an assembly of one or more panels, each of
which contains switches that allow electricity to be redirected. In
general, switchboards may distribute power to transformers,
panel boards, control equipment, and, ultimately, to individual
system loads.
The control of switchboards may be:
1. Direct manual
2. Manual remote
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3. Electrical remote
Electrical points in buildings: An electrical point is a place in a
wall where you can connect electrical equipment to the electricity
supply. There can be many electrical points in a building like Light
Points for Bracket Lights, Tube Lights, Picture Lights, Down Lighter
in False Ceiling etc.,
Further there can Ceiling or Wall Mounted or Exhaust Fan Points
etc., Apart from this there can be Power Points for Refrigerator, AC,
Geyser, Washing Machine, Motor Pump, Microwave Oven, Kitchen
equipment etc.
EARTHING: PIPE EARTHING AND PLATE EARTHING
The planet Earth is defined as the conductive mass of the electricity
with an electric potential at any point conventionally taken as zero.
Being electrically neutral and at zero potential, the earth provides
a common reference for voltage measurements. In order to protect
human life and provide safety to the electrical equipment, a
conductor or a connectivity between the source & equipment or
equipment body is formed. This guides the leakage currents into
earth as quickly as possible through shortest path.
Advantage of earthing: In the absence of a well-designed effective
earthing system, electrical fault conditions may lead to
tremendous loss of property and lives. The main objectives of
earthing are as follows:
a. To ensure safety of life and property from hazards of electric
shock and electric fires.
b. To ensure that system voltages on healthy lines remain
within reasonable limits under fault conditions thereby
preventing insulation breakdowns.
c. To provide an equipotential platform on which electronic
equipment can operate.

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d. To provide an alternative path for induced current and

minimize the electrical noise in cables.
Different types of earthing systems are available. They are as
follows:
a. Plate Earthing: A copper plate or galvanized plate is buried in
an earth pit below ground level. The plate electrode connects
the electrical conductors to the earth. 600mm x 600mm x
6mm thick G.I. plate or 600mm x 600mm x 3.15mm thick
Copper plates are used as electrodes along with other earth
enhancing materials like Salt, Charcoal etc.,
b. Pipe Earthing: A galvanized steel perforated pipe inside the
ground connects the electrical conductors to the earth. 40mm
diameter G.I. pipe or 100mm diameter C.I. pipe of 2500mm
length are being used along with other earth enhancing
materials like Salt, Charcoal etc.,

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