Electrician of Europe and Russia, considering the curious differences between the existing requirements
Hello dear subscribers and guests of my channel! Today I want to talk with you about the rules in force in the EU countries and compare with our rules and highlight the most interesting (in my opinion) differences. Interesting? Then let's get started.
Input protection
So, I want to start with protective devices. In Russia, as in many CIS countries and Germany, an introductory machine is usually installed to protect the input. But in England and France, they install fuses.
Yes, it's not very convenient. In the event of a short circuit (short circuit), the fuse blows and a new one is required. But from the point of view of reliability you can't get underneath.
The fuses have no problems with burnt contacts, a broken mechanism, or a "run away" setting.
Note. I would like to make a small remark and say that the requirements and implementation in Germany and Russia are almost identical and this is not surprising. Indeed, at the dawn of the formation of the Soviet (Russian) power industry, they were equal precisely to German developments and achievements.
Sockets with switches
This combination, which is unusual for us, is actively used in the UK, and in fact, this approach has obvious advantages. This way you completely de-energize the device by simply pressing a button, without having to pull the plug out of the socket of the socket.
This does not loosen the clamping jaws, and the socket serves faithfully longer.
Plugs with integrated fuses
Let's not leave England and look at another feature of their electrical appliances, namely the plugs, in which fuses are necessarily built-in.
Thus, there is no need to install a protective device on the line, because even so, each device has built-in protection. Which makes the wiring cheaper in general.
There is also a minus here, because any malfunction of the device means replacing a blown fuse with a new one.
Color coding of wires
According to current requirements, in Russia the color coding of wires must comply with the following standards:
In European countries, the requirements for color coding are even more stringent and in terms of colors everything looks like this:
In principle, the differences are minimal and most Russian manufacturers adhere to the European standard.
Separation into power and standard wiring
Also in the UK there is an interesting requirement to fulfill the part of the wiring into which it is planned to connect electrical equipment with increased energy consumption (oven, air conditioner, washing machine, etc.) with a cable with conductor cross-sections 2.5 mm2. To the rest of the sockets, a cable with cross-sections of 1.5 mm2 is laid.
This requirement imposes an obligation on everyone who lives in the house to keep track of which device and which outlet must be connected. And also at the design stage, you need to clearly understand where and what will be installed and connected.
In other countries of Europe, as well as Russia, a 2.5 mm2 wire is laid on all outlet groups without exception.
Different grounding systems
Let's move briefly to France where the system is widespread TT.
According to this system, grounding is carried out in a separate circuit near the consumer.
In England, on the contrary, the system is widespread TN-S, in which the grounding extends from the distribution substation by a separate fifth conductor.
In Russia, as well as in Germany, the TN-C-S system is used
Arresters
Arrester is a special device designed to protect against surge voltages, arising, for example, during lightning discharges.
In almost all European countries, including Russia, the installation of such devices is permissible, but not required. But in France, this switching device is strictly required to be installed.
Conclusion
As you noticed, in fact, there are not so many differences, the wiring in America is much more different. If you liked the material, then rate it like it, and write in the comments how you think the differences should be eliminated by introducing them in Russia?
The original article is posted on the site energy fixer.
Thanks for attention!