Types Of Electrical Wiring Used In Homes

An electrical wire is a type of conductor which is a material that conducts electricity in the case of household wiring the conductor itself is usually copper or aluminum or copper sheathed aluminum and is either a solid metal conductor or stranded wire.

Types of electrical wiring used in homes.

An electrical wire is made up. Wire types and sizing. Electrical service to american homes began in the late 1890s and blossomed from 1920 to 1935 by which time 70 percent of american homes were connected to the electrical utility grid. Those conductors are wrapped in a flexible plastic jacket also known as sheathing.

In general however there are only a couple varieties used for wiring a residential home. Not only could old insulating material rot and expose hot wires but systems that were designed to support a few lights and radios are now being asked to power computers microwaves hair dryers refrigerators and many other modern devices. Check with your local building inspector before you start any electrical wiring and cable project and be sure to obtain required permits. Whether you re building a new home or replacing the wiring in an older home use this guide to learn more about the types of electrical wiring commonly used in homes these days.

Learning about the types of electrical wiring in homes is a great place to start. In order to understand the different types of wiring systems in your home it is important to first know the basics of electrical wiring. Understanding electrical wiring labeling. We ve separated the guide into two sections.

The national electrical code nec and local building codes regulate the types of electrical wires and cable that can be used in specific electrical applications as well as the manner of installation. Electric wiring in older homes ranges from perfectly usable to downright dangerous. You may also know it as romex cable which is the most popular brand name of this type of electrical wiring. When wiring a house there are many types wire to choose from some copper others aluminum some rated for outdoors others indoors.

We illustrate a variety of types of electrical wiring found in older buildings. The common type of home electrical wiring is non metallic or nm cable. Old electrical wiring types photo guide to types of electrical wiring in older buildings. Nm cable is usually three or more individual conductors.

Electrical wires and cable have markings stamped or printed on their insulation or outer sheathing. Aslan alphan getty images. It helps to understand a few basic terms used to describe wiring. These markings provide important information about the wiring and insulation including the wire size and material the type of insulation the number of wires contained inside a cable and any special ratings or characteristics of the wire.