Once we know the specifications, thickness, color, and other parameters for home wiring, we can head to the market with a list and begin purchasing. We remind you to focus on two key aspects: the conductor and the insulation. As long as these two components are in good condition, the wire is good quality.
1. Examining the Conductor
Take a piece of wire and strip off the insulation to reveal the copper wire inside—this is the conductor. We can judge the quality of a conductor from two perspectives:
1. Color
Although they are all called "copper," they are not pure copper. Pure copper contains a certain amount of impurities. The more impurities, the poorer the conductor's conductivity. The amount of impurities in a conductor is often indicated by its color.
High-quality copper is called "red copper" or "purple copper"—as the name suggests, this copper is red and purple, with a purplish-red or deep red color.
Poorer copper is lighter and more yellowish, and is called "brass." Some copper is pale yellow—this indicates a high impurity content.
2. Thickness
We should first select the color. We can determine which is better or worse by comparing thickness between products of the same color. When color and thickness conflict, we should choose based on color first (for example, between thinner copper and thicker brass, choose copper first).
When the wires are the same, the thicker the better the conductivity. When comparing thickness, we should only compare the conductor, not the thickness of the insulation.
Home BV Wire
Home BV Wire
II. How to Judge the Quality of Home Wire?
1. Check
No matter how poor national standard wire may be, it is much better than non-standard wire. Therefore, Jinhuanyu Wire and Cable Co., Ltd. recommends that we first determine whether the wire meets national standards and is a qualified product by checking the product certificate, 3C mark, trademark, and specifications. This allows us to make a preliminary judgment on the wire's quality.
2. Look
Strip off the insulation of a wire and observe the color inside to understand its quality. High-quality copper wire is purple-red and is called "red copper" or "purple copper"; copper wire that's almost golden is called "brass"; the next level is black and is called "iron copper."
Different copper types indicate varying degrees of purity, impurity content, and correspondingly varying electrical conductivity.
3. Touch
First, touch the conductor. High-quality conductors have a smooth, burr-free surface; lower-quality conductors have a rougher surface, even irritating. Touch the insulation. High-quality insulation is more flexible—scratch it with your fingernail; if it leaves a scratch, it's less flexible.
4. Fold
Take a piece of wire and repeatedly bend it in one spot. After bending, observe the bends to determine the wire quality.
High-quality wire will feel very flexible when bent. If the insulation turns white after bending, it's too hard and brittle, making it prone to leakage over time.
5. Burn
Burn the insulation and observe its flame retardancy.
Use a lighter to light the insulation layer until the insulation layer catches fire, then remove the lighter and calculate the extinguishing time of the insulation layer - it will automatically extinguish within 5 seconds, proving that the flame retardant performance of the insulation layer meets the standard. If it automatically extinguishes for a long time, even if it burns brighter and brighter, the flame retardant is too poor, so leave quickly and don't buy it.
3. How to choose the thickness of home decoration wires
When we buy wires, we may also encounter such a problem. The wires are divided into different squares. Some people say that thick wires are good and have a large current carrying capacity; some people say that it is not necessary to buy such thick wires.
1. What does thickness mean
In fact, thickness refers to the number of wires. Generally, there are 1 square millimeter (1 square), 1.5 square, 2.5 square, 4 square and 6 square, which refers to the cross-sectional area of the copper wire. Generally speaking, 1.5 square wires and 2.5 square wires are often used in our home decoration.
2. How to choose the number of wires?
(1) 1.5 square meters is enough for ordinary lighting. Since the wattage of ordinary lighting lamps is not large, it is more appropriate to use 1.5 square meters. (2) Generally, a 2.5 square meter socket is used. The wattage of the appliance on the socket may be greater than that of the lamp. (3) The main line of the kitchen is 4 square meters, and the branch line is 2.5 square meters. The kitchen mainly involves some high-power appliances. If it is a branch line, it can be 2.5 square meters, but for the main line, it is recommended to use 4 square meters for safety reasons. (4) The home entrance line consists of 6 squares and is the main line of the entire home. Generally speaking, using 6 squares is enough. 4. Why can't all thick wires be used? Some people think that it is safer to install thick wires completely. But in this case, a lot of money will be wasted. First of all, in terms of wire cost, thick wires are definitely more expensive than thin wires. In addition, since the total cross-sectional area of the wires in the pipeline cannot exceed 40%, some wires cannot be installed with thick wires, which increases the cost of the pipeline. Therefore, fitting is a good solution. If you don't use so much electricity at all, installing thick wires is a waste. This is all I have to share with you about the selection of home wires. It is still quite practical. You can read it carefully and hope it will be helpful to you.
