How to find wiring in the wall?

Electrical wiring should be located in the wall in accordance with existing standards, however, not everyone is lucky to find a good electrician who did his job qualitatively and adhered to unspoken rules. It so happens that the owner is not aware of how and where the wiring in his housing is located, not always there are wiring diagrams on hand. In this case, you have to independently search for the exact location of its location, especially if there is a repair ahead, or for some reason it is necessary to violate the integrity of the wall.

Often people ask themselves the question: how to find the wiring in the wall? At first glance, it seems that this is impossible. However, do not despair, because there are many ways to find it. You can purchase a device for detecting hidden wiring or use old proven methods that do not require special equipment. You can be sure that after reading this article you will definitely decide which method is right for you.

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Wiring Locations

Of course, when conducting an electrician in a house or apartment, certain rules and regulations must be observed, according to which the cables are not randomly placed in the wall, but are ordered in a certain way. But, unfortunately, not all of these rules are followed.

If you are sure that the wiring in your home was mounted in good faith, then you should familiarize yourself with what exactly the norms for its installation are. So, you can independently draw up a layout of the electrical cables.

Standards for wiring:

• Electric wires are located in the wall exclusively parallel and perpendicular to the floor, in other words, exactly vertically and horizontally.
• The main branch of the wiring is located at the top of the wall, at a distance of 15 centimeters from the ceiling.
• The electric cable goes straight from all sockets and switches. That is why experts do not recommend drilling a wall or driving a nail into it at any distance exactly above the switch or socket.
• Based on the above rules, it follows that a cable comes out of each electrical point that runs strictly perpendicular to the floor and adjoins the main electrical line, which is parallel to the ceiling.

Important! Following these simple rules, you can build an electric line layout. When repairing, do not make holes in the wall at the locations of the alleged cable arrangement. Experts recommend leaving an untouched area along which a wire possibly passes, a width of 20 centimeters. Simply put, do not damage the wall, at a distance of ten centimeters in each direction, from the location of the electric cable.

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Special devices for finding wiring in the wall

Even if you were able to draw an approximate wiring diagram, before starting repair work, it is better to confirm the accuracy of its location with special devices. If you accidentally damage the cable in the wall, you will have to break the integrity of the wall and fix the problem.

A device for finding hidden electrical wiring can be purchased at a specialized store. However, their choice is quite large, and you can easily get confused. To avoid this, it is better to familiarize yourself with the available options in advance.

Types of devices for finding electrical wiring:

• Detectors of electromagnetic radiation. Such devices only recognize live wiring. Devices react to a magnetic component. Electromagnetic detectors are ineffective if the electric line is lightly loaded.

Important! To work with such a device is possible only on dry walls, and walls not wired with metal. Moisture and any metal will prevent the detection of electromagnetic fields.

• Electrostatic detectors. The device picks up the electric field that occurs in the wire. Such a device is very reliable and accurate, but not able to pick up a dead line. When connected to an outlet with a power consumption of 1 kW or higher, you can most accurately identify the location of the electrical cable.
• Metal detectors. Such devices are able to detect any kind of metal. They are good to use when it is necessary to find old or de-energized wiring, a damaged line.

Important! Do not forget that such a device will signal not only about finding an electric wire, but also any other metal, whether it be a nail or reinforcement.

• Combined or universal detectors. Such devices combine several types of detectors at once. Able to detect any type of metal, electric field and magnetic elements. They are the most accurate, equipped with many features. With such a device, you will definitely find both live wiring and the old dead line.

Important! Some combined detectors are equipped with sensors that can detect the exact depth of the wire, recognize the type of metal, and even detect metal pipes passing through the wall. Due to the high cost of the device, it is worth considering how important it is for you to have such a huge number of functions. It does not always make sense to overpay, especially if you are not a professional electrician, and there is a need to use the device only once.

If you decide to purchase a device for determining wiring in the wall, you must proceed from the tasks and your needs. Multifunction devices are in demand among professionals, but for a one-time home use it is enough to have an electrostatic detector or a conventional indicator screwdriver.

Important! An important role is played by the depth of the electrical cable. It is worth knowing that the simplest detectors will work for detection only if the wire is located at a depth of no more than 2 centimeters. If you know that the electric line is located at a great depth, under the thickness of concrete, then only a combined detector will cope with the task.

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Search for wiring without special devices

If you do not have the opportunity to purchase a special device for finding wiring in the wall, then you can build such a device yourself, or use certain secrets to detect it:

• The easiest way to detect when an electric line is laid in the gates. When repairing, removing old wallpaper from the walls, you can see the places of the former shtrob. However, this method does not work so often, because the walls can have a finishing plaster, which will hide the patched strobes.
• If the repair in the room was carried out qualitatively, with the involvement of a professional team of builders and a designer, then most likely, after the repair, the owner was given a map of the location of all communications. According to the scheme of the electric line, it is possible to determine the location of the cable with an accuracy of a centimeter.
• Known proven grandfather method for detecting an electric line under voltage. It consists in the fact that the maximum load on the line is created, devices are connected to all sockets, the light is turned on on all switches. Next, you need to take a radio receiver with a frequency of 100 kHz and drive the included receiver along the surface of the wall.Being as close as possible to the locations of the electric cable, the receiver will make noise.
• Similarly, with a radio, you can test using a connected amplifier or microphone from a tape recorder.
• A conventional compass is able to indicate the location of the electric cable. Its arrow will deviate near the live wire.

Important! With this method, it is necessary to give the line a maximum load.

• You can detect an electric line using a mobile application on smartphone. Having launched the necessary application, it is necessary to hold the smartphone on the wall. It will pick up magnetic fields, transmit information to the screen.
• You can use the devices that are always available from a good owner. These include indicator screwdrivers, voltage testers, and multimeters.

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Stock footage

As you can see, it is not necessary to have a wiring detector in the wall - you can handle the available improvised devices. With certain knowledge, you can easily find the electrical line and can make repairs without damaging the wiring, hammer a nail or repair a broken circuit.