If you choose an incorrect electrical outlet, the following consequences may occur:

• Ignition of electrical wires, because the product is unable to withstand current loads from electrical appliances. 

  

  Housing ignition

• A poor-quality product will quickly fail: the plug will get stuck in the socket, the case will start sticking out of the case, etc. 

  

  Bad mountain

• Possibility of electric shock during malfunctions or negligence (for example, if a child wants to insert something into it).
• Deterioration of the interior of the rooms (if the product does not combine with the wall decoration)

In addition, there are many consequences that in the future will make you think that you need to approach the choice of sockets for the house and apartment responsibly.

If we talk about light switches, then everything is not so serious here (in the sense of the wrong choice). The only thing to remember is that backlit soft keys work in conjunction with LEDs. The latter, due to the presence of a backlight, may flash when the light is off, as a result of which you have to change the switch to a normal switch, or turn off the backlight manually

Current class

Plugs

Today there are many  types of outlets that make our life not only safe, but also comfortable. Consider the best models to choose when installing electrical wiring in the house:

• Internal (hidden).  Used when installing hidden wiring – when a special strobe is created in the walls. This socket is used most often, because the “core” is hidden in the wall, and on the outside there is only a beautiful rim with holes.
• bill of lading.  It is recommended to choose a patch port for wiring in a house installed in an open manner. This does not mean that the exterior type of housing spoils the interior. There are models that have a beautiful color and design.
• Colorful.  The interior design issue is solved very simply if you choose a non-standard color model that can complement the design of your room. For example, when installing electrical wiring in a wooden house you can use the color “wood”. It is not difficult to choose sockets by color, because today there is a huge selection of beautiful rims, as shown in the photo.
• In retro style. This embodiment is perfect for bathrooms or for a wooden house with a vintage interior. Retro sockets will originally complement the interior of the room and may even become a highlight, however, the cost of such devices is an order of magnitude higher than the classic plastic version.
• With grounding.  To date, almost no one chooses niches without foundation. The exception is houses and apartments of the old model, where two-wire (zero phase) wiring installation is used. Even if you decide to change the electricity in the old house, we highly recommend choosing an outlet with grounding, so that in the future, when implementing the grounding circuit, you do not need to replace electrical accessories.

  

  With grounding

  

  Without foundation

• With a timer.  If you need to automatically turn off the power to the device, there are special models with a timer that can be selected for home and apartment. The cost, of course, is high, but what a convenience!
• GSM and Wi-Fi sockets . These are modern models that can be controlled remotely. They are used, as a rule, in a smart home system. Choosing smart plugs will allow you to remotely control electrical appliances in the house and apartment. For example, you can turn on the heating, lighting or air conditioning 20 minutes before arriving home.
• Outlet block.  For the kitchen or place where the TV is installed, we recommend choosing a power outlet. The rationality of the choice is due to the fact that in such places several electrical appliances are connected at once: a kettle, a multicooker, a blender or, for example, a TV, audio system, DVD playback. To abandon the use of extension cords, it is more rational to choose a block of outlets for a house or apartment.
• With screw connectors connection.  To fix the core in the socket, special screws are used, screwed into the plate, which secure the connection. The design is very simple and is in high demand.
• Without screw connection . Instead of a traditional screw clamp, the wire is fixed using a contact hole, which can narrow/expand when a key is pressed. The disadvantage of this idea is the poor fixation of the connector, especially aluminum, which sometimes has to be “tightened”.
• With special curtains . The child protection we mentioned above can be achieved by installing an outlet  with protective curtains over the holes. The design feature is that the holes open only when the fork is pressed. If not touched, the holes are hidden, so children will not be interested.
• With a special fork ejector . With frequent use of various electrical appliances, it is recommended to choose and install a socket with a special design – with an ejector. This ejector is operated by pressing a special key, gently displacing the plug. Most often, this model is chosen in the kitchen, where various household appliances are often connected.
• With indicator light . A very convenient thing is a small light bulb that will display the presence of electricity in the network, and will also help to quickly find an object at night (when the light is off). If you decide to choose a power outlet with a backlight, please note that the same switch will affect the flashing of the energy saving lamp what we mentioned at the beginning of the article.
• Special purpose . Operating conditions for electrical appliances are not always safe. For example, a dressing room and a bathroom are rooms with high humidity, a warehouse is a place with increased dust, and the street combines two unfavorable factors, so if you want to install an electrical outlet there, you need to choose a special type of housing. There is a special marking of the IPXX type, where “XX” are numbers representing the design feature of the product. Here you need to stay a little longer.Your attention to the photo in which the decryption degree of IP protection is displayed:

For a standard room in an apartment, you can choose a rating of IP20, for installation of electrical wiring in the bathroom you should use a model with an index of IP54, and in dusty terrain IP should not be less than 65!

• abroad . It is not necessary to carry out installation work in the wall. If for any reason you need to install a point for connecting electrical appliances at the bottom of the wall or on the floor, there is a floor version. The port is retractable and very practical. The design can fit into the interior of a wooden house, and into a modern apartment. About, how to connect electrical wires to ground, we told in a separate article.
• Window or window . It is an innovative solution in the field of electrical appliances. Installation is done in glass, and electricity is converted from sunlight. Such a product pays off over time and at the same time stylishly complements the window opening.

Cutters

If we talk about light switches, then there are also many varieties of them. About, what are light switches, you can find out from our article. Now we will tell you which type of implementation is better to choose for different conditions of use.

With the hidden and placed type of case, everything is clear, here be guided by the tips we have given on choosing hidden and built-in sockets, it all depends on the method of installing the wiring.

The most important thing is choosing the design of the light switch. For example, an ideal dimmer for chandeliers and other ceiling lights. Using a dimmer, you can adjust the brightness of the light, which is very convenient and sometimes required.

There are old-fashioned rotary light switches; They are best chosen for a bath or wooden house. You can view an example of a vintage circuit breaker design below:

There are one, two and three keyboard models. For example, for a five-armed chandelier, it’s a good idea to choose a double switch to operate it at two different levels: half of the chandelier and the whole of it. For the bathroom, choosing a dual switch is also a convenient solution: one main controls backlit mirrors and the second is general lighting.

A cord switch is typically used to turn on wall lights, for example, attaching sconces. Sometimes it is used in other circumstances, for example, to control bedside lighting, but this is rare, so you need to select this option exclusively for certain conditions of use.

If you want to operate lighting from two places, we recommend selecting a light switch. A convenient solution for organizing lights in stairs or long corridors.

There are also acoustic models (react to cotton) and button models (instead of a button button), but they have gained particular popularity on the market, so it is better to consider other options for choosing.

Well, the last thing I want to talk about is modern products with a sensor that is perfect for a smart home system. Choosing a touch light switch will be a very reasonable decision for a modern apartment or house, where everything is automated. These models have more functionality, but are more expensive.

So we examined the types of electrical products used in domestic conditions. Now let’s talk about how to choose sockets and light switches for an apartment and a private house.

Main criteria

At first glance, everything is very simple, but many novice electricians make mistakes when choosing switches and sockets, as a result of which they can make themselves felt in a short period of time.

Consider the main selection criteria:

1. Pay attention to the material of the product. Cheap plastic quickly scratches and softens even during the first installation. Make sure to choose products made of durable plastic.
2. On the status tag and the manufacturer must be indicated. If there are no signs, then most likely the product is a Chinese fake, and it should be bypassed.
3. In addition to the front of the product, it will be desirable to look at the internal structure with the corner of the eye. Of course, in most cases, the seller will not allow you to open a new product, but if you are given such an opportunity, carefully review all the clips, screws and plates. They should not have marriage, various irregularities and suspicious loopholes. In plugs, the build quality can also be determined by the grounding contacts (copper antennas at the plug connection point). If the contacts are made of thin metal, most likely the product is not of very good quality. Grounding connections should be fairly flexible and neat.
4. Some experienced electricians recommend choosing sockets and switches by their weight and smell. A good product will not stink like cheap plastic, and at the same time it will have a small weight. Lightness is a sign that electrical accessories have thin walls that can withstand low loads (current and mechanical), and as a result a short circuit.
5. Another selection criterion related to the design features is the number of component parts and the method of attachment. The more clips and various spare parts, the higher the quality of the purchase. As a rule, a cheap product is almost monolithic.
6. When choosing outlets, pay attention to the holes for inserting the plug – they must coincide with the mounting springs. If the holes do not match, the build quality is not the best and it is better to choose a different model!
7. If the package (or inside) contains instructions for installation and assembly / disassembly, this is an additional plus, indicating that the manufacturer is concerned about customers. Again, most counterfeits are sold in clear plastic wrappers.
8. The selection of plugs should be made by the manufacturer towards quality companies. Give preference to foreign manufacturers of switches and sockets – “Legrand” (legrand), “Jung”, “SchneiderElectric”, because they are leaders in the manufacture of electrical products. Cheaper, but nevertheless, high-quality option – Turkish and Polish companies “Karlik”, “Viko”, “Makel”, “OSPEL”.
9. Please note that the rated values ​​of voltage and current must be indicated on the back cover. Voltage – 250 V, current 6.3; 10; 16 a. Give preference to products with a rated current of at least 10A, because in this case, powerful electrical appliances can be connected. Six amp products may not withstand such loads. If there is no mark – it is better to refuse to purchase the goods! We draw your attention to a very important nuance – if you want to connect a washing machine or an electric stove, the current load should be as large as possible, at least 16 A. To connect the oven or stove to a 220 V network, you can choose a socket for 20 or 25 A, but it is better to extend a separate line from the electrical panel. To connect the chandelier and TV, products with 10 A are suitable. In general, in order to choose the right power outlet, you need to follow the following rule: 4 This is 0.88 kilowatts (almost 1 kilowatt). In total, to connect a 3.5 kW stove, you need to choose a 16.A socket. As you can see, choosing a product in terms of power and current is not very complicated.
10. Today they often prefer a combined model with a switch. Choosing a socket and switch in one case will save time on wiring, in addition, both products will have the same design style.