Wires And Cables Used For
Residential Electrical
Systems
Written by RenoRepairs technical staf
Warning:
Never work on electricity if you are not a trained electrician as it is
extremely dangerous. There is a very high risk for fires and
electrocution if you do not understand what you are doing. Even
shutting of the main power supply, some appliance could hold
charges in capacitors which can cause injuries.
Caution:
a) Never recycle old solid core cables for your home, even though they can
be bent into shape, they are not designed for repeatedly flexing and
movement which can weaken the cores causing them to overheat or fail.
b) You MUST NEVER short live and neutral wires as this would cause fires.
c) Live and Neutral wires should never be installed wrongly in electrical
appliance. In layman terms, live wire is the point of entry for the current and
Neutral the point of exit. So the safety fuses are always installed at the point
of entry (live wire) so that any fault will blow the fuse and cut of the current
supply to the appliance. No risk of electrocution.
In this article, we will be considering electrical power supplied in newer
homes (Year 2000 and later). Domestic electric cable is usually available to
British Standard BS 6004. The Malaysian electricity supply for domestic
consumers, according to MS IEC 60038 Standards, must meet the following
specifications:
i. Single phase supply with nominal voltage of 230V, range +10%, -6%;
ii. Three phase supply with nominal voltage of 400V, range +10%, -6%;
iii. Permitted frequency is 50Hz + 1%;
iv. Earthing system type (TT System).
There are several types of cables commonly used for Malaysian house:
i) Single copper core conductor cables.
ii) Cable with 2 or more copper core conductors.
1) Selection criteria for cables in your homes.
a) All cables must be single PVC or two PVC insulated layers with copper
conductors only. Aluminium conductor cables are NOT permitted.
b) The voltage drop must not exceed 4% of the supply voltage.
c) The cable insulation must be suitable for the surrounding conditions such
as the ability to withstand the surrounding temperatures and maintain the
mechanical protection overtime. Example: Cables for swimming pools must
be water resistant PE (polyethylene) insulated and for garden or underground
wiring must use armoured cables.
d) For surface wiring, cables used must have two PVC insulation.
e) For wires used in conduits, concealed or duct can have single layer
insulators.
2) Minimum Cross Sectional Area for Conductors and their
application.
Copper core size
mm2
Rated current
(A)
wattage
(kW)
at 240v
typical applications
1.5
18
4.25
Lighting/ceiling fans
2.5
24
5.75
13A Power sockets circuit
4.0
32
7.75
13A / 15A power sockets circuit, instant shower
6.0
40
9.75
13A /15 A power sockets, Tank storage water heater, range
oven/cooker, motors/pumps
16
79
18.95
Main Circuit
25
104
24.95
Main Circuit
3) Colour code for wires used by Malaysian wiring:
i. Single phase
Live wire Red/yellow /blue wire
Neutral wire Black wire
Earth wire Green/ Green and Yellow combination wire
ii. Three phase
Yellow phase yellow wire
Red phase Red wire
Blue phase- Blue wire
Neutral wire Black wire
Earth wire Green/ Green and Yellow combination wire
4) Flexible cables.
Flexible are cables that have multiple copper cores and only used to connect
electrical appliances to power plug. They are NOT meant to be permanent
wiring and should never be used in conceal wiring. The maximum length for
flexible cable recommended for permanent use on electrical appliance is less
than 3 meters.
5) Armoured cable
If you are planning to have power in
your garden and required underground cabling, armoured cable is used. The
construction is normally the inner cores (which are generally multi strand)
being individually sheathed, then covered by an initial overall plastic sheath,
followed by the protective wire armour with a final outer sheath to hold it all
together. The inner cores may number two, three or four depending upon the
application.
It is also imperative that amour cables protective shield is earthed at the
supply end to ensure that it cannot become live if the cable is severed
References documents:
a) GUIDELINES FOR ELECTRICAL WIRING IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDING Edition
2008 by Suruhanjaya Tenaga
b) The Electricity Supply Act 1990,
c) The Electricity Regulations 1994,
d) MS IEC 60364:2003 Standard: Electrical Installations of Buildings
e) MS 1936:2006 Standard: Electrical Installations of Buildings Guide To MS
IEC 60364,
f) MS 1979:2007 Standard: Electrical Installation of Buildings Code of
Practice.
Authors Disclaimer:
The following article is based on my personal experience and my
studies. Please use this article as a guide to help you but finally all
decision should be based on your own judgement.
Every care has been taken to trace the copyright holders of the
image. However, if there are any errors or omissions, the author
would like to apologize and if informed will make the
corrections accordingly.
