Types Of Wires Used In Electrical Wiring

Electrical wires and cable have markings stamped or printed on their insulation or outer sheathing.

Types of wires used in electrical wiring. It helps to understand a few basic terms used to describe wiring. For this article we will focus on the wire typically used in automotive boat rv and motorcycle applications. Different types of electrical wires and cables. The type of wiring employs conductors that are insulated with vir and covered with an outer sheath of lead aluminum alloy containing about 95 of lead.

While varying somewhat by area of the country in the u s latin america europe and other areas there are recognizable generations of electrical wiring knob tube greenfield armored cable or bx wiring plastic or nm. Types of electrical wiring. Years ago from the late 1960s to the late 1970s aluminum was a popular choice for residential electrical wiring. Understanding electrical wiring labeling.

The type of insulation used usually depends on where the electrical wiring is to be installed. There are many types of electrical wire. Heavy wires can t be used in batten wiring system. Using the wrong type of wire can lead to failures and fires.

Electrical cable and wires are considered as a same thing. However devices at the time like outlets switches and fans were not designed to work with aluminum wiring posing a serious safety hazard. In general however there are only a couple varieties used for wiring a residential home. Aslan alphan getty images.

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. Only suitable below then 250v. Understanding which type is best for your application can be confusing. In fact they are quite different.

The national electrical code nec and local building codes regulate the types of wire and cable that can be used in specific electrical applications as well as the manner of installation. All types of electrical wiring serve as conductors of electricity. Wire types and sizing. We illustrate a variety of types of electrical wiring found in older buildings.

Both of them are used for carrying electrical current. A wire is made of a single electrical conductor while a cable is a group or bundle of multiple wires inside a common sheathing. 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. There is an international standard for the types of wires and cables used in electrical wiring systems.

Need more cables and wires. While the terms wire and cable are often used interchangeably a wire is one electrical conductor and cable is a group of wires or conductors encased in sheathing.