How to detect a break in the wiring in the wall under the plaster

If the wires are laid in the wall, this does not mean that they are protected from damage and violation of the integrity of the insulating layer. If problems arise, you can not only be left without electricity, but also become participants in the fire. To restore the current supply and troubleshoot, you need to know how to find a zero break in the hidden wiring and phase, how to fix the problem with minimal financial and physical costs.

Cliff search methods

There is an induction and acoustic method for determining a break in covert communications. To implement them, the following tools will be required:

• earphones (head phones);
• acoustic signaling device;
• a generator that connects to a wire.

With the help of the above devices, during the search, the wiring hidden in the wall is carefully listened. As soon as a damaged place is detected, a sharp and pronounced click is heard in the headphones. For work, it is important to properly tune the equipment to the frequency that is needed.

The essence of the induction method is to connect the generator to the power cable. As soon as the load level is established on it, testing will be carried out similarly to the previous method, using a signaling device and headphones. The difference is that in the headphones the sound will be heard throughout the entire search time, and when you find the place of the cliff, it will amplify.

Signs of a break in the wiring

If the house partially began to disappear, most likely, there was an open wire break. Also, this place can be indicated by a lack of voltage in outlets that are in the same zone, or lack of lighting.

Also, a violation of the integrity of the wires is accompanied by sparking of the cable, smoke and the release of a pronounced burning smell. The cause of sparking is not only a violation of the integrity of the conductive conductors, but also the selection of poor-quality or unsuitable insulation material in a particular case. It starts to melt.

Damage is formed on any segments of the cores. Most often, breaks occur in places of broken cable connection with a socket or with a switch, as well as in areas between the distribution panel with lighting devices and electrical devices.

Causes of wire breaks

If you follow all the rules for the use of electrical wiring, household appliances and electrical appliances, the power grid can last several decades. However, with the rapidly increasing number of electrical appliances at home and at work, damage to the mage

and they went. The main causes of the phenomenon:

• Long cable operation. Over the years, wiring can work efficiently and smoothly, but after a certain time, the material of which the cable is made begins to break down. Networks in such cases scatter into twists and leaks appear. Such violations inevitably lead first to interruptions, and then to a complete blackout.
• Misuse of adapters.Violations in the wiring may be due to improper use of tees or extension cords. For example, this can be observed when several high-power household appliances are connected at the same time - washing or dishwashers, a refrigerator, a drill, etc.
• Mechanical damage. If you do not know the wiring diagram, during the repair with a drill or hammer when driving nails, you can violate the integrity of the wire, break it and cause a short circuit. Even minor damage will manifest itself after a while.
  
• Poorly executed wiring or the use of defective wires. Damaged and defective cables tend to overheat, which sooner or later leads to fatal consequences. Also, the wire strands can break off sharply with a strong power surge.

In all these cases, it is necessary to immediately find the place of damage and repair it.

The procedure for determining the breakage of wiring in the wall

The search for the place of damage, regardless of the cause of the problem, is performed in the following order:

1. First of all, you must disconnect the wiring. To do this, turn off the automatic switch (knife switch).
2. Sometimes it is necessary to reduce the resistance level of the insulating layer of the wiring, for this it is burned.
3. To search for a damaged place, they resort to an induction or acoustic method, you also need to arm yourself with an ordinary household multimeter and a transistor receiver.
4. To facilitate the search, electricians also use a locator. These devices, with various modifications, allow you to accurately establish the path along which the cable is laid, find all current-carrying conductors, and also find out whether they are live or not. Separate models use them together with generators to increase the efficiency.

Invented innovative electrical networks equipped with lines of beacons - markers. This installation method is actively used in Europe and America. In Russia, this method has not yet become widespread. In this case, if the integrity of the wire is violated, the trace finder will quickly and with high accuracy determine the location of the break by the signal from the beacon.

Troubleshooting between the junction box and the outlet

If the integrity of the wire between the junction box and the switch, lighting fixture or outlet has been violated, you must use a single-pole voltage indicator - indicator. With its help, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of voltage with high accuracy.

First of all, you need to open the switch, the socket and in the off position, check for voltage on the contacts. If it is absent, the damaged place is between the switch, the socket and the box.

If a “phase” is present, the voltage is checked on the lighting device in the on position of the switch. If there is no voltage on all conductors, damage is between the junction box and the luminaire.

Precise Location Detection

Having identified the approximate place where the tattered wire is located, they proceed to a thorough search. There are many ways to detect the exact location of a breakdown.

Opening the walls during repair

The easiest and at the same time effective way to check the condition of the wiring and eliminate tears is to completely clean the walls of finishing materials. Only in this case, you can get acquainted in detail with the state of the shtrob, which were done specifically for the hidden wiring. They differ from other surfaces in color, and several layers of putty are additionally applied to them.

This method is advisable only during the overhaul, accompanied by the complete dismantling of all decorative coatings.

Logical Search Methods

If the owner of the living space does not have a power supply circuit, you can recreate it by resorting to logical methods. You should familiarize yourself with the basic principles of laying electrical communications:

• Most often, wiring is carried out with an interval of 10-15 cm from the ceiling or floor (the first option is more common).
• Installation of electrical communications is carried out strictly on vertical and horizontal gates. Errors are possible, but small.
• Communication lines that are placed above the switches and sockets are always laid straight up. In these areas it is forbidden to hammer nails, work with a drill and a perforator.

By the location of the switches and sockets in the apartment or house, you can recreate with high accuracy the electrical communications circuit.

Search for wiring for preventive purposes

As practice shows, most often residents of a house or apartment begin to search for wires in the walls only with the appearance of problems. However, for preventive purposes, you should also know the location of the highway.

• When acquiring new housing, it is recommended to create a detailed wiring arrangement so that during the repair not to damage its integrity.
• Make a plan before implementing the planned redevelopment. It is extremely important to consider the location of electrical communications when any manipulations are made, even with interior walls.
• When hanging accessories, sconces and paintings, it is also important to know where the conductive wires are, otherwise clogging nails causes trouble.

To recreate the route of the electric route, it is recommended to use one of the methods for searching for cliff places, or to ask the scheme from the previous owners, if it is preserved.

Elimination of a break of a zero and phase wire

The elimination of the phase conductive core is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. The phase wire is de-energized.
2. Using building tools, finishing materials are removed from the surface of the walls. It is important to clear the area near the electric route by 10-15 cm.
3. The damaged core is disconnected from the network. It is important that you do not touch the insulation material on other adjacent cables.
4. Copper conductors are preferably soldered. Also, when recovering, it is recommended to use a heat shrink or polyvinyl chloride tube.

If the zero cable was disabled, it must be disconnected from the bus and a phase conductor should be fixed in its place. Next, the algorithm is identical to the recovery of the phase wire.