Be smart with your electrical wiring to be safe

Electric wiring is tricky and not done properly, it can lead to big mishaps. Though you can hire the best electrician in Tripura using Sathi Pro, you must have a little knowledge about it just to make sure that the work is done properly. You can also do the wiring yourself, but if not done properly, it can cause severe damage leading to injury and fire. 

Usually, all the houses follow an electrical code for wiring known as "NEC". The NEC code identifies the electrical cables by their types and color. You must have noticed different colors of wires like white, black, red, or green wires. 

Types of cables

An electrical wire is a conductor of electricity. Usually, it is made up of copper or aluminum, but now aluminum is less in use. The wires are insulated using a non-conductive plastic coating. Some common types of cable are listed below:

• NM Cable

NM Cable is one of the most common types of home electrical wiring. The NM cable contains three or more wires wrapped together in a flexible plastic jacket. This cable is used for dry, interior home wiring, fixtures, switches, and outlets. NM cables are color-coded, which means that the outer jacket of the cable comes in different colors that indicate the wire gauge. 

• Armored Cable

Local ordinances are more strict than national codes in color houses. That is why you might find that in some areas NM cables are not permitted for use and in these locations, armored or AC cables are used instead. 

AC wiring is designed with flexible metallic sheathing, which offers extra protection for the conductors inside. In commercial buildings or residential constructions with more than three stories, armored cables cannot be used. 

• Underground feeder cable

The underground feeder cable is generally used for supplying outdoor fixtures. It contains insulated hot and neutral wire and a bare ground wire. The underground feeder cable type has a solid plastic sheathing around each wire and a gray outer sheathing. Also, this type of cable can be used for major circuit wiring. 

• Low voltage wire

Low-voltage wiring varies from 12 to 22-gauge and it’s either insulated or comes covered in cable sheathing. Even though shocks don’t usually occur with low-voltage wires, it is still a good idea to turn off your devices before starting to work with them. 

• Phone and data Wire

Phones and internet wiring are mostly low-voltage wires. The most common type of cable in this category is your telephone and data cable. They might have around four to eight wires in a single cable. This category cable contains eight wires, wrapped together in four pairs. The phone and data wires are the most efficient type for phone and data transmission. Also, they have greater capacity and quality than the standard phone wire.