ELECTRICAL MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

AR BU 2 BUILDING UTILITIES 2

Conductors and Wirings

Electric Conductors –substances or materials used to convey the flow of electric current.
Insulator –substance or materials that resist the flow of electric current
Conductor Ampacity
- maximum operating temperature that its insulation can stand continuously.

CONDUITS
- Are circular raceways used to enclose wires and cables and area of metal or plastic (PVC)
- To protect the enclosed conductors from damage and protect people from shock
- Provide a system ground path and support conductor

TYPES
Rigid Metal Conduit / Rigid Steel Conduit (RSC)
=thick-heavy walled threaded pipe that is often made of
coated steel, galvanized steel or aluminum
= Typical Used Outdoors but also used indoors

Rigid Non-Metal
= PVC can be used indoor or outdoor and underground beneath concrete or fill
= easy to bend
= best for burying underground as it will not corrode
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Flexible Metal Conduit

= spiral structure that simplifies the flow through walls and
other structures
= easy to bend

Flexible non-Metal Conduit

= spiral structure that simplifies the flow through walls and
other structures
= easy to bend
PEC (PHILIPPINE ELECTRICAL CODE)
May be used under the following conditions
- concealed in walls, floors and ceilings
- direct earth burial or underground
- 300mm in trench below 500mm thick concrete or equivalent
May be used under the following conditions
- 600 mm under streets, highways, roads, alleys, parking and driveways
- 400mm under driveways and parking of single & two family dwelling units
- 400mm under airport runways, including areas where trespassing is prohibited
- locations subject to severe corrosive influences and where subject chemicals for
which materials are specifically approved
- wet locations, provided water is prevented from entering the conduit
- dry and damp locations
prohibited use
- hazardous (classified) locations
- support of fixtures
- subject to physical damage & ambient temp in excess of 50°C
- conductors whose insulation temp. exceed the conduit
- theaters and similar locations
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WIRES AND CABLES

WIRES
- are single insulated conductors no. 8 AWG(American Wire Gauge) or smaller. In mm2 it is 8.0
- the smallest size of wire permitted is no. 14 (2.0 mm2)
- conducting materials which are made of copper, aluminum, silver, iron,manganin, and alloyed
metals like nichrome wire, constantan, and German silver wire

Size of Wires
- and the right size for a specific application is determined by the wire gauge
- Sizing of wire is done by the American wire gauge system
- Common wire sizes are 10, 12 and 14 – a higher number means a smaller wire size, and
affects the amount of power it can carry
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Wire Lettering
- The letters THHN, THWN, THW and XHHN represent the main insulation types of individual
wires

T – Thermoplastic insulation
H – Heat resistance
HH – High heat resistance (up to 194°F)
W – Suitable for wet locations
N – Nylon coating, resistant to damage by oil or gas
X – Synthetic polymer that is flame-resistant
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Types of Electrical Wire
Triplex Wires : usually used in single-phase service
drop conductors, between the power pole and weather
heads.
- composed of two insulated aluminum wires wrapped
with a third bare wire which is used as a common neutral.

Main Feeder Wires : wires that connect the service

weather head to the house.
- made with stranded or solid THHN wire and the cable installed is 25% more than the load
required.

Panel Feed Wires : are generally black insulated THHN wire.

- used to power the main junction box and the circuit breaker panels.
- should be rated for 25% more than the actual load.

Non-Metallic Sheathed Wires : or Romex, is used

in most homes and has 2-3 conductors, each with plastic
insulation, and a bare ground wire.
- individual wires are covered with another layer of
non-metallic sheathing
- in ratings for 15, 20 and 20 amps, this type is
preferred for in-house wiring.

Single Strand Wires : also uses THHN wire

- Each wire is separate and multiple wires can be drawn together through a pipe easily

CABLES
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–are single insulated conductors No.6 AWG or larger; or they may be several conductors of any size
assembled into a single unit
TYPES
Armored Cable (type AC)
- fabricated assembly of insulated conductors in flexible metal
sheath

Metal Clad Cable (type MC)/ Metallic Sheathed Cable

- Also known as armored or BX cables
- often used to supply mains electricity or for large
appliances
- feature three plain stranded copper wires (one wire for the
current, one grounding wire and one neutral wire) that are insulated
with cross-linked polyethylene, PVC bedding and a black PVC
sheathing

Non-Metallic Sheathed Cable

- also known as non-metallic building wire or NM cables.
- feature a flexible plastic jacket with two to four wires and a bare wire for grounding.
- used for underground or outdoor use
Underground Feeder Cable
- similar to NM cables, but instead of each wire being individually wrapped in thermoplastic,
wires are grouped together and embedded in the flexible material.
- often used for outdoor lighting and in-ground applications

Multi-Conductor Cable :
- commonly used in homes, since it is simple to use and well-insulated
- MC) cables feature more than one conductor, each of which is insulated individually
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Coaxial Cable :
- (sometimes heliax) cable
features a tubular insulating layer that
protects an inner conductor which is
further surrounded by a tubular
conducting shield
- ‘coaxial’ since the two inner
shields share the same geometric axis,
these cables are normally used for
carrying television signals and
connecting video equipment.

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable :

- this type consists of two wires that are twisted
together.
- not insulated, which makes this cable perfect for signal
transmission and video applications
- UTP cables are often used in telephones, security
cameras and data networks.

OTHERS
Ribbon Cable

Direct-Buried Cable
Twin-Lead Cable
Twinaxial Cable
Paired Cable
Twisted Pair

WIRING METHODS
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RIGID METAL CONDUIT WIRING
– is the best and most expensive among the usual type of wiring.
advantages are:
1. it is fireproof;
2. 2. moisture proof;
3. 3. it is mechanically strong
4. 4. it resists the normal action of cement when embedded in concrete or masonry
FLEXIBLE METAL CONDUIT WIRING
- Installation is much easier and quicker
ARMORED CABLE WIRING (BX WIRING)
– consists of rubber or thermoplastic covered wire protected from injury to a certain extent from
dampness by one or two layers of flexible steel armor

SURFACE METAL RACEWAY WIRING

– the wires are supported on a thin sheet steel casing.
-is installed exposed, being mounted on the walls or ceiling.

FLAT CABLE ASSEMBLIES

– a field installed rigidly mounted square structural channel (1 –5/8” standard)
designed to carry 2 to 4 conductors (No. 10 AWG) and will act as light duty
(branch circuit) plug-in busways.

CABLE TRAY/ OPEN RACEWAY

– is a continuous open support for approved cables.
-When used as a general wiring system, the cables must be self-protected, jacketed types, type TC

RACEWAY
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- sometimes called a raceway system) is a closed conduit that forms a physical path for electrical
wiring. The raceways protect cables from heat, moisture, corrosion, water intrusion, and general
physical threats.
- a metallic or nonmetallic enclosure (pipe or channel)
-
Surface Raceways:
- Channels made of metal or plastic (PVC) which mounted on walls and have wires
running inside

Underground Raceways:
- It’s the same as surface raceways but it is installed under the floor
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FLOOR RACEWAYS
–The NEC recognizes three types of floor raceways:
1.Underfloor Ducts (UF)
- installed beneath or flush with the floor.
These under floor ducts usually requires a triple
duct system for power, telephone and signal
cabling.

2. Cellular Metal Floor Raceway

–Found usually in office landscaping, it is an integrated structural/electrical systemin a
cellular metal floor.
3. Precast Cellular Concrete
–made of concrete cells fed from header ducts, which are normally installed in concrete
fill above the hollow core structural slab or fed from the ceiling void below

Figure 1 Panel board/ box with PVC conduits

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Figure 2. Junction box attached to a steel decking Figure 3 Utility box on metal wall framing studs

Busways
- electrical distribution system consists of bus-bars in a protective enclosure, which is used in many
applications instead of cables
Bus Bars- large conductors which are not circular in cross section and usually found only to supply the main
switch boards.

Circuiting Guidelines
- to supply 30 watts per square meters excluding porches, garage and basement; 30 watts per square meter is up to
80 square meters
- suggest that the load should not exceed 1200 watts for 15ampere and 1600 watts for 20 ampere

- 20 ampere to feed small appliances outlet in the kitchen, pantry, dining and family room

- 20 ampere appliance branch circuit, wired with No. 12 AWG to all convenience outlet

- 15 Amp shall be limited to: 120V (1440watts) and 240V (2880watts

- Convenience receptacle should plan properly, in case of failure the entire area willnot deprived of power supply

- All kitchen outlets should be fed from at least two of these circuits

- All receptacles are potential appliance outlet and at least two circuits shall be supplied to serve them; in case of
failure in any one of the circuits, the entire area will not be deprived of power
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- All receptacles are potential appliance outlet and at least two circuits shall be supplied to serve them

- All kitchen receptacle,

- Dining room receptacle

- One in the living room

- At least one 20 ampere circuit for laundry outlet.

- Air conditioner, provide separate circuit

- Code requires a minimum of 2-20 amperes appliance branch circuit to feed all small appliance outlets in the
kitchen, pantry, dining and family room

EQUIPMENTS

Standby Generator

- provides emergency power during a power outage

Lighting Arrester

- Device protecting electric equipment from damage from

lighting, using spark gaps to carry the current to the ground

Watt-Hour Meter

- measures and records the quantity of electric power

consumed with respect to time.

Table 2.20.2.3 General Lighting Loads by Occupancy

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CLASSIFICATIONS OF BRANCH CIRCUITS

General Purpose Branch Circuit
-supplies outlets for lighting and appliances, including convenience receptacles
Appliance Branch Circuit
–supplies outlets intended for feeding appliances. Fixed lighting is not supplied
Individual Branch Circuit
–is designed to supply a single specific item, such as a motor load or a unit air-conditioner
dedicated circuit is used by one appliance only.

SINGLE PHASE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

For homes and small commercial buildings
- single phase electrical system can either be 2-wire or 3-wire and composes two hot legs and a neutral
wire

THREE PHASE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

For industries and large commercial buildings
Three Phase AC electricity is a Triple Circuit. The lighting and outlet loads are connected between any
phase leg and a neutral line. While machineries and other bigger loads are connected to the phase leg
only

OVERCURRENT PROTECTION DEVICES

- Are devices whose sole purpose is to protect insulation, wiring, switches and other apparatus from
overheating or burning, due to over loads, to faults or to short circuits, by automatically cutting off the circuit.

FUSE
- A device containing a strip or wire of fusible metal that
melts under the heat produced by excess current thereby
interrupting the circuit
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CIRCUIT BREAKER
- Switch that automatically interrupts an electric current to prevent excess current from damaging
the apparatus in a circuit or from causing a fire

Grounding and Ground Fault

- purpose of grounding the circuit is to fix permanently a zero voltage point in the system.
- should not be broken nor fused to maintain a solid and uninterrupted connection to the ground

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI or GFI)

- Provide ground fault protection as well as function as an ordinary
circuit breaker
- required in bathrooms, garages, crawl space s, basements,
laundry rooms and areas where a water source is present

PANEL BOARDS
- Known as “panel” or “electrical panel”, it is simply the box
where in the protective devises are housed from which the circuits
and bus bars terminate
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SWITCHBOARDS
- Are free standing assemblies of switches, fuses, and/or circuit breakers whose function normally
is to provide switching and feeder protection to a number of circuits connected to a main source

UNIT SUBSTATIONS
- (Transfer Load Centers) an assembly of primary switch-fuse- breaker,step-down transformer,
meters, controls, bus bars and secondary switchboard.
- used to supply power from a primary voltage line to any large facility

SWITCHES AND OUTLETS

Outlet
- is a point in the wiring system at which current is taken to supply
utilization equipment. It refers only to the box.
Receptacle
- is the wiring device in which the utilization equipment (appliance)
cord is plugged into.

Convenience Outlet or Attachment Cap

- The complete set-up which establishes connection between the conductor of
the flexible cord and the conductors connected permanently to the receptacle

Lighting Outlet
Intended for direct connection to a lamp holder, lighting fixture, or pendant cord terminating in a
lamp holder

SWITCHES
- Are devices for making, breaking, or changing conditions in an electrical circuit under the
conditions of load which they are rated.
TYPES OF SWITCHES
ACCORDING TO VOLTAGE

Switches are rated as 250V, 600V, or 5KV as required.

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ACCORDING TO INTENSITY OF USE

1.Normal Duty (ND) –intended for normal use in light and power circuits as in
general-purpose switches
2.Heavy Duty (HD) –intended for frequent interrupting.
3. Light Duty (LD) –intended to connect the loads occasionally, such as service
switches

ACCORDING TO TYPE OF SERVICE

1.Service Switch
–intended to disconnect all the electric service in the building except
emergency equipment
2.Power Switches
a)General –purpose switches
b) Disconnecting or isolating switches
3.Wiring Switches
–include all the relatively small switches that are employed in interior wiring
installations for the control of branch circuits, individual lamps or appliances.
a)General –purpose switches

–are single-pole or double-pole switches

b)Three-way switches
–are used where it is desired to control lamps from two different
points, as in a stairwell
c) Four-way switches
–are used in conjunction with two 3-wire switches where it is desired
to control lamps from three
d)Electrolier or multi-circuit switches
e)Momentary contact switches
f) Dimmer switches
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ACCORDING TOOPERATION MECHANISM

1. Rotary switch
2. Push-button switch
3. Toggle or tumbler switch

SPECIAL SWITCHES
1. Time Controlled
2. Remote Control (RC)
3. Air Switch
4. Knife Switch
5. Float Switch
6. Key Switch
7. 8. Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS)
– This device, an essential part of an emergency or standby service

SWITCHES
1. WALL PLATES OR FACEPLATES-These are coverings for switches and wall outlets usually
made of metal or of phenolic compound (Bakelite).

2. JUNCTION BOX
- serves as the communal meeting spot for electrical wires,
where they connect before moving on
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3. UTILITY BOX
- typically used to install electrical outlets or switches on
exposed surfaces

1. PULL BOX
- allow long wiring runs to be installed in shorter
intervals, and can be used for both straight and angled pulls.
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LIGHTING FIXTURES

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