Electrical wires are crucial for maintaining electrical connections and powering up buildings. Each cable and wire is responsible for a specific task, so it’s essential to understand their function. 

Identifying the correct cabling will help prevent breakdowns, short-circuiting and potential hazards. If you want to learn more about these connections, here’s everything about different types of electrical wiring and cables.  

Understanding Electrical Wiring

If you want to take up an electrical project, learning the basics is a crucial place to start. Before starting an electrical repair or remodel, you must identify any electrical wiring you need. Once you know how to identify different wiring, you’ll know which one to purchase and how to install it safely in the system. 

You must also look at the terminology, the materials and equipment needed, plus any other unique device. Another element to keep in mind is the electrical codes.       

Almost every home today is built according to electrical guidelines that ensure the safety of the building. These codes also often tell you the identification of specific wiring to make the process easier. By keeping these in mind, you can get more comfortable repairing electrical wiring.  

Choosing The Right Electrical Wiring   

Electric wires and cables are divided into various types and configurations depending on their function. Here’s how these wires are divided. 

The Conductor Material

This material is crucial for maintaining strong electrical connections and helping them travel through the wire. 

The conductor material also protects the technical components placed inside the sheathing. All wire conductors are divided into three materials:

• Aluminium cable
• Copper cable
• Steel cable 

The Cable’s Function

The next thing you need to decide is the cable’s function. Consider the location where you’ll install the wiring to help you make the right choice. Here, you can also choose between three types:

• General purpose cabling
• Submersible cable
• Armoured cables

The Amount of Cable Cores

The cable cores affect the load of current travelling through the wire. You can get wiring with a single core or multiple based on the power load they need to take on. The available core options include the following:

• Single Core wiring
• Two-core cable
• Three-core cable
• Multi-core cable

Once you consider all these factors, you can find the ideal wiring for your electrical system. 

What Are The Different Types of Cables?

Cables usually contain multiple wires to perform one or more functions. Here’s a look at all the different cable types and how to use them.

Communication Cables

A communication cable is a cable that transmits information through a current of numerous frequencies. Communication cables differ from power cables because power cables are manufactured for high currents and voltages. Power cables are used only for supplying energy; however, communication cables differ. 

Informational wiring is designed for low currents and low voltage and is commonly used for electronic circuits, data transmission, ethernet connections, and networking. 

In the simplest terms, a communication cable is electrical cable equipment that transmits information signals between geographically separated areas. 

These areas can be close to each other or far apart. A well-connected communication cable will send information signals quickly and efficiently regardless of the distance.   

Direct Burial Cable

Standard electrical cabling is designed for indoor installation, where it remains dry and is protected by ceiling, wall and floor structures. 

You should use a direct burial cable for outdoor installations or when you want to run wires underground. As the name suggests, these cables can be installed underground. The best option for such installations is armoured cables, designed with a strong, protective sheathing. 

You can also run there without a conduit, depending on local building codes. These wires have a solid vinyl sheath that provides complete protection from moisture. 

Fire-resistant Cables

There is a high risk of fire-related accidents in any location with many wiring mechanisms. To avoid significant power failures, power plants use a fireproof cable. 

If a building experiences a fire-related accident, fire-resistant cables allow emergency systems to function, ensuring everyone’s safety. 

Fire-resistant cables are used to power emergency systems such as fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire detection, and voice alarm systems. 

Most manufacturers create fire-resistant cables with non-flammable isolated mica tape wrapped around copper wires to protect from a fire. 

Typically, regular cables emit smoke, which greatly hinders emergency efforts. However, with fire-resistant cables, you don’t have to worry about this issue. 

Fireproof cables are halogen-free, unline regular cables, so they don’t emit smoke that ruins emergency procedures. 

Understanding Electrical Wire Colour Coding

Electric cables are designed with specific colour sheathing to make organisation easier. This is an important element that you must remember when doing any repairs. Colour coding is used on both the outer sheathing of the electrical wires and on the separate conduction material within the cable. 

You can also find colour coding on the conduit of the wire. Learning about colour coding can help you determine which wiring is used where. These colours are also crucial for keeping your electrical system organised and maintained. 

Sometimes, cable colours also refer to the size of the wiring inside the cable sheath and its amperage rating. This is another great way to distinguish between various wiring and avoid hazardous situations. 

The colour on individual conducting wires doesn’t always indicate the rating or size but where and how it should be used. 

The colour for wiring often depends from country to country. In the UK and Ireland, you can often find information about wire colouring from electrical guidelines. 

Here’s a look at the most important wire colours in the UK.    

Green And Yellow Earth Wire

The earth wire is one of an electrical system's most important safety wires. It stops you from getting into hazardous situations like an electric shock. 

The earth wire creates a path for the current to flow easily. At the same time, the earth wire also prevents the current from travelling into a faulty circuit. This prevents the fuse from short-circuiting.    

Brown Live Wire 

The live wire carries the electric current from your appliance to the power supply.  

Blue Neutral Wire

The neutral wire takes the current from your appliance and back into the main power supply. 

What Are The Old Wire Colours In The UK?

The colour coding you see today reflects a recent change made to the UK’s wiring. Older wiring had different colour combinations to fit previous electrical guidelines. 

You might still find these colour combinations in some older homes and buildings. The colour coding of older wiring systems in the UK includes:

• Earth Wire - green and yellow but with no sleeve.
• Live Wire - Red
• Neutral Wire - Black 

When Did The Wiring Colours Change?

The new wiring colour became mandatory in the UK in 2006, but many electrical systems started using them in 2004. 

While it may seem a little complicated to have two different systems, the new systems were created to match with other European countries, leading to a harmonised electrical wiring system in the region. 

Nowadays, you are more likely to come across the new wiring system instead of the old one. In April 2006, the government made a legislative decision to outlaw the use of the old colour coding. 

This law was highlighted in BS 7671, an important guideline for all electrical wiring. But, as we said earlier, some buildings still use the old wiring system, especially if they haven’t been updated.       

The guidelines don’t state those old buildings need to be upgraded, but instead, any wiring system created after 2006 should always use the new coloured wiring. 

What Are Electrical Wiring Connections?

Once you’ve understood the basics of an electrical system, it’s time to look at the different types of connections. Electrical wiring connections are important because they keep your house powered up. 

Without a proper connection, you will face annoying interruptions or potential hazards. Here’s a look at two of the most important types of electrical connections. 

Single-Phase Wiring

Single-phase wiring is the most common way to make an electrical connection. You can usually find this type of wiring in a residential property. 

You will find the typical earth, live and neutral wiring in this system. In a single-phase system, you will only find one supply of alternating current with a voltage that varies from positive to negative. 

A single AC current works well in residential properties because lighting and low-voltage appliances are compatible with power variations. 

Three-Phase Wiring

Three-phase wiring is commonly used in industrial settings where heaving appliances take a lot of currents. This type of connection is less likely to experience faults when paired with higher voltage appliances, such as heavy machinery etc. 

In a three-phase system, you will find three separate live wires. The current in each live wire is not in phase with the others, so it’s called a three-phase system. 

You won’t always find a neutral wire here which means there are two combinations to look at:

• Five wire configurations - three lives, one earth and a neutral
• Four wire configurations - three lives and one earth

Imagine a three-phase system with three AC currents working together to ensure power is always supplied. Without this running supply of energy, heavy machinery would not function properly. 

One thing to note is that in the UK, a three-phase system supplies a higher voltage of 415V compared to a one-phase system’s 240V. 

What Is Wire Sizing?

The correct wire size is essential to any electrical wire installation. The wire size describes the diameter of the wire’s metal conductor. This also takes into account the wire’s gauge capacity. 

The gauge refers to the unit’s current-carrying capacity or how much voltage the wire can safely handle.

 When selecting the right wire, consider its gauge, the capacity and what the wire will be used for. The wrong wire size could increase the risk of short circuits and electric fire. 

What Are The Important Elements In An Electrical Circuit?

Once you have figured out the wire colour coding, it’s time to look at the electrical circuit. In the UK, there are three common types of electrical circuits. These include:

• Ring main
• Radial circuit
• Hard-wired appliance circuit

All these systems begin at the consumer unit and go through an intricate system. Let’s break down all the different electric current pathways in these systems. 

Consumer Unit

The consumer unit, or the fuse box, is the heart of a home wiring installation. You can find this unit near the energy meter.   

A modern fuse box contains modular electrical devices called circuit breakers. In a common household consumer unit, circuit breakers have three main types. These are the main switch, multiple circuit breakers (MCB) and residual current devices (RCD). 

The main switch is the central component that isolates the incoming electrical current. This is then supplied to your home. 

Once the current reaches the main switch, it splits into several circuits, including general power, light fixtures and appliances. Each circuit component is controlled and protected by a miniature circuit breaker MCB. 

When the system draws the electrical current above the MCB’s capacity, the MCB trips and shuts off the power to protect any devices using the circuit. 

In many modern homes, fuse boxes also have a residual current device. RCD is a highly sensitive safety component that shuts off electricity when it identifies a fault in the system. 

This component is designed to prevent electrical fires and shocks caused by faulty earth wires. If you have any outdoor devices powered by the main circuit, always get the RCD protection. 

If you’re doing electrical work, you will see that each circuit breaker is carefully labelled for identification. This makes it easy to conduct work without running into any problems. 

Radial Circuit

The radial circuit refers to a single wire running from the fuse box circuit breaker to several electrical devices. The wire finishes when it reaches the last device along the system. 

The current rating of a radial circuit restricts the area the circuit can reach. For example, a 20A radial circuit should only supply up to 50 square meters. For a 32A radial circuit, the supply should only reach around 100 square meters.  

Ring Main System

A ring main system begins at the fuse box and connects to various electrical devices. These devices are usually sockets. The connection then returns to the consumer unit.

Once this connection is complete, the current can flow from any end of the ring. Unlike the radial system, this setting increases the load-carrying capacity without needing bigger wiring. 

The ring main system typically has a capacity of 32A, meaning it can power a location of 100 square meters. 

These wiring connections can be combined together to create a functional electrical system.         

At Meteor Electrical, we stock a wide variety of cable types across various cable current ratings. Shop from our extensive Cable section and have your order delivered to your door the next day!