Residential wiring is mainly divided into five types, from the electric pole to the devices and appliances inside the house.
Cable drops
"Service Drop Cable" is the cable between the power pole and the consumer's house or building. A service drop cable is an overhead electrical line from a utility pole to the roof of a house. The service drop cable can be of different types which are given below.
Duplex cable: duplex service drop cable is a two-core conductor, that is, it has two conductors; An insulated conductor for the phase line and a bare conductor for the neutral line. This cable is used to provide single-phase electricity to the building.
Cable Types of Services
Triplex Cable: Triplex service drop cable is a three-core conductor that has two insulated conductors for phase and a bare conductor for neutral.
Quadruplex Cable: Quadruplex service drop cable is a four-core conductor that has four conductors. Three of the cores are insulated conductors for the phase lines and one of them is a bare conductor wire for the neutral. This cable is used to provide three-phase electricity from the power pole to the building.
The phase conductor is an AAC (All Aluminum Aerial Conductor) cable, while the neutral conductor is available as AAC or AAAC (Aluminum Alloy Aerial Conductor) or ACSR (Aluminum Steel Core Reinforced Aerial Conductor). The insulation used in these cables is XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene), which protects these conductors from moisture, heat, etc.
Main feeder wires
Main feeder cables and wires carry electricity from the beam on the roof to the building. The cables used for this purpose are 600 V THHN (thermoplastic and high temperature resistant nylon), stranded or stranded with a rated current 25% higher than the maximum load required.
Powerboard wires
The wires from the power panel carry the power to the main distribution box. Black insulated THHN cables with a rated current 25% higher than the maximum load current are usually used for this purpose.
Non -metallic pods
Non-metallic or sheathed NM (non-metallic) wires are used for internal wiring. These wires consist of two or more insulated conductors with an insulated or bare earth conductor. Of course, they have another layer of XLPE plastic cover for extra protection. Currently, electricians use the latest version of NM Type B for indoor installations. The conductors of these wires can be wire or standard (string). It is easier to transport stranded conductors through a tubular carrier.
Single wire
Single-conductor wire is the most popular choice for indoor electrical systems. This type of wire is available in several sizes, colors (to identify phase, neutral and ground) and with stranded or stranded conductors. A stranded wire will make better connections, but stranded wires can be more easily routed through conduit. Both types of this wire are available with THW and THHN insulation.