Electrical materials, switches, and wiring methods

Wire

A single filament, strand or slender rod or drawn metal. Normally cylindrical, flexible strand or rod commonly made of copper or aluminum material

Solid Wire

also called solid core or single stranded wire, consists of one piece of metal wire.

Stranded Wire

composed of a number of small wires bundled or wrapped together to form a larger conductor.

Braided Wire

consists of several small strands of wire braided together.

Wire Gauge

The measure of wire diameter that determines the amount of electric current a wire can safely carry,

T

Thermoplastic insulation

H

Heat resistance

HH

high heat resistance (up to 194⁰F)

W

suitable for wet locations of installation

N

nylon coating, resistance to damage by oil or gas

X

synthetic polymer that is flame resistant

Black

hot wire, for switches or outlets

Red

hot wire for switch legs. Also for connecting wire between 2 hardwired smoke detectors

Blue and Yellow

hot wires, pulled in conduit, blue for 3 to 4 way switch application, and yellow for switch legs to control fan lights and the like.

White

always neutral

Green and bare copper–used for grounding

Triplex wire

Commonly used for overhead, single phase service drop conductors, between the power pole and weather heads.

Main Feeder Wire

primary system is made up of circuits known as primary feeders or distribution feeders.

Panel Feeder Wire

Used to supple power from one part of a facility to another, from point A to point B.

Single Strand Wire

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

Cables

an assembly of small electrical wires twisted together around a central core

THHN

cost effective building cables typically used for carrying electrical currents between buildings and external power sources, signaling, control wiring, machine tools and automation systems

THWN

can be used for both for wet and dry locations.

armored cable (ac)

A type fabricated assembly of insulated conductors enclosed in flexible metal sheath.

Steel Wired Armor (SWA) Cable

A hard wearing power cable designed for supply of main electricity.

Metal Clad (MC) Cable

A cable of one or more conductors each individually insulated and enclosed in a metallic sheath of interlocking tape of a smooth or corrugated tube.

Mineral Insulated (MI) Cable

A factory assembly of one or more conductors insulated with a highly compressed refractory mineral insulation enclosed in a liquid and gas tight continuous copper sheath.

Non Metallic (NM) Sheathed Cable

An assembly of two or more insulated conductors having a moisture resistant, flame retardant, and non metallic material outer sheath.

Shielded Non Metallic (SNM) Sheathed Cable

A type of cable assembled with two or more insulated conductors in an extruded core of moisture resistant and flame retardant material covered within an overlapping spiral metal tape.

Underground Feeder and Branch Circuit Cable

Moisture resistant cable used for underground connections including direct burial in the ground as feeder or branch circuit

Service Entrance Cable

A single or multi conductor assembly provided with or without an overall covering primarily used for service wire

Medium Voltage Cable

A single or multi conductor solid dielectric insulated cable rated at 2,000 volts or higher.

Coaxial Cable

A round jacketed cable that features an inner conductor surrounded by a tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield made of braided wire engineered to block signal interference

Twisted Pair Cable

Two cables that are twisted across each other, best suited for carrying signals. Low voltage wires widely used for telephone and data wiring

Category 5 (Cat5) cable

most common type of household data wiring, contains eight wires wrapped together in four pairs

Flat Conductor Cable

Consists of three or more flat copper conductor placed edge to edge separated and enclosed within an insulating assembly

Fiber Optics Cable

a network cable that contains strands of glass fibers inside an insulated casing, Designed for long distance, high performance data networking, and telecommunications.

Ampacity

Defined as the ability of the wire or conductor to carry current without overheating.

Electrical wiring

installation of insulated conductors used to carry current and associated devices such as fuse, switch, sockets, lights, and fans to the main distribution board for continuous power supply.

Raceway

channels or wiring accessories so designed for holding wires, cables or busbars that are either made of metal, plastic, or any insulating mediums. simply an enclosed conduit that forms a physical pathway for electrical wiring

Flat cable assembly

An assembly of parallel conductors formed integrally with an insulating material web designed especially for field installation in metal surface or raceways.

Conduit

most common electrical raceways used in all types of construction for protecting electrical components and wiring systems.

electrical conduit

durable tubing or other types of enclosure used to protect and provide a route for individual electrical wiring conductors

Rigid Metallic Conduit (RMC)

Heavy duty galvanized steel tubing that is installed with threaded fittings. It is typically used outdoors to provide protection from damage and can also provide structural support for electrical cables, panels, and other equipment. Length with coupling is usually 10ft

Galvanized Rigid Conduit (GRC)

The heaviest weight and thickest wall of electrical conduits. can be used indoors, outdoors, underground, concealed, or exposed.

Intermediate Metal Conduit (IMC)

designed for outdoor exposure and strong connections, specifically protects insulated electrical conductors and cables.

Electrical Metal Tubing (EMT)

A lightweight conduit that is also called as thin wall conduit. Can be easily bent

Flexible Metal Conduit (FMC)

A spiral construction that enables it to be flexible so it can snake through walls and other structures. used in commercial and industrial buildings

Rigid Non Metallic Conduit (RNC)

a nonmetallic unthreaded smooth walled tubing

Rigid PVC Conduit

Similar with plastic plumbing pipe and is installed with plastic fittings that are glued in place.

Cable trays

a system used to support insulated electrical cables used for power distribution control and communication commonly used for cable management in commercial and industrial construction

Bus duct/busway

a sheet metal duct containing either copper or aluminum busbars for purpose of conducting a substantial current of electricity.

Cable bus

an electrical system that transmits electrical energy through an assembly of insulated conductors that are mounted on a metal housing with cable support blocks installed on it

Joint Box System

This method of wiring makes connections to appliances or fixtures through joints.

Loop System

lighting fixtures and other electrical appliances are connected in parallel so that each component can be controlled individually.

Cleat Wiring

braided and compounded PVC insulated wires fastened on walls and ceiling

Casing and Capping Wiring

cables are carried through wooded casing enclosures

Batten Wiring

electrical wire or group of wires that are fastened on a straight wooden batten by means of tinned brass link clips

Switch

electromechanical device designed to interrupt or control the current flow

Mechanical Switches

uses a spring mechanism to register a key press without having to necessarily push a key all the way down to the bottom

Electrical Switches

These are operated and activated by semiconductor action and does not require physical contact

Pole

represents the amount or number of individual power circuits that can be controlled by the switch.

Throw

indicates how many different output connections every switch pole can connect its input.

Push Button Switch

A type of switch which consists of a simple electric mechanism or air switch mechanism to turn something on or off.

Pressure Switch

A device that operates an electrical contact when a pre set fluid pressure is reached

Temperature Switch

This type has a vapour filled flexible sensing element, actuates a micro switch by means of a piston, when temperature reaches a set point

Toggle Switch

a type of electrical switch with the presence of a handle or lever that controls the flow of electric current

Rotary Switch

used to control many electrical circuits with a single switch