The corrugated pipe is used for almost any type of electrical installation. Even in those places where wires need better protection, many electricians prefer not to complicate their lives too much and use the same standard corrugation. But few people know that a corrugated pipe has a lot of technical characteristics, and its main difference is color.
Gray
The most popular and affordable is the gray corrugated pipe.
Applicable:
- When installing electrical wiring in apartments, private houses, offices.
- When laying wires in rooms with a temperature of at least 0 ° C. For example, sheds or household buildings.
- Under false ceilings or similar timber structures.
A gray corrugation is made of PVC material, which, firstly, is quite durable and has high dielectric qualities, and secondly, is relatively cheap to manufacture. Therefore, the gray corrugated pipe has an affordable price, long service life, but does not have high hardness values. Not suitable for wiring in concrete floors or outdoors.
Important! The gray corrugation should not be laid in the environment, especially in the ground. What do many "masters" who have received a document with the assignment of an electrical safety group via the Internet.
Black
When installing electrical wiring in a concrete screed, it is strictly forbidden to use a gray corrugation - due to insufficient strength, it may not withstand the load, deform and damage the wiring. The best option for laying in concrete or outdoors, in environmental conditions, is corrugated black pipe, in the manufacture of which they use low-pressure polyethylene (abbreviated - PND). Such a material can withstand substantial loads, but, unfortunately, is too susceptible to open fire.
Orange
The characteristics are exactly the same as for the black corrugated pipe, the only and most important difference is in color. And do not be fooled by its name - "for fire wiring." This definition implies the laying of wires of low-current systems, which most often include fire or burglar alarms. Of course, you can remember about Internet cables, but they prefer to lay them in black corrugation.
Therefore, the main difference between orange corrugation and black corrugation is a highly specialized decoding of its color. In order not to be confused and to simplify the work of the wizards when troubleshooting possible malfunctions in the future.
Red
The most durable and resistant. If the black and orange corrugated pipe can be laid outside, then the red one is made specifically for laying wires in the ground.
In the production of red corrugation, the same HDPE is used, but not in one layer, but in two. Two-layer HDPE is a fairly serious material that can withstand not only prolonged exposure to moist soil, but also attacks from small insects and rodents. Therefore, when choosing corrugations for underground wiring, the answer is obvious - extremely red!