How to insulate wires with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing. Wire insulation: insulation rules and methods for using modern materials (75 photos) How to insulate a wire connection and

Thermal insulation for the electrical network is required, it performs a number of functions. The main task is to prevent direct human contact with live parts, to protect the network itself from thermal, mechanical and chemical effects.

Have wires always been insulated?

Insulating tape for wires

Already in the early stages of the use of electricity, it was known that the wiring would have to be isolated. Today, plastic, rubber and other budget insulating materials are used as insulation, the service life of which will be long.

In the recent past, inefficient, but expensive materials were used. There were also uninsulated wires, which were marked with a corresponding sign so that people would be careful around them.

Wiring insulation requirements

The material intended for insulation has not only dielectric qualities, but also performs a protective function. Depending on the installation method and conditions of use, other insulation requirements may apply.

• Long service life, high degree of resistance to aging.
• High resistance to abrasion and tearing.
• Temperature resistance, especially high temperatures.
• No possibility of bending.
• Chemical resistance.

The requirements for the insulating material are modified depending on the mechanical influences of the environment, mechanical loads, current conduction in the environment of use.

Coupling and its insulation

Sleeve for cable insulation

The coupler is used in cases where it is necessary to extend the wire, for example, when moving a switch or socket. The coupling, together with the wiring, will be embedded in the wall, so its insulation must be airtight. The most reliable option in this case is the use of heat shrink tubing. When choosing, the degree of its shrinkage is taken into account. As a rule, this part is characterized by a threefold shrinkage, it is important to take this into account when choosing the required diameter. Isolation is carried out in several stages - first of all, lived, and then the rest of the site.

As soon as the wires are connected, the tube is dragged to the end of the wire.

Conductor insulation

The places where the cores are connected are insulated with ordinary electrical tape, but the contact will be thicker, and it will be more difficult to put a heat shrink tube on it. As an analogue, it is preferable to use a special heat-shrinkable material. Shrinkage is carried out using an ordinary lighter or a building hair dryer.

Shell insulating layer

At this stage, the insulation of live parts should already be completed; for complete and reliable sealing, the sleeve shell is additionally processed. This is especially important in the case of sheathed cables or wires. The tube must hide the junction and be at least 1 cm on the outer insulating layer on both sides, otherwise there is a possibility of dust and moisture getting under the factory wiring sheath.

Junction boxes

Wire insulation in junction box

Contact devices in the intra-apartment network are junction boxes. This design is protected from the harmful effects of the environment by the body and cover. The need to insulate electrical wires will depend on the design features of the equipment. If it is equipped with clamping jaws, no additional protection is required. If this is not the case, it is necessary to delimit the conductors.

The twist connection is most often used in terminal boxes that are not equipped with sockets. However, over time, the twist loses its density due to expansions caused by temperature changes and oxidation of conductors. To do this, the stripped ends of the cores are tightly twisted clockwise, and then, after putting on the cap, it is scrolled in the same direction, with a little effort. The inner cavity of the plastic cap is equipped with a steel cone spring. With careful scrolling, it fits snugly and compresses the contact. Caps can be produced in different colors and sizes, which will allow you to choose the right contact.

When making twists designed for heavy loads, before insulating the wires, they are treated with a special substance intended for electrical contacts. This will reduce resistance as well as protect against active oxidation.

PPE insulation cannot provide reliable tightness, therefore it can only be used in a special compartment of the contact device. If in the future it is necessary to connect a new line or replace the lamp, it is enough to simply remove the cap, which cannot be said about electrical tape.

During work on the line, it is required to turn off the power in the panel.

Electrical wire insulation

There are several ways to insulate wire in electrical appliances.

Insulation of wires with electrical tape

First of all, you need to thoroughly twist all the wires together. If the wire has a large number of strands, it is preferable to simply solder them.

Next, the insulating material is taken and the entire cable is carefully wrapped. It is important that two layers eventually come out. Even the smallest part of the wire must not be allowed to remain uninsulated, this will inevitably lead to a short circuit.

Heat shrink wire insulation

Heat shrink for wires

In this way, isolating the wires is easy. But it is important to put on the tube at the moment when all the wires are already securely connected to each other. It is best used for insulating copper wires.

After all the cores have been connected, a cap is put on the wire, which needs to be warmed up. It is best to use a building hair dryer for shrinkage, but if it is not available, you can get by with an ordinary lighter. In this case, the heat shrink must completely shrink on the wire, since the resistance of the insulating layer of the wire will lead to an accident.

Heat shrink is used to insulate wires that are designed to work in a humid environment, water or earth.

How to insulate a wire in a wall

It is required to choose plaster at a distance of up to 3-5 cm from the place of damage on both sides, the depth of the trench is 1 cm. These conditions are mandatory for unhindered and high-quality connection of damaged sections of the chain. The next step is to disconnect the wires and make an incision in the insulating layer along the center.

Insulating material is removed from the damaged ends of the conductor by 10-15 mm. If the wiring is old, the insulation is likely to be hard and almost impossible to remove with a knife in cramped conditions. It is better to use the reflow method.

The ends of the copper wires are covered with a layer of solder solder. It is important to tin the conductors from all sides very carefully. Finally, an insulating tube is put on the junction. If a moisture resistant joint is required, the pre-bonded area can be treated with silicone.

How to safely use an extension cord in the garden

Shrink sleeve

IP54 waterproof extension cords are required to connect garden equipment. If the insulating layer has been damaged, it must be sealed to ensure complete safety of operation. You can do this with heat shrink tape. Just wrap it around the wire and heat it up with a hair dryer.

When exposed to heat, the insulating substance shrinks, thereby tightly crimping the wire. Also, during shrinkage, an adhesive is released from the inner surface of the insulating material, which enhances the effect. In terms of the quality of the work performed, the heat-shrinkable tape is not inferior to tubes made of a similar material. Another advantage of the building material is that it is possible to use it in a winding way.

Precautionary measures

Before proceeding with the insulation of the wires of the electrical network and household appliances, you must make sure that the network is de-energized. It is recommended to turn off the voltage using a special automatic switch. Next, a flat screwdriver with an indicator checks for voltage at the output - the place where the work will be carried out.

When performing work, the quality of the materials used is important. If the material is highly flammable and is afraid of thermal effects, this will inevitably lead to an accident or abnormal situations in the future.

How to insulate the wires? This question inevitably confronted each of us, regardless of whether we are connected with energy or not. Someone's extension cord was frayed, someone unsuccessfully drove a nail into the wall, someone's wire just broke in insulation. Any of these injuries require immediate attention, for delay can be very costly.

Damaged wiring can lead to electric shocks, sometimes even fatal ones, and short circuits in wiring are statistically responsible for more than 90% of fires in our country. So let's deal with this issue.

First of all, let's figure out how, in fact, you can isolate the wires. And in what cases can one or another product be used.

Types of damage and ways to eliminate them

Well, now let's figure out how to insulate the wires, and in what situations to use this or that material. To do this, let's look at the most common options for damage to wire insulation.

Damage to the main insulation of the wire

One of the most common problems on wire insulation is a variety of scuffs, kinks, and even biting by pets. Let's see how to proceed in each of these situations.

• Let's start with the most common problem that can often be found on extension cords. Due to long operation and frequent movement, abrasions are formed on the insulation.
• Usually, extension cords are double insulated and a slight fraying of the outer sheath is not a big problem. But if the outer shell is even completely worn out in places, urgent action needs to be taken.
• If the damage to the shell is local, then use heat shrink to close the damage site. You can also use electrical tape, but this option is less aesthetically pleasing.

In the modern world, there are many ways to transmit something wirelessly, but wiring is still used, and quite often. So, after reading the article, you will know everything you need to know about wire insulation.

Materials that are used to insulate wires

There are two types of wire insulation materials. The first is PVC, and the second is insulation with rubber. Both have their pros and cons.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) insulation

Another name is vinyl. This material is widely used in the insulation of wiring, because. it is resistant to alkali and acid, no current passes through it, and it is also insoluble in water. These properties guarantee good protection of the wiring from external influences.

PVC is used to create sheaths for both wiring and cables. At the moment, they even produce a special PVC tape for insulating individual parts of the wire.

The price of PVC type insulation can be attributed to the pluses. Another advantage of this type of sheath is that the polymer does not burn and does not react to sudden temperature changes.

Even during the production of this material, plasticizers can be added to it. Because of them, the resistance to alkali and various acids decreases, however, thanks to them, the wire sheath becomes more elastic, and resistance to ultraviolet radiation also appears.

Rubber insulation

The rubber sheath is used in industrial areas. It has many advantages, which include:

• This type of shell is moisture resistant.
• Insulation with rubber has significant elasticity.
• If you measure the insulation resistance, you can see that it is quite high.
• This shell does not respond to high temperatures.

In the production of rubber shells, both natural and artificial, synthetic materials are used. The latter serve for a long time, are resistant to various chemicals and high sub-zero temperatures.

Another advantage of this material is its elasticity, thanks to which you can conduct wiring with a rubber sheath anywhere. Over time, the rubber will begin to age, as a result of which the shell will crack. This means that you can easily get electrocuted.

If the sheath will be exposed to high temperatures, it is recommended to use vulcanized type rubber for insulation. More often, wiring with this type of sheath is used because of its elasticity. That is, where it is needed.

Wire insulation methods

There are several ways to insulate wires. Today we will talk about the most common, there are only four of them:

• Insulation with a special tape.
• PVC sheath type
• Sheath for wiring with heat shrink tubing.
• Insulation with terminals.

Special tape for insulation

Another name is electrical tape. Every home has it. If you do not have electrical tape on your farm, it will not be difficult to purchase it, because. it is inexpensive.

It is usually used to partially insulate a wire. Often in some place the shell bends or cracks on its own, for example, due to old age. Today we will not talk about how to strip wires from insulation, but consider cases of spontaneous damage to the wire sheath.

I want to note that it is necessary to wind the electrical tape at an angle, first in one direction and then in the other direction. To understand how to do this correctly, you should look at the photo of the insulation of wires with electrical tape.

With high heating, the tape will begin to melt, although this minus has a plus in the form of moisture resistance. Also, the thickness of the wire insulation in this place will be greater.

There is cotton tape for sheathing electrical wiring. On the contrary, it withstands high temperatures, but does not have moisture resistance.

Heat shrink tubing

The material from which these tubes are made is a polymer. I note that it is best to use this type of sheath on low-voltage equipment, when the voltage is not higher than 1 kV.

In order to use this method of creating a wire sheath, you need to follow these steps:

• First you need to prepare a piece of heat shrink tubing. To do this, measure the bare section of the electrical wire, after turning off the electricity. We cut off a piece of the tube, it is better if it is a little larger than necessary. Somewhere around 2-3 centimeters.
• Next, take a piece of the tube and put it on the end of one of the wires.
• After completing the second step, you need to twist the wiring.
• At the last stage, we transfer the heat-shrinkable type tube to the junction of the wiring and, using a building hair dryer, fix the result.

After the done actions, the heat shrink tube will tightly press against the wiring. In the absence of a building hair dryer, a lighter is quite suitable. It should be carefully kept at a small distance from the junction of the wires.

This type of insulation is more convenient than electrical tape. It also adheres better to electrical wiring. However, if you need to remove the heat shrink tubing, you will need to scrape it off.

There are different tubes. It all depends on the desired temperature that the tube must withstand, as well as on the voltage. To find out the characteristics of the tube, you need to look at the markings that manufacturers put at the factory for the manufacture of these products.

There are tubes of various diameters, colors, and also for certain cable sections. This plus allows you to choose the most suitable heat shrink tube.

Insulating wiring with terminals

To create a shell, terminals are used - these are small clamps that are widely used, including for connecting wiring. Terminals can and should be used to isolate wiring in a junction box.

It is best not to use the terminals together with aluminum wiring with screws, as due to strong pressure on the wire, this metal will begin to leak. A short circuit may eventually occur, due to loosening of the connection and increasing resistance. If you do insulate with terminal blocks, be sure to inspect the wiring connection at least once a year.

It is strictly forbidden to connect wiring from materials such as copper and aluminum using twisting. Due to the incompatibility of these metals, at least a short circuit will occur, at most a fire. This will endanger your life.

Important! After finishing, be sure to check the insulation of the wires.

So, today you have learned everything you need to know about insulating electrical wiring. We have analyzed the materials and methods for creating a wire sheath. I hope that after reading this article, you have decided which wire insulation is best for you.

Photo of the wire insulation process

After you connect the bare wires by twisting or soldering, it is necessary to insulate the junction with high quality. To date, there are several main ways to insulate conductors - using electrical tape, heat shrink, or even special PPE caps. Next, we will tell readers how to insulate wires in the wall, under water and even underground.

Precautionary measures

To begin with, let's talk about what rules you need to follow when isolating with your own hands. First, it is strictly forbidden to insulate live wires. You must be sure to disconnect in the switchboard. Secondly, to protect the junction, it is necessary to use only materials that comply with GOSTs for insulation and shells. In simple words - do not use plastic bags, adhesive tape and other garbage. For example, for everyone's favorite PVC electrical tape, there is GOST 16214-86, to which it must comply, and specifications built on its basis.

We highly do not recommend using tape as insulation, because. this material does not have sufficient insulating properties. Now we will look at how to properly insulate wires at home, and also provide you with the most reliable insulating materials.

Overview of insulating materials

To date, for the insulation of bare cores, it is recommended to use materials such as:

Here we have provided the most reliable and popular insulating materials among electricians. Next, we will tell you how to properly insulate bare contacts with electrical tape, heat shrink and special caps.

Video review of existing insulation methods

By the way, EKF produces both non-combustible PVC electrical tape and cotton fiber-based tape, so you can choose the appropriate option for your own conditions. It is important to note that PVC electrical tape is available in 7 colors, which allows it to be used for color marking wires. There is a choice of professional electrical tape (class A: wide, with a thicker base) and for general household purposes (class B: it is narrower and thinner). You can find out more about the products here: https://ekfgroup.com/catalog/izdeliya-dlya-elektromontazha/izolenta.

Instructions for using insulators

Well, here we come to the main issue of the article - do-it-yourself wire insulation technology. Since there are several materials, we will dwell on each and tell you how to isolate the bare veins yourself.

If you are using electrical tape, you first need. If the wires are stranded, it is recommended to additionally solder them for a more reliable connection. Next, the twist is bent to one side, as shown in the photo, after which the electrical tape is wound onto the bare area in at least 2 layers. This technique is often used in an apartment, even by experienced electricians. Insulating tape can be used when connecting conductors in a junction box, a chandelier, when moving an outlet, and even under plaster, if the junction is in a junction box. About that, we told in a separate article.

It is also not difficult to isolate bare conductors with heat shrink. The main thing to remember is an important nuance - the tube must be put on one of the conductors before they are spliced. After soldering or twisting, you will not be able to put on a cambric (it is also called that). When the contacts are connected, the tube must be pulled over the bare junction, and then heated with a building hair dryer. We described in detail how to use heat shrink in a separate article:.

If a hair dryer is not at hand, heating with an ordinary lighter is allowed, the main thing is to make sure that the heat shrink is hermetically pulled together on the cable. It is recommended to use the HERE tube when the conductor is immersed in water (for example, if the power cable on the submersible pump is damaged). In addition, heat shrink is used when you need to connect underground wiring. It is also recommended to isolate the wires with this material in a bathroom, wooden house, bathhouse or on the street in order to reliably protect the junction from water.

Which is better: heat shrink or electrical tape

PPE caps are best used when installing electrical wiring in a house and apartment. PPE is compact and allows you to quickly isolate the twist. All that is needed is to screw the cap onto the wires until it stops, as shown in the photo below.

If you need to protect the twisting of thin wires, for example in headphones, it is not advisable to use electrical tape, because. it won't fit snugly. In this case, you can do without electrical tape using ordinary superglue. All you need to do is gently drop glue on the bare area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe small conductors. In a 220 Volt power supply, this method is not recommended, because. glue, in fact, like silicone sealant, will quickly fall off. By the way, it is also not worth isolating the cores with a glue gun, for a similar reason.

For additional insulation of the cable from a rabbit, cat or puppy in the house (pets love to gnaw on wires), it is recommended to use tin foil. For other methods, read the corresponding article!

So we provided all the existing methods for isolating bare veins with our own hands. As you can see, it is not so difficult to independently insulate the wire under water, in the wall and the ground, the main thing is to choose the right material for insulation. Finally, we recommend that you additionally protect the electrical wiring with corrugation in damp rooms and outdoors, which will further protect the junction so that water does not get on the bare contacts.

In life, we often encounter electrical wiring. This may be the wiring in the room, and the power cord from the TV. Nothing in this world lasts forever, and any wire can be damaged. Damage can be mechanical, thermal, whatever. But the result is always the same - damage to the outer insulating layer. And the question arises - how to insulate the damaged place of the wire. And no less important - how to properly, and therefore more, and how to isolate? Quite often it happens to splice two wires, which means that the junction also needs insulation.

Wire connection point

Firstly, you need to connect the wires correctly - this is done in a twist. If the wires are stranded, even one of them, then it is better to unwind into separate wires and twist them “in parts”, so the twist will be more reliable. The resulting connection for reliability, if possible, should be soldered. After that, you need to twist along the length, leaving the end about 0.5 cm. This tip must be bent close to the wire.

In- secondly, you can use a heat shrink tube as the first layer of insulation, or you can use ordinary PVC. In the first case, the tube is pulled over an even hot soldering spot. It should be borne in mind that after cooling, such insulation will not be removed. In the second case, you need to wait until the soldering has cooled down, and then put a piece of PVC tube on the twist.

The length of the tube must be selected slightly longer than the length of the twist. During operation, the wire heats up, and the outer insulation in the area of ​​​​the twist is slightly reduced in length, so the insulation must be done with a “margin”. For reliability, a layer of electrical tape can be wound on top. If there is no tube, then the electrical tape can be put in two layers.

Isolate the damaged wire

1. If we have already found damage in the wiring, we can bite the damaged wire and then make a reliable twist;
2. If the place is at the end of the wire, then if there is a tube, the wire is disconnected, the tube is put on;
3. The insulation is made with electrical tape. Better - in two layers, with a "margin".

It should be noted that if the wiring is outdoors or indoors with a low temperature, then it is better to use a tape with a fabric base. PVC tape cracks at low temperatures.