Five golden rules for purchasing home decoration wires

author: Shenzhou Yongli Cable Tong

2025-05-15

"Why is it that the neighbor's electricity bill is always 15% less than yours for the same appliance? The secret is hidden on the wires in the wall! "As an electrician who has been in the industry for 20 years, I found that 90% of households choose the wrong wires when renovating. Today I will teach you 5 shopping tips to avoid walking in pits.

1. Recognize for oxygen-free copper and don't be fooled by 'copper-clad aluminum'.

High-quality home decoration wires must be made of oxygen-free copper (copper content ≥ 99.95%), and the measured resistivity is ≤ 0.0172 Ω·mm ²/m. The common "copper-clad aluminum" wire on the market (the copper layer on the surface is only 0.1mm thick) has a calorific value of 40% higher than pure copper after long-term use. It is an invisible killer that causes fires.

2. The thickness of the insulation layer determines the safety factor

The thickness of the insulation layer of the national standard BV2.5mm ² wire shall be ≥ 0.8mm (measured with a vernier caliper). The insulation layer of inferior wires has uneven thickness (as shown in Figure 1). During the withstand voltage test, it breaks down in 3 seconds under a voltage of 2500 V, while the genuine wire can withstand 4000 V without damage.

3. Flame retardant rating is not an IQ tax

The ZR-BV flame-retardant wire passed the GB/T18380.3 test: burned with a flame at 800 ° C for 30 seconds, and the self-extinguishing time after withdrawing the fire is ≤ 60 seconds (ordinary BV wire will continue to burn). It is recommended that high-power lines such as kitchens and air conditioners must use flame-retardant wires.

4. Wrong specification selection is equivalent to burying mines

·Lighting line: 1.5mm ² (maximum load 2200W)

·Ordinary socket: 2.5mm ² (can carry 5000 W)

·Instant heating water heater: requires a 6 mm ² special line (measured starting current of the 5500W machine reaches 25 A)

Five and three steps to distinguish true and false

Look at the code code: every meter of authentic products has brand + specification + meter label (such as "Chaoyang ZR-BV 2.5 2024m ")

Trial bending: High-quality copper core will not break after repeated bending 6 times

Weight: National standard 2.5mm ² Weight per 100m 3.2kg ± 5%

How to Select the Right Gauge for Home Wiring?

Quick check manual for cable current carrying capacity