Is it necessary to make a separate outlet for the washing machine?

Correct installation of a newly purchased washing machine, as well as its correct connection to all communications, is what will help the device to serve for a long time without failures. Connections to water, sewerage and electricity must be reliable, which is why it is so important to pay close attention to this process. As part of the article, we will answer a common question - do you need a separate outlet for a washing machine, or can you leave a multi-place outlet?

Will a “regular outlet” work?

One of the most frequently asked questions related to connecting a machine to an electrical outlet is the need to replace a regular outlet with a new one. However, there are no regular or special sockets for washing machines, so you need to determine the need to install a new socket differently. Please pay attention to a number of parameters.

• The most important thing is that the home assistant’s plug must fit into the outlet. This means that all holes in the socket must fit the pins of the plug so that a special adapter is not needed.
• Further, it is worth considering that this line can be used by other powerful electrical appliances, say, an electric kettle, microwave, meat grinder, and so on. Because of this, the load on the wiring may be excessive if you connect a washing machine to the line along with other powerful devices.

It is better to extend a separate line from the electrical panel directly to the machine and install a single socket specifically for it, so as not to overload the line.

• Washing machines have a three-wire wire, and the plug has grounding contacts; therefore, the socket must also be grounded, whether it is internal or external.Therefore, if the old outlet was without grounding, then it needs to be changed.
• Check the instructions, passport or label on the back of the household appliance for its power. This data is necessary to determine the appropriate outlet. For example, many machines have a power of 2 kilowatts, so 10 Amp sockets are installed for them, which can withstand a load of up to 2.2 kilowatts. If the power of the device is higher, then it would be better to buy a 16 Ampere outlet, with a three-core copper wire and a cross-section of 2.5 square.

These are the main parameters that determine whether to install a new outlet or not. Humidity can be mentioned as a side parameter, because if the home assistant will be in the bathroom, then it would be better to install an outlet there with a moisture-proof housing, a lid, and also with curtains.

Choosing the right wire

A separate outlet for the washing machine will definitely be needed if, according to calculations, the electrical wiring cannot withstand the high load from the washing machine. To understand this in advance, you need to carry out careful calculations of the cable cross-section. When laying a new electrical line, specialists are required to use exclusively intact wires without defects, scrupulously wrapping all joining areas with electrical insulating tape.

There is also a requirement that distribution boxes cannot be placed in the bathroom to connect the wires of connected electrical appliances. Such boxes should be installed outside the bathroom and any other wet rooms.

To determine the cable cross-section, specialists perform the following steps:

• First you need to determine the power of the household appliances that will be connected.Typically, the power of a washing machine is less than 3 kilowatts;
• Having received the exact figure, you can select the cable cross-section based on the reference tables;
• When connecting a block of sockets, you need to roughly understand what the maximum total power of electrical devices simultaneously connected to this block will be. This way you can determine the permissible cable cross-section.

Experts advise always leaving a power reserve even if the washing machine does not require very many kilowatts - this will avoid replacing sockets in the future when the time comes to replace the washing machine or connect a more powerful device.

After selecting the section, you can begin installation. Experts recommend using exclusively copper wires for such work. Their electrical conductive properties are better when compared with aluminum wires.

For example, a copper wire with a smaller cross-section can pull more voltage - as much as 2 kilowatts of load per 1 millimeter of cross-section. Because of this, copper wire takes up 2 times less space in the grooves, and will also last longer - about 30 years, if you believe the service life and statements about oxidation resistance.

Protect the outlet automatically

The wire that leads a special line for the washing machine to the bathroom or other wet room must be connected to the indoor distribution panel using an RCD.

The bathroom is considered a high-risk areaand due to high humidity, therefore the leakage current of the protective device for connecting lines must be 10 milliamps or more.

A person can feel the negative effects of alternating current already at values ​​of 5-7 milliamps, which is why it is so important to connect an RCD in the bathroom and other wet areas.

In the case where a separate outlet for the washing machine was not made, so you have a group line in the bathroom, then the leakage current for such a line should be 30 milliamps. The downside is that such protection may be cheaper than 10 milliamps, but it triggers later.

For private houses and apartments, they usually purchase models that also include a circuit breaker to protect the wiring - differential switches. Such devices are able to protect immediately from network overload, exceeding the permissible current leakage value, as well as from a short circuit on the line.

If in an apartment building there is no stationary shutdown protection device in the distribution panel, then you will have to install a portable RCD. Such a device must be connected to a previously installed outlet, and then connected to the washing machine.

It is important not to forget that the shutdown protection device is not a panacea for damage to wiring or the washing machine from a short circuit. For complete protection, you should buy a separate residual current circuit breaker. A 16 Amp unit is usually good for this. However, if at your home the rated current of the input circuit breaker is higher than 16 Amps, then the rated operating current of the residual current device should be higher than this value.

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