ᐅ Electrical Planning – Is Something Missing?

Hi everyone,

things are starting to get serious for us. It’s time to think about the basic locations and quantities of power outlets, light fixtures, network connections, satellite connections, and conduit pipes.

I’ve roughly sketched and attached my current planning status. Maybe someone has helpful feedback for me? Does anyone see a spot where I definitely need a network connection, conduit, or something similar?

To explain:

· We’re also installing a controlled mechanical ventilation system, which will be embedded in the screed of the basement ceiling and the ground floor ceiling. Because of this, we can’t lay conduits inside the screed insulation, as that would interfere with the ventilation’s oval ducts. I’m also generally not a fan of conduits with bends and curves. Therefore, my plan is to run conduits vertically down the walls to the basement whenever possible and then gather the cables there in cable trays.

· The current plan shows a full installation of satellite connections and network outlets. All of these will be laid in conduits that will only be filled “when needed.” Child 1 is currently 16 months old, and Child 2 is still in planning. So it will be at least 10 years before satellite or network connections are needed in the children’s rooms. By then, there will probably be entirely different technologies.

· The recessed ceiling spots will be cast into the precast concrete ceiling, so there will be no suspended ceiling.

· The various conduits on the ground floor will simply run straight down to the basement. From there, I can route the cables openly below the ceiling to the switch, satellite system, or 5.1 receiver (which will be located under the TV in the living room).

· Likewise, the cables for network and satellite from the guest room, living room, and bedroom will be laid in conduits running straight down. The endpoint is again at the basement ceiling exit. From there, cable routing will be either open or in cable trays.

· In the office on the upper floor, there is a small tech shaft that runs down through the pantry on the ground floor into the technical/laundry basement. The cables for the office and Child 1’s room will run through this shaft.

· Child 2’s room is still a bit of a concern. The room is completely cantilevered over the living room, so there is no wall underneath where I could run a conduit down. I would have to somehow work through the dressing room. In the worst case, I’d route the cables openly in the dressing room and then together with the bedroom cables down to the basement.

· In general, I am only having conduits and empty boxes prepared inside the walls; I will install the network and satellite system myself.

Thanks and best regards,

Andreas

Without having looked at the plan yet, a piece of advice: forget the idea of filling empty conduits later—you’ll go crazy. Install the cables right away. Also, you would have to put blank covers in the children’s rooms and then replace them later, which is rather inefficient. The complete installation should be done from the start.

The same problem will occur with the main ducts; afterward, you won’t be able to pull a single cable through.

Hi Uwe82,
thanks for your reply. I was actually thinking of using 25mm (1 inch) conduit pipes with a smooth interior, not the corrugated type, running straight down vertically without any bends or curves. And there would be a maximum of two cables inside. Do you think it might get stuck already? *oops*

As for the conduits in the living room, it’s still unclear whether or what will ever go inside. Whether speaker cables for a 5.1 system or satellite cables because the TV might be positioned differently, I simply don’t know yet. That’s why the idea is just to install empty conduits in the wall and leave it at that.

For the children’s rooms, the reasoning was similar: the cables won’t be needed until at least 10 years from now. By then, a Cat6 setup will almost certainly no longer be sufficient because the satellite signal will likely be distributed over IP or some 4K streaming will be used. So I’d prefer to just lay the empty conduits for now.

But I will definitely consider installing a steel pull wire or something similar inside from the start, that way there’s something to pull cables through later!

Thanks and best regards,

Andreas

If you use empty conduits, you might also consider installing the electrical wiring as individual conductors instead of using NYM cables. This way, space inside the conduits is saved because the cable jacket is eliminated.

The corrugated conduits are definitely much sturdier, you can even walk over them during the shell construction phase. There are also noticeable quality differences; some come with an inner membrane that makes cable pulling easier. However, with 25mm (1 inch) conduits, it is very difficult to later pull in two CAT and two coaxial cables, and I doubt your installation will be possible without bends.

We have fully wired with CAT7, which will easily suffice for future uses in 10 or 20 years. And if not, when we pull the cables out of an empty conduit, we will simultaneously pull in a fiber optic cable, which will already be challenging enough.

I also had the illusion about empty conduits, but by now we have installed 600m NYM5, 300m NYM3, 300m CAT7, 100m coax, and 200m EIB inside them, so I have really come back to reality. The most important thing for these tasks was the plumber’s lubricant .

What I have noticed about the plan now:

1. The placement of network and satellite outlets in the children’s rooms seems impractical, and also in some other locations, assuming the furniture layout is correct.

2. So many ceiling spotlights? I also find them impractical in some places,

Uwe82 schrieb:

... a tip: forget the idea of filling empty conduits later, you'll go crazy.

Until now, I always thought the problem with empty conduits was replacing cables, not the filling itself... new cables are flexible after all...?

Best regards, Bauexperte