ᐅ Electrical specification review with developer preparation

Created on: 2 Jul 2021 13:15
V
vorkalmatador
Hello dear forum members,
to keep it brief: Next Monday we have the electrical planning meeting for the shell of our upcoming semi-detached house.
We have already considered the basics (location of light fixtures, switches, motors, power outlets, network sockets), but I would like to clarify a few points before I have to deal with the probably rather unmotivated electrician from the builder on Monday 🙂

  • Preparation for Wallbox: We would like to have the necessary connections (11 kW, 3-phase) prepared so we can connect a wallbox charger in the future. The plan is to install the wallbox on the outer wall of the house (36cm (14 inches) aerated concrete). Will the raw cables just stick out of a hole, or how is this typically done? In case I later decide not to mount the wallbox directly on the wall but further back in the garden, could the wiring be “extended”?
  • Network Access Point: Network sockets are planned in several rooms, partly single, partly double (please don’t criticize me for not having all double, I can still add more later. The number of sockets was negotiated in the contract). Some are in aerated concrete, some in drywall. In both the ground floor corridor and the upper floor corridor, I have planned network sockets to install Ubiquiti PoE access points. Since I won’t be able to embed the device in the concrete ceiling anymore, the plan is at least on the ground floor to mount it relatively high on the wall. Is there anything special to consider here, or will the connection be prepared like a “normal” network socket, and then the flat access point is just plugged in? Between the upper floor and the attic is a wooden ceiling (not built yet). Could I plan to mount it there on the ceiling, or will the electrician laugh at me and say that’s not possible?
  • Network Wiring: If I understand correctly, the electrician will run the in-wall cabling inside to the sockets. These cables end somewhere, hopefully in the utility room, where they must be connected to a patch panel. Do I have to do this myself, or is this included when the builder contract states “installation of 10 network sockets”? Then from the patch panel, a patch cable goes per run into the switch, which is connected via patch cable to LAN1 of the router.
  • "Smart" Roller Shutter Motors: All our roller shutters will be motorized; unfortunately, the contract does not specify which motor. We would like to control the shutters via app so we can close or open everything while sitting on the couch downstairs. What makes the most sense here? Upgrading to a “smart” motor for probably quite some extra cost? Or just smartifying the switches? I’ve also read you can simply ask the electrician to make the wall box recess a bit deeper to install a 2.5 or similar Shelly smart relay between the switch and motor if needed. Do electricians usually agree to this, or are there warranty issues? Any other suggestions?
  • Power Supply for the Garden: We would like to have electricity in the garden area, for example where the shed or carport will be later. We are not 100% certain yet where exactly the shed and carport will be, so we cannot give the electrician precise information. How can this be prepared? Conduits are not flexible either.
  • Intercom System: Our semi-detached house is on a great lot, about 55m (180 feet) from the street. Since the house next door is currently for sale and we don’t know what the buyers will do, there is currently no gate at the front. Surely one will be installed later; should we already have a conduit installed there? A modern video intercom at the gate probably won’t work as there will be no internet connection. Or could I have a network cable run in a conduit to the front and then connect a camera with Power over Ethernet there?

Well, it turned out a bit longer than expected, sorry.
I hope you can still help me a bit so I can tell the electrician exactly what I want and not be brushed off with comments like “no, that’s not how it’s done.”
Best regards
H
hampshire
13 Jul 2021 17:12
The way you describe the electrician gives a very good impression. The recommendations are also customer-friendly. We have a similar Keystone solution as @untergasse43, but much less extensive. Since the DSL and Wi-Fi routers are located elsewhere and we only added two small 8-port switches, the heat generation is so low that we don’t need any ventilation.
Tarnari13 Jul 2021 17:53
Here is another example with two 24-port panels and a 48-port PoE switch.
Keystone jacks are really convenient. I would definitely recommend using them.

Server cabinet with patch panel and colorful cable bundles (white, red, blue, yellow).
K1300S13 Jul 2021 18:31
Tarnari schrieb:

Here’s another example with two 24-port panels and one 48-port PoE switch. Keystone jacks are really very practical. I would definitely recommend using them.
einige-fragen-zu-bevorstehender-elektrobemusterung-mit-Bauträger-510834-1.jpeg
But the cable management is just for show, right? :p
Tarnari13 Jul 2021 18:36
K1300S schrieb:

But the cable management is just for show, right? :p

You mean the colors and Velcro straps? Yes, definitely. I hate messy cables. Otherwise, it’s nowhere near my standard. As is often the case, a lot gets left unfinished right after moving in. I deliberately left out the messy part underneath with the NVR and modem.
As I said, this quirk comes from my time as a PC junkie. Every computer I build has to have "invisible" cables. Assembling the components takes about one-tenth of the time I spend on cable management. Like I said, it’s a quirk.
H
hampshire
13 Jul 2021 18:59
And here is the cheap version, less tidy...

Open network cabinet with colorful RJ45 cables, patch panels, and TP-Link switch.
Tarnari13 Jul 2021 19:05
The important thing is just to be able to find your way around.
At my workplace, for example, it has developed like this over the years: cables hanging here and there—fiber optic, twisted pair, green, yellow, red. When you’re looking for something, you have to check every single cable to figure out where it ends. And even that often doesn’t help.
It’s just a small network with three floors, four switches, and six fiber optic connections. Still, there is zero clarity.
If you want to know where a cable terminates, often the only option is to pull it out and see what goes offline xD