Electrical Contracting News (ECN) May 2017 | Page 61

WIRING
SPECIAL
FEATURE
FACT OR FICTION? THE
MYTHS OF MODULAR WIRING
David Draper, interconnection product manager at Wago,
discusses some of the myths surrounding modular wiring.
M
odular wiring is
all about saving
time and money
when installing
electrical
systems for
buildings by
having electrical
cables and trunking manufactured off site
and delivered in ready made sections. All
mains power, HVAC connections, lighting,
building control cabling and terminations
can be pre-wired within trunking if
required and tested prior to delivery.
Installation time and costs can be
signifi cantly reduced, as rather
than having to wire every
connection traditionally,
connectors can simply be plugged
together. So why are so many installations
still hard-wired?
Myth: Modular wiring is only suitable
for specifi c building types
Modular wirin g can
bring considerable
improvements
in reliability and
greater fl exibility.
Buildings like offi ces, schools
and hospitals, which have several
standardised room and fl oor layouts are
the best for modular wiring because of
their repetitious layout. They can also
combine other services that may be
required, such as gas or compressed
air within the same trunking system.
The reality is all building types can
benefi t from modular wiring. The system
can be reconfi gured at a later date to
accommodate changes to fl oorplans or
the creation of new rooms and partitions
without disruption of hard-wiring. This is
ideal for sectors like retail where store
layouts can frequently change.
Myth: Making changes during the
project is diffi cult and expensive
It doesn’t have to be expensive, even on
complex projects. Effective planning and
a close working relationship between
installers and suppliers can ensure that
installation challenges are foreseen
and dealt with prior to installation. Even
if changes to specifi cation are made
while the project is in progress, on site
delays can still be kept to a minimum by
unplugging the old cables and connectors
and swapping in the new ones.
Myth: It makes skilled
employees redundant
Whilst it’s true that a modular system
requires fewer qualifi ed electricians to
install, this rarely means redundancies.
Any project will still require supervision
May 2017 | 61