Moldings, conduits, and electrical faceplates are often used in renovation or in workshops to protect and conceal electrical cables. Their use avoids the need to make grooves in the walls for the routing of cables.
Various accessories are available to hide electrical cables.
- Moldings are intended to be placed above baseboards. They are also used for routing cables to light fixtures or devices discreetly.
- Conduits are specially designed to accommodate a high number of electrical wires of different sizes. Moreover, the housing technical trunking (HTT) is mandatory both in renovation and new construction. It constitutes the departure of the circuits of electrical sockets, lighting (electrical panel), and low current (communication box).
A few parameters should be considered when choosing a wire cover.
- Waterproofing is critical in damp rooms like the bathroom. Tubes are preferred over sticks.
- Aesthetics are also important, especially in living spaces. If entry-level equipment is angular and white, curved design models come in various colors (off-white, cream, gray) to blend into the decor. Paintable sticks and wood imitations are also available.
- The durability of the material is a criterion not to be neglected. High-end and mid-range references are made of flexible plastic to optimize their resistance to shocks.
- The number of compartments makes the electrician's work easier. One compartment can be reserved for the lighting circuit, another for electrical sockets, and a last one for television and the computer network.
- The number of wires that can be inserted into the device should also be considered.
Various accessories can be useful:
- a flat angle is necessary to divert the course of a stick by 90°;
- an internal angle is useful for a perfect joining of the sticks in a corner;
- an external angle optimizes the joining of sticks or moldings at the level of a protruding wall angle;
- straight joints are useful for connecting the sticks together;
- T-joints are essential for extending two sticks perpendicularly to another;
- a spreading cone is used to connect ducts coming from all over the house to the HTT;
- an end cap is necessary to lock the cover and prevent access to the cables.
Thus, the choice of a molding, a faceplate, or an electrical conduit depends on the number of cables to hide, but also on the aesthetic appearance sought.