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What is an electric octopus wiring ?
An electrical octopus wiring, also known as an electrical spider, is a solution to facilitate the installation and distribution of your electrical wiring. The octopus wiring comes in the form of a do-it-yourself pre-wiring kit that will supply electricity to the inside of an individual dwelling. In practical terms, all the wires needed for your equipment (switches, sockets, lighting, washing machine, dishwasher, television, etc.) will be grouped together and pre-wired in sheaths according to their location in your home. All the ICTA ducts will be grouped together in a junction box, which will be connected to the electrical panel via the technical housing duct (GTL). The ducts will then be deployed to the corresponding room(s). Depending on the size of your home, you may need several electric octopuses wiring.
It takes its name from its octopus wiring -like appearance, the housing representing the body and the sheaths the legs or tentacles. In order to create the electrical spiders wiring, a design office will create an electrical tracing plan of the installation. This makes it easy to find out the dimensions of the sheaths, the number and lengths of the corresponding wires, the number of junction boxes, etc. To facilitate identification and installation, each duct is coded on a drawing and then fitted with a label during production.
The advantages of installing an electric octopus wiring
Easy to install
Specially designed for ease of installation, the electrical octopus wiring is easy to install, thanks to the wiring diagram provided and the various markings on the various electrical accessories. Overall, the most complicated work is already done upstream. Everything has already been determined by the design office, and the sheaths are already pre-wired using a Mecaspin MS03-type pre-wiring machine, which reduces the risk of error. Threading the wires into the sheaths is a tedious and time-consuming process, even for specialist installers.
Quick to install
The easier it is, the more time you save on the site. It takes 2 – 3 days to complete the installation, whereas an installation without an electrical octopus will take an electrician up to 3 times longer.
Reduce the cost of your electrical installation
The big advantage of installing an electric octopus wiring is that the cost is halved. In fact, this solution will be much more economical for you if you are prepared to carry out the work yourself. You can carry out the installation without any prior knowledge of electricity. What’s more, when you buy from an octopus wiring dealer, you’ll pay less for your equipment thanks to the attractive prices they can offer you because of their large purchasing volume.
Reduce the risk of errors
If you decide to install your electrical octopus wiring yourself. You won’t be afraid of making a mistake. Have I used the right diameter of sheath? Do I have the right number of wires? Am I the right length? All these tasks will be carried out by a professional in the factory using a pre-wiring machine. They’ll also supply you with the pre-wired electrical panel, which is probably the most time-consuming task you’ll have to do yourself. No more forgetting to buy the materials you need, as everything is supplied in the ready-to-install electric octopus wiring kit.
How much does a custom-made electric octopus wiring kit cost?
The cost of your octopus wiring kit can vary greatly depending on your needs. You’ll need to take into account the size of your home, the number of rooms, your needs (sockets, switches, etc.) and your electrical equipment (heating, ventilation, home automation, air conditioning, heat pumps, etc.).
It is estimated that a 120 m² house costs between €4,500 and €6,000, or around €50 per m². An electrician will charge you around €9,000 for the same service, including installation.
Compliance with standard NF C 15-100
The electrical spider, like your entire installation, must meet the requirements of standard NF C 15-100. This standard guarantees the compliance and safety of your electrical installation, whether for a single-family home or a renovation/extension project. This includes information such as the number and location of sockets, switches, lighting points, etc.
The professionals in the sector will undertake to provide you with an octopus kit that complies fully with the standard and regulations. It is therefore important to call in a qualified octopus wiring specialist for this type of work. If you have any questions about the constraints of connecting your electrical installation in accordance with the standard, they will be able to provide you with answers.
For more information, please see our article on the NF C 15-100 standard.
Can you make an electric octopus wiring kit yourself?
It’s possible, but you’ll need some electrical skills and, as mentioned above, you’ll need to know the NF C 15-100 standard and its material and technical constraints. Don’t forget to bring along enough ICTA sheathing, electrical wires, junction boxes, flush-mounted boxes, DCL boxes, pre-filtering material, etc. You also need to be vigilant about installation and connection errors, which can be costly.
Especially as you need to bear in mind that your installation, in the case of a new house, will be inspected and will need to obtain the Consuel certificate. Without this certificate, you won’t be able to connect to the electricity network and power your installation.
But where does the electric octopus wiring come from?
Invented after the Second World War in 1944 by Arthur William Marshall Hartley. The electric octopus wiring was born in Great Britain under the name of the OCTOPUS project. This invention was used in particular to rebuild buildings destroyed during the war.
In 1946, the project landed in France in the form of a patent, No. 912612, described as “an improvement to the installation of electrical wires in buildings”.
In 1947, a French company called OCTOPUS took over the process. In 1949, the CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique au Bâtiment – Scientific and Technical Centre for the Building Industry) began issuing approvals for new materials and traditional construction processes. The electrical octopus wiring will then become a standard installation for electrical companies.
As you can see, if you can install it yourself, it’s worth choosing a made-to-measure electrical octopus wiring kit for your home’s electrical installation. Whether you’re looking for economy, practicality or speed of installation, you’ll be a winner. If you’re not an expert in electricity, it’s best to call on the services of an octopus manufacturer who can guide you through the construction process and ensure that it complies with the relevant standards.