The first and most important feature of electrical wiring in Portugal and in particular in Porto is that all cables are laid in a corrugated pipe. Often, at the construction stage, the corrugated pipe is first laid in those places where switches, sockets and electrical panels should be installed, and then the required number of wires are inserted into these corrugated pipes. Moreover, the wires are always copper. Aluminum wires are not used.

During the renovation of apartments and houses in Porto, we often perform local relocation of electrical outlets and switches. Sometimes these are 1-2 outlets, but most often we have to move much more. So, the most common redevelopment is dismantling the wall between the kitchen and the living room. In this case, if the kitchen remains in place, there is a need to move the light switches in the living room, in the kitchen and in the corridor.

In some cases, redevelopment is more global. In such situations, we recommend looking at the number of relocated outlets. And if more than 80% of everything is relocated, then it is certainly better to change the entire electrical system than to do only some local things. Because any extra connection, any extra twisting or even soldering of wires in the future can lead to a potential problem and the loss of functionality of a separate outlet or even an entire block of outlets.

It is very important to correctly distribute the load between all electrical appliances. So it is necessary to take into account that, for example, an electric kettle usually consumes about 2 kW, an electric stove can consume about 7 kW, an oven usually consumes about 3 kW, a boiler usually consumes about 2 kW, a microwave oven - about 700 W, etc.

We recommend that you run separate lines with a circuit breaker to the washing machine. We also recommend doing the same with air conditioners and a hob.

One of the common features of electrical wiring during turnkey apartment renovations in Portugal is that many sockets are paralleled. That is, a wire runs from one socket to another, and so on. Sometimes, two rooms are connected in this way. That is, two rooms "hang" on one machine. In this case, if, for example, the contact in the first socket comes loose, then the electricity will disappear in all subsequent sockets. This is done for the purpose of saving, but this saving can cost big troubles in the future.

During apartment renovations in Porto, we always try to warn the customer about possible nuances and potential problems in these matters, since electrical wiring is one of the initial stages of renovation. You can’t first cover everything with plasterboard and paint, and then do the electrical wiring. Everything should be thought out and done in advance. If the budget does not allow for a complete replacement of electrical wiring with the installation of modern machines, then we always try to suggest which points are the most critical and which are the least.