The choice of household cables should be determined according to specific needs and the budget for home decoration. Hard wires and soft wires each have their own advantages and applicable scenarios.
The advantages of hard wires are that they have a high safety factor, strong conductivity, and are relatively cheap and easy to recycle. Hard wires are usually used in household circuits such as power supply, lighting, sockets, and air conditioners. Because they have a certain hardness, they are more convenient when folding and straightening. They have high mechanical strength, are not easy to oxidize, and have a long service life. Although hard wires are prone to problems at the joints and crimping positions, they are easier to replace than soft wires and are suitable for civilian households.
Soft wires have better softness and heat dissipation effects due to the characteristics of multiple copper wires glued together. They are easier to protect in pipes and are suitable for high-frequency circuits with large current carrying capacity. Soft wires are suitable for household circuits that need to effectively decompose high-power heat, such as households with many electrical appliances and high power, to avoid problems such as short circuits or tripping of wires. However, soft wires are more expensive, and are prone to burnout if the connection is poor, are not very resistant to short-circuit currents, and are difficult to maintain a fixed shape.
When selecting cables, the relationship between the cross-sectional area of the cable and the safe current-carrying capacity should also be considered. For example, the safe current-carrying capacity of a 1.5 square copper wire is 20A, 2.5 square wire is 30A, and 4 square wire is 40A. Choosing the right cable cross-sectional area according to household electricity needs is the key to ensuring safe electricity use. As for the choice of multi-strand wires and single wires, it can be selected according to actual conditions. As long as the wire cross-sectional area is the same, the current carrying capacity has nothing to do with the type of soft or hard wire.