First:
Thanks for the really nice welcome.
I'll try to answer your questions. This may be sometimes a little bit difficult as I'm only an ambitioned (and I hope well-informed) do-it-yourselfer.
To Joe Tedesco: Standard service is in cities usually 3-phase 230/400 V underground, each phase at least 60 amps.
Same as domestical, sometimes only single phase/230 V.
On three phase systems the neutral is usually not fused, on single phase ones it always has to be. there are only double pole breakers or in older systems two fuses for every circuit.
Grounding: seperate ground everywhere, only bonded at service entry. (ground is always insulated yellow-green, the only real rule for color coding)
Common color codes: neutral blue, phases all black, maybe numbered.
Standard wiring method is Romex or PVC conduit, either solid or flexible (more common for concealed installations)
Metallic sheathing is usually not allowed ( I think since the 70ies), metallic conduit may be used for service entry, but everything else (conduit, boxes, ...) has to be non-metallic.
There's also a special mixture of Romex and zip cord used for concealed residential wiring. very nice thing, as when renovating old buildings you'll most certainly have to deal with solid brick walls with about 1" plaster on it. Drywall or similar came up in the seventies, and still most exterior walls are built that style.
So far about wiring.
You generally use more junction boxees than Americans do, e. g. above switches or receptacle sor where the hot wire enters the room.
Code: There is a code, I don't know it's exact name, but it applies nationwide and has law character. Electricians have to be licensed , even for only opening a plug without supervision. All DIYers have to have their work checked by a licensed Electrician. (I don't know how many would do that, as that's very rare. Mostly everyone does what he/she wants, but we have about as much accidents as the US, calculated on the respective population. So the rule with the license is not obeyed very strictly, as long as you don't want any money for your work. Then they're quick. i knew a guy who had a flourishing business without a license. i think he went to jail.)
I'll try to supply photos, as our next-door appartment will be renovated soon, and it has wiring from the early 50ies. Will be interesting!
significamce of names:
i'm native Austrian, but soeone misspelled my scandinavian name to Ranger and tried to mock me. But i turne dagainst him, found that nice and now Walker Texas Ranger is my nickname.
Yeah, we usually have 16A breakers with a main GFI at the panel. sockets and lights are usually mixed. Standard domestic service is (e. g. for an appartment of 1000 square feet) 3 phase 230/400V, each phase 25A or more, sometimes only 20 in old buildings.
About grounding: I sometimes get confused with the abbreviations, but we either have a ground rod (mostly in rural areas) or ground bonded to neutral at service entry.
Any more questions?
