My dad recently got a so called registered electrician to add a light and socket to his shed. The socket is just for his radio, not for power tools or anything. The other day I took a look at this and was not happy at all. The electrician apparently had given my dad two options; an expensive option involving consumer units, rcds, amoured cable and a cheaper option. My dad went for the cheaper option.
The cheaper option consisted of taking a spur from the most convenient socket in the house, this spur first went to a 13amp FCU which he added adjacent to the house socket. The cable from the FCU went straight through the wall to the outside. The cable is then clipped directly to the wall and runs around the house to the outside of the shed. The cable used was standard 2.5mm T&E and is unprotected from the elements, about
10 meters of cable is exposed outside. The shed is attached to the house by the way. The cable then enters the shed straight through the wall and into the back of a standard plastic 13amp double socket. From the 13amp double socket there is a further spur to a 5amp FCU which feeds the light. I should have mentioned that the socket in the house where all this originates is only used for a table lamp.A quick search on Google indicates that this is not even close to regulations. But how safe is it? What scenarios could cause problems with this type of installation? Should I be worried about my dad? Is there anything easy I can do to make it safer?
The electrician is having none of it, he said my dad went for the cheaper option and that is what he got.
Thanks,
Graham