appologies if this is an old topic ...just had a look and i can't see any threads refering to this
all help appreciated
i have a shed which needs power 'cause we've put the freezer in there. This is the only appliance that needs power ( freezer is a low energy type). We have a double plug in our loft which powers the loft light with one spare.
i have run a good quality extension lead out of the loft & spanned across to my shed. I've used an RCD on the spare loft socket and run the cable out. I've put drip loops on each end to avoid water entering the shed /house. The span has correct brackets etc. The integrity of the power cable is good and well out of the way of anything coming into the garden.
everything is working. Anyone know of any reason why this should not be done ? We're talking total novice for my electrician skills here. There is no way any water can enter anywhere and , as mentioned, i've the RCD for safety.
my shed. I've used an RCD on the spare loft socket
the shed /house. The span has correct brackets
anything coming into the garden.
We're talking total novice for my electrician
i've the RCD for safety.
If this is to be a permanent installation, then it needs to be installed as such, with the correct cable. Such cable typically has integral strain relief so that the mechanical load is not bourne by the conductors, is UV-stable for prolonged exposure to sunlight and will handle the high and low temperatures it may experience.
If it is a temporary cable that is deployed and recovered after each use
- then an extension lead plugged into a socket is fine. You can examine the cable for any signs of damage at each occasion of use.
However, in the real world, what can go wrong?
Firstly, when you come to sell, it would be a good idea to remove it before any surveyors come along. It won't be regarded as an asset.
Next, the cable may fail. So you lose your power to the freezer and the contents. The freezer insurance policy may not pay out - putting a freezer on such a link, via an RCD, is not a very good idea. You may need to put the freezer back in the house and blame the cat for pulling the plug out before the loss assessor comes...
The freezer may fail and burn the shed down. Unlikely but again difficult to explain to loss adjusters.
The sockets in the loft may have been put in by some cowboy linked into the lighting ring for convenience. It happens. If the freezer goes off when you open the lights MCB, worry some more.
I could go on. But you get the idea. It would be much better to put in a permanent installation - which would then be an asset when you come to sell the place and is likely to stop your chips from ending up soggy.
In practice, this sounds OK. But to be a bit fussy...
1 Have you satisfied yourself the dble sckt in loft is part of a 2.5mm power ring - not a bodge done by a previous owner, taking a feed from lighting circuit...?
2 Sounds like you're using the cable to support its own weight. Better would be to stretch a length of steel wire between the brackets and strap cable to this at intervals.
3 If you're using a pre-made ext lead, and it's too long, have you coiled up any spare cable. To do so is a bad thing, cos with high loads it could heat up and melt insulation. If it's too long, cut to length and refit plug or socket.
4 The RCD is very wise - but the main advice I would give is always install everything on the assumption that, one day, someone will plug a 3kw load into it.
Or mentioned that doing it properly will mean having further socket(s) for all those other things that the OP (or family) might want to plug in out there, later on. Or a proper light for the shed to find that elusive pair of kippers when the craving hits late at night. Or what to do if you want to plug something in in the loft and forget to plug the freezer back in. Or having to nip out to the shed or into the loft every five minutes there is a bad storm in the area or the lights flicker - in case the RCD has tripped. Or of sitting at work and hearing thunder and wondering if you are going to come home to a real fire or are going to be eating tons of thawed food for the next few days..Or a few dozen other reasons for doing it properly.
I imagine the OP has thought of all of those and more, or wouldn't have asked if it was a good idea..
I had a power line like this to my garage for years, put in by a previous occupant. I had no problems and the support wire stopped me from breaking the cable everytime I hit it with a ladder or a bit of wood. Eventually we decided it could be dangerous and was certainly ugly.
A builder friend of mine lent me a motrised whizzy wheel and I cut a channel in the concrete drive. Then I got the local sparky in. He insisted on fitting a new distribution box complete with built in RCD and full size ( about three quarters of an inch diameter) armoured cable and a new panel in the garage. The whole lot was about £200 and this was about 7 years ago!
Mind, it looks great and I don't worry about it at all now, and it's probably added it's value several times over to the price of the house.
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