Outdoor mains socket

What size is the armoured cable, Brian? With most, it is possible to terminate it direct into an outside weatherproof socket. If too large you'd need to use an intermediate IP rated box. TLC have a selection.

I ran a cable some years back, it actually goes to a shed but I do have sockets fitted to the exterior of the building.

Had I planned for the future, I would have used a Rittall cabinet or similar instead of a JB to take the power into the shed.

This would make the power source accessable to anyone with a cabinet key, it would also allow for a range of sockets or current limiting devices to be used by third parties.

My shed supply at the moment is available on a more or less permanent basis for a local farmer for his electric fence. Although totally trustworthy, the fact that he is taking a supply from the shed means that yet another person has access to my property.

When I ran the SWA out, I should also have run an ethernet cable, a telephone cable and a couple of 75Ohm coax cables.

Basically the work comes with burying and routing the cable. You may never want to watch satellite and terrestrial TV while working on your latest spreadsheet in between flipping burgers on the barbecue. But you will never have to dig the lawn up to do the upgrade if you do.

Anyway a dedicated cabinet can contain everything possible for "future expansion" even a 16A socket for a welder when the lawnmower breaks.

AB

Brian Gaff explained :

If you can find a suitable surface, wall etc. to mount it on outdoors, why not fit an outdoor socket - like this..

It has plenty of space inside, to terminate an armoured cable.

Its the normal way I run power to outbuildings etc. Stick an exterior socket on the outside, run SWA up to the underside of it and terminate with a normal three part gland. Then I can drill through the back and into the building to take power inside. Obviously Brian can skip that stage if there is no building!

The BG Nexus is a very good waterproof socket. Mount the socket on a post and terminate the SWA into the socket.

I have something very like that (without the RCD, but at that price it's a no brainer).

Just to state the bleeding obvious. There is no need for a RCD socket if the SWA has RCD protection at the CU.

Size well don't know how I'd measure this really. it runs down my fence, most of the way and is rolled up. the house end is a switched spur off the downstairs ring. So its not mega big in capacity,but it is quite a big outside size and not very bendy. I'll need to get somebody round to look at it. Brian

Ahem no in this case its going to be 13 amp max, and yes I have a plug in device for safety for outdoor gadgets.

I'd be careful letting folk run electric fences they are notorious interference generators as the use pulsed high voltages that in damp weather can fizz and create regular glitches in tv signals and on analogue radios. Could you not tell the farmer he can buy fencer batteries and you will pay for them? Brian

If I did that, then wanted to plug in a supply to the new shed, could the cable outlet be made waterproof? Brian

Well there are some concrete fence posts there. The fence itself is wooden panels. However the building or buildings might have to wait till next year. There is a tiny shed which is still there but its not long for this world as its use at the moment is to hold tools an hold up a damson 'thing' I was going to say tree, but its an accidental sucker from a root of a tree that came down in the hurricane and is always full of damsons but is not self supporting. grin. Brian

No its older thatn RCD. Its as I said in a previous message. Obviously the fuse etc is not in at the house end.

I am extremely careful and its been supplying a couple of sheds for many years with local protactinium. It has been my experience though that generally remote rcd type devices tend to trigger for no real reason that can be found by qualified people. I suspect they are deliberately over sensitive to something or other! Now what I need is to figure out how I can flag up this thread in google groups so my friend can read it. I don't use the thing. How would I do that? Brian

He used to use batteries, but for some reason went over to mains last year.

I am aware of the interference, that was there with the battery units, so I would guess that it may still be there on weaker signals.

In wet weather, the acoustic noise from the arcing electricity poles suggests that the farmers input to the "mush" is a drop in the ocean.

AB

The link below is to the thread in Google Groups

Brian Gaff presented the following explanation :

The RCD double socket I linked to, allows items to be plugged in and the socket cover allows it to remain shower proof - if that was what you were asking? The cover can be re-closed, with the plug(s) in place.

But is there any downside to being protected twice? Presumably RCDs are not infallible. Also, that unit seems to have a "test" button which might give extra comfort to the nervous.

If you put in on a post close to where there will be a building, then you have a ready waiting point to connect power to it when built.

Just that if you get a trip, you may have to reset two devices... (or if its only one, it will be the one furthest from where you are now ;-)

Imaging the RCD as a condom. You wouldn't wear two of them would you?