ring main accessories

[rockingrodders]

On my household ring main the builder has included 2 external unswitched waterproof sockets, one by the front door and one by the back door.
The one by the back door has been used to power garden lights via a plug in RCD. The lighting cable is a very light 2 core with no outer insulation buried in a plastic conduit.
If I changed the buried cable to a 2.5mm armoured cable, run it as a spur from the socket via a fused switch, (inplace of the RCD) is it suitable for use in lighting a garden shed 12.0m from the house? If so should it have any other safety features like a RCD at the shed end?

 

[notb665]

the builder?!?!?!?!?!?!

You let a builder do electrics?!?!?!?!?!

 

[rockingrodders]

Very helpful, thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[breezer]

could have been wores, could have been the local crossing patrol person who did it.

The point being made is that you are saying the builder did the electrical job, the question is, is what he has done correct and safe

 

[Damocles]

Are these sockets indoors by the back door or outdoors by the back door?

I don't fancy a plug-in rcd getting wet. Anything powering the garden ought to have an RCD permanently wired into it. So a socket with built in rcd or rcd fcu would be needed. Unless there is already an RCD at the consumer unit?

 

[notb665]

I would NEVER let a builder do electrics. In my opinion builders are only good for bricklaying and anything to do with concrete. NOTHING ELSE.

If a builder did it I would get it all checked out by someone who is properly qualified, before you started doing anything else.

 

[kai]

My housebuilder did not even what an Electrical Installation Certificate was!

He wired up the immersion heater circuits, missing a vital component, the FCU between the cable and the flex, luckily it was easy/cheap to put right, a pair of £4 MK FCU's was all thats needed to correct it!

 

[shaggy]

Show us that pic again kai.

 

[notb665]

My housebuilder did not even what an Electrical Installation Certificate was!

He wired up the immersion heater circuits, missing a vital component, the FCU between the cable and the flex, luckily it was easy/cheap to put right, a pair of £4 MK FCU's was all thats needed to correct it!

So what did he join the cable and the flex with?

 

[andy]

My housebuilder did not even what an Electrical Installation Certificate was!

He wired up the immersion heater circuits, missing a vital component, the FCU between the cable and the flex, luckily it was easy/cheap to put right, a pair of £4 MK FCU's was all thats needed to correct it!

So what did he join the cable and the flex with?

prob twisted together and convered in selotape

 

[rockingrodders]

I think everyone is missing the point here, re-read the initial post please!!

The house was built when I bought it, the electrics were already installed, there was no choices, the wiring was all part of the house.

The sockets are outside but under cover.

I still need some guidance on my initial query. I.E. Can I upgrade to 2.5mm armoured cable and use this source for lights in a shed? (Remembering that it would be a spur from the household ring main).
Or should a shed supply come direct from a consumer unit?

Sensible replies would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[notb665]

A very sensible point has already been made!

The point being made is that you are saying the builder did the electrical job, the question is, is what he has done correct and safe

 

[Diyisfun]

I read the word 'builder' as Developer & as such would have tradesmen doing the techie stuff....Not odd job the brickie doing the electrics.

 

[dingbat]

Rodders, from what you've written it sounds as if you don't have RCD protection on your socket circuits? (I'm deducing this from your mentioning using a plug-in RCD socket for your outside lights.)

If this is the case then you could replace one of your outside sockets with a waterproof, fused connection unit with built-in RCD and run your SWA cable from that. You would have to make sure that the cable was correctly glanded and that the armour was adequately earthed. This would be ideal for what you want. In fact, on that cable you could easily run to a metalclad socket, then to a metalclad switched, fused spur to operate the lights. Power and light to your shed in one fell swoop.

On the other hand, if there is already an RCD in your consumer unit to protect this circuit, a waterproof, fused connection unit without RCD would do the trick but with the risk of nuisance tripping. That is, a fault in your outside lighting will trip the RCD and take out the whole circuit. (A particular pain if it happens during a weekend away and you have your freezer runing from the same circuit.)

The very best solution of all is to wire in a dedicated outside circuit from the consumer unit, but that is a much bigger project and probably more than what you need.

 

[rockingrodders]

Thanks dingbat, at last a practical and sensible reply. Just what the forum is for.