Socket in the Garden

[thhhhwaackkk]

I'm a novice with very little knowledge/experience so please speak without jargon and abbreviations!!!!!!!

Basically I had a wooden box in the garden housing an external socket. Long story short it's stopped working. Also inside the timber box is a black probably bakerlite box with a big fuse with two prongs on it. There is also one of these black fuse boxes in the basement (which is the other end of the cable) which then terminates with a standard appliance cable and 3 pin plug! The cable is a multi-stand live in a single red sheath and a multi stand black - each is in a separate black sheaths, which shares a sheath with the seathed live. This cable is in a conduit There is a separate 6mm earth (see my album for a photo of the cable).

My question is - I want an external socket at the end of the garden where the wire terminates is about 30m from the house how does one do it? I had an electrician over who told me (without testing anything or opening the box to see the cables) that he would need to run a new SWA cable and said it would cost about £1200 - which seems a lot of money for a socket.... He also said that the socket would have to be inside a building - nearest is 10m from the cable.

Am I being robbed or could it be true?

Thanks for your help.

F

 

[Spark123]

View media item 61823That looks like concentric cable which the electricity suppliers use, it doesn't comply with the IEE wiring regs which we use for electrical installations for use buried in the ground without additional earthed protection (stupid I know as the electric board use it!)

The rest of existing setup doesn't sound that nice though, can you post some more pics?
His method doesn't sound too wrong however it is possible to have external sockets.
His price sounds a lot but without seeing the job and knowing how much work is involved it is impossible to say if it is too much or not. You could ask how much if you dig the trench.
If you feel the price is too much then try another spark.

 

[Taylortwocities]

He also said that the socket would have to be inside a building

Complete tosh.
There are plenty of sockets available that are designed for use outside, in the pouring rain, on marinas, camp sites etc etc.

Time to talk to another spark IMO.

 

[skotl]

We're having building work done so I'm having them run SWA to a garage about 20m away. I'm paying £1,000 inc VAT but that includes the digger for the trench (which was onsite already) and making good the garden, plus install of a new CU in the garage and wiring in new plugs and a 30A socket for the welder.

So £1,200 does seem high but if he needs to bring in a digger and dig a 30m trench then I'd guess your still talking high-hundreds.

But, as ever, always worth getting 2 or 3 quotes.

 

[Iggifer]

So £1,200 does seem high but if he needs to bring in a digger and dig a 30m trench then I'd guess your still talking high-hundreds.

what's wrong with his arms and a shovel?

 

[skotl]

So £1,200 does seem high but if he needs to bring in a digger and dig a 30m trench then I'd guess your still talking high-hundreds.

what's wrong with his arms and a shovel?

The spark? Takes longer and costs more, I guess. But if the OP digs his own trench I'm sure that will lower the price.

 

[Iggifer]

not than hiring a digger and operator it doesn't. Especially if it's soft ish ground (like it is now)