Electricians advice needed

I've just bought this WEATHERPROOF RCD PROTECTED OUTDOOR POWER KIT BY BG IP66 RATED BNIB | eBay on ebay and the cable really needs to be longer so I will be replacing it with a longer one.

Does this cable need to be a paticular type as it's for outdoor use?

Many thanks.

Steve...

 

My understanding of the 'relatively' new Building Regs affecting outdoor electrical installations (+ indoors in kitchens, bathrooms, etc.) is that if your appliance such as a greenhouse heater, fan, propagator, etc, is connected via a plugged in extension lead, rather than 'hard wired' you can do it yourself, but suggest you confirm that with your local Building Control Department. Obviously if connecting via a plugged in lead, a 'splash proof', RCD protected (if your consumer unit doesn't have appropriate RCD protection\) would be required.

If you don't know what you're doing, or are not permitted to do it yourself, employ a qualified electrician.

 

It's okay to use, I just windered about the cable,,ie what type do I need to ask for when I go to purchase a longer length. It's currently fitted with some rubberised stuff. I know nowt about electics so I dont know what I need to buy.

Steve..

 

Steve you will be ok with this stuff , but buy rubber as its easier to use and more flexible than the standard plasticy stuff they sell .. best place to buy it is in an Electrical Wholesalers where they will cut it to your requirements
This is 1 .5 which is ok for most lighting and pumps etc .. if your going to be plugging in kettles or electric fires then your gonna need 2.5 .. Micky


Black Sheath
General Purpose - Rubber Flexible CableApplication: Designed primarily as a trailing cable for use in the supply of
power for portable or mobile tools and equipment
Suitable to operate under light stress in dry or damp conditions.

Current Rating: 16 Amps

 

The idea of those "kits" is that the socket sits on the wall outside and the cable is run INSIDE.
The reason is, that if you use ordinary flex it may perish / rot after a while because its simply not up to the job.

If I were you I would move the socket outside closer to where you are going to plug it into inside.

If you really still want to change the cable you should use "arctic blue" cable such as shown below. (It is made for use outside)



You can guess why its called arctic blue. I doubt a wholesaler will "cut to your requirements" as its not that expensive. Believe it or not, you can get it in a well known orange and black diy store (just like that picture)

The "rule" that you are looking for is not, its a building regulation called "part P" (honest)

 

John,

Just a 300watt soil warming cable in one plug and a frost free heater in the other, and 5 metres in length.

Steve...

 

Thank you Shiney, since I've had the greenhouse erected I have wanted power in it, and a few years ago I spoke to an Electrician about it, who just happened to be doing some work on our premises.

He stated that the greenhouse would have to have a "consumer unit" to comply with regs (cost around £200.00) plus wiring, rcd's and time to fit whole job would be around £300.00+ and the cable would now have to be buried 400mm down and taped. Since we have a concrete path, that cannot be done without even more expense, that's "if" we could find the intial £300..

So we forgot about the idea, until when speaking to another spark in our area he mentioned about the outside plug and that you could buy a kit for £20. So I have bought the kit but the cable is just not long enough. I looked on the web for cables and came accross this page https://www.electriccableco.com/ then realised I needed some help to choose the correct cable, and that's where I am at now.

I need 5 metres of cable fit for outside use, but wish to keep costs down ( a coil of the arctic blue costs £41 for 25 metres, I need only 5) So if the actic blue cannot be split is there a name of a cable suitable for use that I can then go to a store with and ask for by name?

Steve...

 

read the questions and they say this ok for green house heater so must be ok for outside use
3-Core 13A Mains Cable 3183Y : Mains Wiring Cable : Maplin Electronics

 

The maplin cable linked is NOT suitable for this situation.

Perhaps the electrician was having a bad day? as a "garage consumer unit" does not cost £200, more like £30 Click me

Just like this one (available from tool station / and screwfix)

Again, he is not right with the cable run. Ideally yes, it should be buried, but yes it can go over head if supported on a catenary cable, or you can "clip" it to a solid structure, but a fence is not considered to be a solid structure but a garden wall is.

However this brings up another problem.

As we now know what its for, its a fixed installation, as its in a "special location" you have to get building control or a part p registered electrician to do it for you. BUT, you can take your idea to the next step.

Either way you can not clip a flex to an external wall as it has no mechanical protection. (and cable nailed in clips fail after some time) There is a kit that has wire armoured cable, which has a plug at one end and a socket at the other, garden centres sell them, but I can't remember the name, they are just what you really need.

Look at it this way, do it once, do it right, electricity does not forgive your error.

 

ARMOUR PLATED CABLE for burying runs to garden or sheds 74P per metre

Buy Armoured Electrical Cable, Multi Core & Steel Wired Cable | Alert Electrical

Jack McH

 

Nice jack, but you need special glands for steel wire armoured cable, which if you don't know how to fit one can be a pain, the kit I mentioned has it done for you in such a way you don't take them off.



SWA cable gland

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As an aside, yellow cable is used to signify 110v, blue is for 230v

Just because "it works" does not mean it is right, look what happened to the Titanic.