Installing exterior mains socket?

M

Mr. Clueless

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I'm interested in having an exterior socket for things like the power wash & for whatever else i may need electric for whilst outside. Saves having doors or windows open & running extension cables through them. Obviously considering side or rear of house, leaning more towards side as it'd then be quite central to anything i'd need at the front or rear.

I'm an electrical dummy so basically at this stage i'm just curious as to what it'd entail. What would need to be done to achieve this. Is it a big job?

I took a video to show where our mains electric box thing is (where you can switch off all the electrics in the house). Actually in the video i only show the meter, but the switches are at the back of this cupboard anyway.

Then i'm thinking of having the socket on the side that you see in the video. I don't know whether near or far side of the black down pipe yet but basically in this area.

 
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Need to know if you have RCD protection on the intended circuit.
Sockets require this additional protection, as does any buried cable (unless mechanically protected or buried at a depth greater than 50mm, building regs permitting)
You would need a suitably rated cable, a suitably rated MCB/Fuse, possibly cable that is mechanically protected or routed directly from inside without being mounted externally.
Also it would be a good idea of having two pole isolation internally.
It will also require some inspection, testing and certification.
 
The easiest option is to locate the outside socket on a wall which already has a socket on the inside, cable straight through the wall from the existing and into the new outside one.
The existing socket cannot be already on a spur from a ring circuit.
If the circuit doesn't have an RCD, then get an outside socket that includes an RCD.
 
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Don't worry, i totally intend to.
But with the difficulty we have in getting tradesmen with our working times i figured it'd be much easier in the meantime to at least try here because for all i know some here may be able to tell me exactly what the job entails & then i can decide if i then go ahead & get someone out to look at it & do it or whether it sounds like too much disruption.

Anyway the photos asked for...



Photo 29-11-2015, 8 40 27 p.m. (1).jpg
Photo 29-11-2015, 8 40 27 p.m..jpg

Photo 29-11-2015, 8 40 28 p.m..jpg


That last one is obviously showing the box in relation to the door in the video & how close (or not) things are.
 
Is this bad or is it just old standards? Everything else seems to have been dated in the house so wouldn't surprise me with that.

What is RCD protection anyway & is it much upheaval to put it in place?
 
RCDs protect between an imbalance between live and neutral. Basically, if you're hanging off the end of a live cable outside on the wet grass (let's say you've part mowed through the lawnmower cable) the RCD will detect that there is current leaking to earth (via you) and disconnect the supply.

You could just fit an RCD protected socket outside.

You have the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Or depending on how you're running your cable, an RCD Switched Fused Spur at the origin of your new cable and then a standard weatherproof socket outside. If you plan on burying the cable in the wall, this option is better. If you're going to clip it to the wall, plan A is ok.
 
Thanks for that.

So basically to get it outside am i right in thinking they will have to drill outside from near the fusebox & run a cable from the box outside & then along the wall to wherever i decide the mains should live.
With the other option being ripping up the pathway or hacking off the dashing & then running it 'hidden' & then re-doing the pathway or re-dashing the house? (well, not the full house, but you get me :))
 
If it was me, I'd be looking for an existing socket on the outside wall (inside of course) and then just drill a 16mm hole through the wall and fix the external socket so that it covers the hole. No holes visible that way.

Of course, if your internal sockets are super low, this might not be practical and you might need to use some trunking conduit up the wall outside to make it a decent height.

Drill on a downwards angle from inside and seal up the hole with silicone
 
The difficult part of the job is drilling the hole.

It would be best to put the socket on the wall outside that Cupboard.

And a fused rcd fcu on the inside
 
AndyPRK said:
The difficult part of the job is drilling the hole.

It would be best to put the socket on the wall outside that Cupboard.

And a fused rcd fcu on the inside
Click to expand...
Yea that could work, and just break into one of the legs of the ring (if they're long enough)
 
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