Help with outside socket?

[Jbgood]

hi i bought a outside socket

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat...d/cat/pro.jsp?id=12997&slotName=null&homeRef=

And was going to spur off a socket in the house but the back of it is not a single wire fixing but 2 lots and you just cannot get 2 (2.5mm) cables in there.

Any ideas?

 

[JohnD]

If the socket in the house does not have big enough terminals to spur off (this is unusual, unles it is a radial with 4mm wiring) then buy a new socket which will have generously sized terminals.

Additionally, an outside socket needs to be protected by a 30mA RCD. As your outdoor socket does not have one incorporated, is your household socket circuit already protected by an RCD? If not, you can buy an RCD Spur from Screwfix for about £20 which you can put inside the house. This will also enable you to switch off the socket when not in use - I see the one you bought is unswitched.

You can alternatively buy an external socket which includs its own RCD protection, they are quite expensive.

I have the feeling that ypu are not very experienced at electrical work - an outside socket is required to conform to regulations and to be inspected and certificated. Are you sure you should be doing this?

 

[Jbgood]

Hi,

Yes the house is on a RCD consumer unit (tt supply) i'm not on about the double socket i'm on about the outside socket itself. All double sockets i have seen have only had one connection lot at the back. But this has two (looks like 2 single sockets stuck together) but is infact a double.

What i'm going to do or planning was

Double Socket (Ring) -> Switched Fcu - > outside socket

So i can switch the socket off if i need to. No cables will be shown outside.

 

[JohnD]

Not sure I've grasped the problem. You can get one sheathed 2.5mmT&E through the gland in the plastic Clipsall box? As long as the sheath enters the box, you can do the rest of the wiring with the insulated cores. If they've made it like two single sockets fastened together, is there room to link the two lines, the two neutrals and the two earths together with 2.5mm insulated cores, and put the feeds from the supply into one of the sockets? Are you sure there isn't internal linking, with the duplicated terminals intended for in-and-out on a ring? you might be able to test for continuity to check that.

This Clipsall looks rather inexpensive, do you suppose price has compresed quality?

 

[Jbgood]

I'll look into the interlinking, i know better next time dont go for a crap make

will let you now what happens

 

[Jbgood]

Sorted. Need to take alot more off than i ever done before about 25mm but that's how deep the blocks were.

All works and can be disabled from the switched fsu.

 

[Qedelec]

And to echo John's original comment, this is notifiable to LABC.
Just because the supply is TT does not mean the sockets are adequately protected. Usually the supply to a TT installation will be protected by a 100mA RCD WITH DELAY feature. This will mean that the disconnect time of 0.4Sec will not be met. Have you measured the Earth Loop Impedance of the new outlet? Failure to do so and issue a Minor Works Certificate is a breach of building regulations.