Outdoor Socket

thomp1983 · 3 Dec 2020

Hi All,

My dearest wife has decided as we now have a child this xmas we must have lights up outside the house, we live in a chalet bungalow so I can easily reach the soffits and fascias on a ladder.

I can join into the ring main in the roof eaves would it be acceptable to get a IP66 rated double socket and fit it into the void created by the fascia and soffit so I can access it by lifting the corner roof tile to plug in the lights and slip the lights cables out through the fascia?

thanks
Chris

DetlefSchmitz · 3 Dec 2020

How do you plan to turn them on and off?

AndyPRK · 3 Dec 2020

I wouldn't want to be removing a tile every year. (or twice a year)
Can you not fit a single outdoor socket on the underside of the eve ?

Also consider how you will turn them on and off ?
Maybe an immersion timer just inside the loft hatch ?

thomp1983 · 3 Dec 2020

How they will be switched on and off is a very good point I'd overlooked.

Removing the tile is no hardship it takes 10 minutes, due to the house design the lowest tile is only about 10ft from the floor so easily accessed from a normal ladder.

Back to how I will switch the sockets on and off, what about if I fitted a new socket in the eaves (these are easily accessed through a door in the bedroom into them) then used the ip66 double socket to effectively make an extension lead into the area above the soffits that is plugged into this new socket but the ip sockets and wire and cable is all clipped in place neatly?

Thanks
Chris

sparkwright · 3 Dec 2020

One solution may be to fit a FCU in the house, which will control the outside socket.

Place the outside socket in a large weatherproof box - the type where once lid is removed, leads can be plugged into it, the leads passing through the bottom sealed by a rubber-like seal.

The advantage of placing the socket in this large weatherproof box is that you bung all the transformer and controllers and all that crap we have to have now in there out of the way, and nice and dry.

Seriously, you shouldn't have to remove any roof tiles, they are best left alone.

thomp1983 · 3 Dec 2020

The reason I'm putting it up above the soffits instead of using one of those weatherproof boxes mounted outside of the soffit is they look ugly and I hate seeing the cables ran everywhere, I'd far rather remove one tile twice a year and have it all tucked nicely out the way in what is essentially a dry area.

Colin Brenton · 4 Dec 2020

If it's just for a few Christmas lights, honestly, just use an extension lead. Seriously not worth the faff and expense of adding an outside outlet just for that, especially if you have to take the roof apart to get to it - what about the felt layer under the tiles?

Or, put a socket on the front wall of the house that can also be used for other things. In that case some form of switching becomes useful.

Just a few thoughts fwiw.

Cheers!

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Outdoor Socket

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